Moving on from the One Year War and face off against the Delaz Fleet and attempt to thwart Operation Stardust. We then face off against Haman’s Axis Zeon, and ally with the AEUG to take on the Titans.
Part 2: Operation Stardust + Gryps Conflict
Picking up where we left off, the One Year War has ended with victory for the Federation. But peace will not last long…
Here’s the map upon entering the next stage of the conflict. The Delaz fleet has taken control of territory in both space and on Earth. Their base of operations is the Garden of Thorns, roughly in the center left of the space map.
All of our units from the One Year War are now spread across the map. Many pilots and commanders have left the Federation, including members of the White Base who are now under arrest (aside from Bright). However, you have some new pilots available now too, including Emma and Jerid among others.
It takes some time to consolidate all of our forces, but thankfully whenever a new enemy appears like this, they don’t move or attack you for a few turns.
Along with this, we begin the Gundam Development Project. In a few turns, this will allow us to construct the GP01, GP02A, and GP03. In the meantime, our plan of action is to quickly take territory back on Earth so we can focus completely on the space front as soon as possible.
Speaking of battles, in the last section I didn’t take any screenshots of cut-ins that happen during fights, so here’s a few from the battle to take back Odessa.
Yazan: “On the battlefield… Those who are scared die, remember that!”
Chris: “This is something I have to do, I can’t run away from it!”
Once we complete the construction of GP01, 02A, and 03, we receive a report that the second prototype, armed with a bazooka and nuclear warhead, was stolen by Anavel Gato from the Delaz Fleet.
We’re given the option to pursue him, which we choose to do. After all, we need to bide our time as much as possible to keep him from firing off his nuke at our forces.
As we wrap up our battles on Earth and begin to focus everything on the space front, a representative from Anaheim Electronic contacts us and gives us the plans for GP04G Gundam Gerbera. In canon, this MS was never finished and used to construct Cima’s Gerbera Tetra, but we can still build them here.
Around this time, we are also given the option to activate the Earth Federation Forces Naval Review. It’s important to activate this as soon as possible – not only for the morale boost it gives once completed, but because doing so in time will actually avert Gato’s attack (in the anime, he shoots the nuclear warhead at the Naval Review). Speaking of Gato, every two turns we continue to get updates on the pursuit of him, but of course he keeps evading capture.
During one of our space battles, we came across a strange combination of pilot and mobile armor: Shin Matsunaga piloting the Neue Ziel (Gato’s final suit in canon). He’s definitely no slouch, even on easy difficulty, and is one of the toughest single units we’ve faced thus far.
Afterwards, we receive two familiar pilots thanks to the Federation’s test pilot program, Kou Uraki and Chuck Keith.
Thanks to activating the Naval Review quickly enough, it succeeds and Gato is not able to shoot the GP02’s nuclear warhead at it. However, as we learn a few turns later, he’s instead now turned his attention to dropping a colony at Jaburo.
Federation Officer: The target of the colony drop has been revealed! The enemy is taking aim at Jaburo!
The Albion (the ship Kou, Chuck, and the Sinapus crew are on) asks for permission to use the GP03 in order to stop Gato. Whether you allow them to have the prototype MS or not, they will just steal it regardless.
For the first time so far, Cima appears and sends us a message. She offers us a deal – in exchange for information of what the Delaz Fleet plans to do for the remainder of Operation Stardust and for her and her crew to defect to the Federation, she is requesting a large sum of money. If you accept, the following turn she betrays the Delaz Fleet, and in the next part of the campaign you can use her a some of her team as pilots.
By now, we have taken back all of space aside from the Delaz Fleet’s base of operations, so Operation Garden of Thorns can begin.
Thankfully, in this timeline, Kou and the crew of the Albion are able to stop the colony drop. They also all survive and continue to remain in your pilot roster. Perhaps since he stopped Operation Stardust, Kou in this world gets a happier ending…
Revil: Looks like it was avoided… The enemy is desperate too… It seems we must end this battle as soon as possible.
After defeating the last of the Delaz Fleet at the Garden of Thorns, we immediately get a call from Jamitov.
In response to the Delaz incident, he has formed the Titans, an elite unit of Federation pilots to defend against any future Zeon sympathizers. At least for now, they’re still on our side…
…because we have bigger things to worry about. Suddenly Axis begins moving towards Earth, and Haman Karn and her Axis Zeon forces appear.
Our units remain in the same position, but Axis Zeon now has control of the top left of the space map, as well as Odessa. Axis itself has finally been added as a base as well.
While informing us of the formation of the Titans, Jamitov also proposes the construction of the Murasame and Augusta Newtype labs. We can choose to build either, both, or neither. Murasame lab will give you access to Four Murasame and the Psycho Gundam, and Augusta lab will give you access to Rosamia Badam and both the Baund Doc and Gaplant.
