Gunparade March
A tactical RPG about student mecha pilots fighting aliens.
Gunparade March is a tactical role-playing game from 2000, developed by Alfa System and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation in Japan. The game follows the 5121st Platoon, a unit of drafted high school students who pilot mecha called Humanoid Walking Tanks (HWTs) to fight alien "Phantom Beasts" that appeared in 1945 and halted World War II. By 1999, humanity is still struggling to survive, and the Japanese government conscripts students to pilot HWTs due to high pilot casualties. Gameplay involves controlling mecha on a map with character symbols, inputting an "Action Code" based on player choices, then viewing the resulting combat in detailed cutscenes after the turn ends. Outside battle, players engage in the characters' social lives. The story centers on protagonist Atsushi Hayami, a shy and naive HWT pilot with balanced attributes who teams with Mai Shibamura in a two-seater Tandem HWT. Mai is a skilled but socially awkward transfer pilot, the daughter of the head of Shibamura Industries, who joined the military after a crush on an elite pilot died in combat. Their relationship develops slowly, with the platoon attempting to pair them. The game received a score of 31 out of 40 from Famitsu magazine upon release. It won the 32nd Seiun Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, beating October Sky, Bicentennial Man, Juvenile, X-Men, and The Iron Giant, and was nominated for Japan Game Awards' Game of the Year, losing to Phantasy Star Online. A manga adaptation by Hiroyuki Sanadura ran in Dengeki Daioh, collected in three volumes by MediaWorks (2001–2003) and translated by ADV Manga (2004–2005). An anime series followed, as did a sequel trilogy, Gunparade Orchestra, released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. The Orchestra story follows the 108th Guard Squad in Aomori, a poorly equipped unit seen as a reject camp, whose pilots are forced into war despite dreams of returning home. The original game was later re-released on the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Gunparade March
- Developer
- Alfa SystemAdditional work by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan.
- Publisher
- Sony Computer Entertainment
- Platforms
- PlayStation
- Genre
- Tactical role-playing, social simulation
- Modes
- Single-player
- Released
- JP · September 28, 2000
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game is set in an alternate history where World War II ended abruptly in 1945 due to the arrival of an alien race called the Phantom Beasts (Genjyu), which slaughtered much of humanity. By 1999, mankind still struggles to survive, using advanced mecha known as Humanoid Walking Tanks (HWTs). The Japanese government enforces a student draft, recruiting high school students as HWT pilots. Gunparade March follows the 5121st Platoon, composed mainly of drafted students, as they fight the Phantom Beasts while trying to maintain normal social lives.
Gameplay combines tactical role-playing combat on a map with symbols representing characters; players input an 'Action Code' based on choices, then view the resulting action in detailed cutscenes. Outside combat, players engage in the characters' social lives. The story centers on protagonists Atsushi Hayami and Mai Shibamura, drafted HWT pilots who develop a romantic relationship amid the war.
Reader's Guide
Gunparade March is significant as a tactical role-playing game that blends mecha combat with social simulation, a formula that earned it critical recognition. On release, Famitsu magazine scored it 31 out of 40. It won the prestigious 32nd Seiun Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, beating works such as October Sky and The Iron Giant. It was also a nominee for the 'Game of the Year' from the Japan Game Awards, losing to Phantasy Star Online. The game's success led to a manga adaptation serialized in Dengeki Daioh and published in three volumes by MediaWorks (2001–2003), later translated by ADV Manga (2004–2005). An anime series followed, as well as a sequel trilogy titled Gunparade Orchestra, released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006, which focuses on the 108th Guard Squad in Aomori. The game was re-released on the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.
Did You Know?
- Gunparade March was released only in Japan.
- The game's sequel trilogy, Gunparade Orchestra, was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006.
- The protagonist Atsushi Hayami pilots a two-seater HWT called the 'Tandem' with Mai Shibamura.
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