Part 3: Char’s Rebellion

Once again, part 3 involves the events of Char’s Counterattack.

The map is the same as in the Federation campaign, other than the fact that Neo Zeon’s territories are green.

There’s also the same time limit to take over Axis before it crashes into the Earth, although Gihren’s attitude towards the whole situation is quite different from Revil’s.

Zeon soldier: This is an urgent message from the Intelligence Department! Char’s Neo Zeon is aiming to drop the space fortress Axis to Earth!

Gihren: There’s no need to force it to stop, but if we allow this, it will affect the Zabi family’s reputation. Please send troops immediately.

In terms of units, by this point Zeon and Neo Zeon share much of the same technology, such as the Geara Doga, Jagd Doga, and Alpha Azieru; however, we also have the ability to build the Messer too.

Once Axis is captured, we get the familiar message that the engine has been destroyed, and thus is no longer a threat. I assume the consequence of letting Axis hit the Earth is the same as in the Federation campaign, where you lose half of your resources.

Zeon soldier: We destroyed the nuclear pulse engine. It is now impossible for Axis to move!

All that’s left now is to move on to the final battle at Side 1.

Gihren: We will overthrow Char and restore order to the Earth Sphere! I look forward to everyone’s continued efforts!

The battle goes smoothly, as despite having comparable units, we have so many more that it’s not hard to overwhelm what is left of Neo Zeon’s forces.

However…

In a rather tragic twist of fate, Lalah shares an emotional series of lines with Marion, clearly talking about a certain someone she loves…

Marion: Fighting doesn’t produce anything… you should know that. But why do you fight?
Lalah: There is… someone I need to protect… someone who is strong but has deep sadness…
Marion: I understand… you love that person. I will help as much as I can.
Lalah: Thank you…

…only for this to be the exact turn I told her to attack Char.

Lalah: Stop this! Surely you can hear my voice…

He doesn’t even say anything back. I guess the idea must be that he’s so far gone, he can’t even hear Lalah trying to reach out to him any more. Given what happened with Quattro, I was wondering if this interaction would trigger another unique event, but now I’m just sad…

With Char and his forces defeated, the battle ends. Gihren and Cecilia share a few words.

Cecilia: Gihren, Your Excellency… We have finally succeeded in defeating all enemy forces. There is no force that can stand against Zeon anymore!
Gihren: Hmm. It’s finally over. It’s been a long battle. But it’s just the beginning… We must unify the Earth Sphere and lead humanity toward our ideals.
Cecilia: Your Excellency’s ideals… Please let me help you too.

There are two endings you can get if you’ve made it this far in the Zeon campaign. The first is the normal victory ending, and the other is the special victory ending. You get the special ending by completing the campaign with max law alignment.

The following is the special ending.

Zeon Army・Special Victory

The Principality of Zeon’s army wins the battle, and the Earth Sphere enters an era where the superior race rules under Gihren Zabi’s dictatorship.

The forced immigration of Earth’s inhabitants into space was realized in the blink of an eye due to the thorough suppression of those who opposed it.

The global environment is now out of its worst condition.

Also, with the end of the conflict between those living on Earth and those living in space, humanity finally regained peace.

However, that peace was achieved through Gihren’s strong rule and the sacrifice of those who opposed it.

It was not brought about by human wisdom.

However, no matter how it happened, there is no doubt that many people would rather enjoy this peace than a time when people hate and fight each other.

Humanity has finally been liberated from the shackles of the Earth by making many sacrifices.

Then, in order to face the new environment of space, they begin down a path of evolution…

~

That marks the end of the Zeon campaign playthrough. I do plan to continue this series, though from what I’ve read, none of the other scenarios are as long as the Federation and Zeon.

As a bonus, here’s the animated version of Zeon’s perfect victory ending from an earlier version of the game (Blood of Zeon).

Thanks for reading!