Play Mobile Suit Z Gundam - Hot Scramble Online

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Game Info

Cover art of Mobile Suit Z Gundam - Hot Scramble

4.4 / 5

3 votes

Platform
NES
Genres
Action · Shoot 'em Up
Developers
Game Studio
Release date
August 28, 1986

Summary

Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Hot Scramble, often just called Hot Scramble, is a 1986 multi‑genre title that helped launch the Gundam franchise onto home consoles. Developed by Game Studio and published by Bandai for the Family Computer/NES, it sold more than 400,000 copies and became one of the earliest Gundam games ever released. The game is split into three distinct phases: two forward‑scrolling shooter sections where a visible gun can lock onto enemies, followed by a side‑scrolling platform segment that ends with the destruction of a reactor. Players can grab three power‑ups—a shield, a beam rifle for penetrating shots, and health—while navigating a stark black backdrop dotted with a scrolling starfield. Designer Masanobu Endō built the first‑person sections to push the console’s limited 3D effects, and Nobuyuki Ohnogi supplied a synth‑driven soundtrack; a rare “Final Version” test press of only 1,000 copies makes the game a collector’s gem, and after the 16 main levels the action loops endlessly.

Storyline

Mobile Suit Z Gundam – Hot Scramble (often just called Hot Scramble) pulls its narrative straight from the Zeta Gundam anime, the sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. The early stages are split between Earth‑bound missions and open‑space dogfights, each concluding with a boss fight that can range from the massive Musai to the Jupitris, Paptimus Scirocco’s flagship, or even a colony or asteroid such as Gryps or Axis. Enemy mobile suits appear in roughly the same order they do in the television series, giving players a chronological tour of Zeta’s combat roster. Notable opponents include the Psyco Gundam, its Mk II upgrade, the Pallas Athena and the iconic Qubeley, all of which must be taken down to progress. Clearing the 16th level triggers a game‑over screen that rolls the credits alongside a looping sprite of Zeta pilot Fa Yuiry sprinting with a rebuilt Haro bouncing at her side, mirroring the anime’s ending scene.

Edited by Maya Carter

Game Screenshots

  • Screenshot 1 of Mobile Suit Z Gundam - Hot Scramble

Multiplayer

Game modes
Single