Whether you do so or not, I believe the Titans will still get them as pilots once they break off into their own faction, it just depends on if you want to use them for yourself now and keep the MS plans.
Now the Colony 30 Incident occurs. For those unfamiliar, this was a protest held at Colony 30 in Side 1. After failing to quell the protest themselves, the Federation called upon the Titans for help, who in response pumped in G3 nerve gas, killing the inhabitants. In canon, the Federation attempts to cover up this event, and it leads to the forming of the AEUG in response, setting up the events of Zeta Gundam.
In this game, the AEUG still forms, and Blex gives us a call. He wants us to punish the Titans for the incident, and asks you to join forces with him. How you respond here will affect who you’re allied with in the next part of the campaign. Say yes, and you’ll ally with the AEUG. Say no, and you’ll ally with the Titans.
The formation of the AEUG means both Blex and Henken aren’t available to you for the moment, but since we chose to condemn the actions of the Titans, we’ll have them back soon enough.
In a rather unexpected twist, Paptimus Scirocco approaches us and offers to join the Federation. When he joins, you can use him as a pilot, and he also brings with him plans for the Messala (and The-O, if you’ve cleared the game before).
Scirocco: It is an overwhelming honor for me. I offer my life in swearing loyalty to the General, and I will definitely live up to your expectations.
By now, we are ready to attack Haman’s base of operations at Axis. Here’s some lines from the enemy side.
Haman: I have obtained the power of the universe! There is no need to fear those whose souls are held down by gravity!
Mashymre: I am Mashymre Cello! I will fight until my flesh is scraped from my bones! Long live Haman-sama!!
With Axis Zeon defeated, the Titans immediately become our new enemy, and the Gryps Conflict begins.
First, here’s the new map. The Titans only control a few locations in space, but take over a good chunk of the Earth.
However, that’s nothing compared to the amount of pilots and commanders we lose. A sizable chunk of our previous roster is now our enemy, as expected.
You know who doesn’t switch sides, though? Scirocco. Apparently if your alignment is chaotic enough, some of his subordinates will join you too. I was expecting him to defect at some point , but he stayed loyal through the entire conflict.
Thankfully we get some help immediately, as Blex calls us. Since the Federation was willing to punish the Titans for the Colony 30 incident, he has hope things can be reformed, and merges the AEUG with our forces. This means we get him, Henken, and Bright back, but also Quattro, Astonaige, Apolly, Roberto, and Reccoa.
With our new allies, we begin taking back Earth while making sure the Titans are blocked from gaining any more territory in space.
A few turns in, Quattro shows up and gives us the formula for Gundarium Gamma, allowing us to research AEUG mobile suits, like the Rick Dias.
While we wait for more story to happen, we begin pushing the Titans back. Thankfully they didn’t seem as challenging as Zeon or the Delaz fleet. Kamille hasn’t even appeared yet and we’re already bullying Jerid.
Quattro: You should remember…battles are determined by the superiority of the tactics throughout…
Jerid: I don’t want to lose… I’ll definitely make you pay!
After quite a few more turns, Quattro contacts us again. Apparently the Titans are developing a new type of Gundam, and he wants to put a team together to infiltrate them and learn what we can about it.
If you say yes, a team of Quattro and most of the other AEUG members will leave on a mission. You’ll get a report from him a little while later that they were able to steal a Gundam Mk-II.
When they finally come back, you’ll get the plans for Mk-II, one completed unit, Emma will return to your forces, and of course, Kamille will join you too.
Depending on what your Lawful alignment percentage is at, a few more people will join over the next couple turns, the first being Hayato and Katz.
Five turns after Hayato and Katz, at long last Amuro returns too. His stats are pretty high, and he brings with him plans for a new mobile suit, the Nu Gundam!
Well, one version of it. In this game, there are two versions of the Nu, one with funnels and one without. We can’t get the version with funnels until the next part of the campaign.
There are some additional characters I’m missing out on since this is our first clear of the game, those being Fa, Kai, and Sayla. You also can’t start the Zeta project (which gives you the plans to build Zeta Gundam and all of its following MS) without clearing the game once either.
Maybe at some point I’ll go back and try to get everything I missed. If you disband the White Base right at the start of the One Year War, you can also get special AEUG versions of Ryu and Sleggar too.
Regardless, by this point we are more than ready to attack Gryps 2 and put Jamitov and the Titans in their place.
This hasn’t come up until now, but in battle, characters that know each other can have special dialogue interactions when they fight. By pure chance, we got a Quattro-Four interaction. It was at this point I realized I need to be more vigilant at trying to get these, so hopefully I’ll have many more to share going forward.
Quattro: This intense wave is like…
With the Titans gone, the Earth sphere is finally at peace. Until…