Kidou Senshi Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble
Encyclopedia
Kidō Senshi Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble (機動戦士Ζガンダム・ホットスクランブル Kidō Senshi Zēta Gandamu Hotto Sukuranburu) was released on the Nintendo
Family Computer
console in 1986 by Bandai
. The title translates to Mobile Suit Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble and is based on the first Gundam
sequel series, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
. Ostensibly piloting the title mobile suit
as Kamille Bidan, the games stages are in three parts: first-person shooter
levels on the ground, first-person space combat
levels in open space
giving the illusion of six degrees of freedom
, and side-scrolling
run & gun platform
levels.
Hot Scramble consists of 16 primary levels, with enemy MS
appearing in order roughly corresponding to their appearance chronologically in Zeta Gundam television series. After the 16th level is beaten, another series of levels loops endlessly, however if the 16th level is cleared, a game over will display credits with a looping sprite of Zeta pilot Fa Yuiry running, the rebuilt Haro bouncing at her side, as in the show's ending.
Similar to boss fights, at certain stages, Mobile Suits such as the Psyco Gundam
, Psyco Gundam MkII, Pallas Athena, or Qubeley will appear and must be destroyed (one shot, unlike bosses which take multiple hits) for the player to proceed from either the ground phase to the space phase or, during the space phase, to the boss fight.
version of Zeta - Toki wo Koete, the series first opening theme, and the in game music is a looping MIDI of Mizu no Hoshi e Ai wo Komete, which was the second opening theme.
computer which was released in 1984, predating Hot Scramble by two years. Last Shooting was based on the original Mobile Suit Gundam
and was split between two parts: side-view levels where the player must avoid falling debris of a crumbling base, and shooting levels that feature an early cockpit view and resemble an early first-person
version of Cabal (1988).
Bandai later released an edited version of the game as Kidō Senshi Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble - Final Version, an entirely first-person shooter, where the weaker side-scrolling platform levels were removed from the game.
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
console in 1986 by Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
. The title translates to Mobile Suit Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble and is based on the first Gundam
Gundam
The is a metaseries of anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots called "Mobile Suits" ; usually the protagonist's MS will carry the name Gundam....
sequel series, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
is a television anime, part of the Gundam series and a sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam. The show was created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, with character designs by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, while the series' mechanical designs is split amongst Kunio Okawara, Mamoru Nagano, and Kazumi Fujita...
. Ostensibly piloting the title mobile suit
Z Gundam
The MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam, designed by Kazumi Fujita, is a fictional weapon of the anime Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam from the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam metaseries. Its popularity has led to many variations, upgrades, redesigns and influenced later design works such as the Zeta Plus and the...
as Kamille Bidan, the games stages are in three parts: first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
levels on the ground, first-person space combat
Space flight simulator game
A space flight simulator game is a genre of simulation video games that lets players experience space flight. Highly realistic examples lacking any sort of combat include Orbiter and Microsoft Space Simulator...
levels in open space
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
giving the illusion of six degrees of freedom
Six degrees of freedom
Six degrees of freedom refers to motion of a rigid body in three-dimensional space, namely the ability to move forward/backward, up/down, left/right combined with rotation about three perpendicular axes...
, and side-scrolling
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
run & gun platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
levels.
Gameplay
The first two parts are first person shooter, the first taking place on earth, the second in open space and ending with either a boss battle, ranging from a Musai to the Jupitris, Paptimus Scirocco's flagship, or simply a colony or asteroid (Gryps, Axis, etc.). During these levels, player's gun is visible on screen, and can aim at and lock-on to enemies while shooting. Following this is a standard platforming section which concludes the destruction of the ship, colony, or base's reactor. Three power ups in the game include a shield, which prevents some damage, a beam rifle, which allows penetrating shots on the platformer portion, and health.Hot Scramble consists of 16 primary levels, with enemy MS
Mobile weapons
In the Gundam terminology, the terms normal suit and astrosuit are used to refer to normal astronaut spacesuits, so as to avoid confusion with mobile suits....
appearing in order roughly corresponding to their appearance chronologically in Zeta Gundam television series. After the 16th level is beaten, another series of levels loops endlessly, however if the 16th level is cleared, a game over will display credits with a looping sprite of Zeta pilot Fa Yuiry running, the rebuilt Haro bouncing at her side, as in the show's ending.
Similar to boss fights, at certain stages, Mobile Suits such as the Psyco Gundam
Psyco Gundam
refers to a series of fictional mobile armours of prodigious size, appearing in the Gundam franchise in various forms. The animation incarnations were designed by Kazumi Fujita , and have appeared in both Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and its sequel, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, both by the antagonistic Titans...
, Psyco Gundam MkII, Pallas Athena, or Qubeley will appear and must be destroyed (one shot, unlike bosses which take multiple hits) for the player to proceed from either the ground phase to the space phase or, during the space phase, to the boss fight.
Music
The opening music is a MIDIMusical Instrument Digital Interface
MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other...
version of Zeta - Toki wo Koete, the series first opening theme, and the in game music is a looping MIDI of Mizu no Hoshi e Ai wo Komete, which was the second opening theme.
Other information
This game was actually the very first console game based on Gundam and there have been an immeasurable number since. The very first Gundam game was Mobile Suit Gundam: Last Shooting for the Japanese MSXMSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
computer which was released in 1984, predating Hot Scramble by two years. Last Shooting was based on the original Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam
is a televised anime series, created by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes...
and was split between two parts: side-view levels where the player must avoid falling debris of a crumbling base, and shooting levels that feature an early cockpit view and resemble an early first-person
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
version of Cabal (1988).
Bandai later released an edited version of the game as Kidō Senshi Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble - Final Version, an entirely first-person shooter, where the weaker side-scrolling platform levels were removed from the game.