The Gundam Pod Arcade game, Gundam Senjō no Kizuna (lit. Bonds of the Battlefield), is getting a sequel in Japanese arcades starting today.

Titled Gundam Senjō no Kizuna II, it brings a lot of the same experiences as the original Gundam Pod. However, it does also have an updated roster, as well as new quality of life features such as the ability to swap out your mobile suit after being eliminated.

On top of that, it also includes mobile integration- You’ll now be able to go to the game’s website, syncing your Banapassport with your profile and doing things like customizing the livery of your mobile suit to really take ownership of your walking anti-war metaphor.

Gameplay wise, it looks like not much else has changed- you’ll be working with teams across various maps, fighting off other mobile suit pilots with various classes such as Melee, Sniper and mid-range mobile suits.

The original game’s appeal was how you played it- in a pod designed to look like a Mobile suit cockpit, complete with panoramic projector and joysticks. To this end, Gundam Senjō no Kizuna II uses the same approach, but also includes a graphical overhaul for the 2006 release. Moreover, it used Bandai’s BanaPassport system to carry over your progress, letting you cash in your points from each match to work towards unlocking more advanced mobile suits.

While not an outright sequel or port, the game got a spiritual successor in the Gundam Battle Operation series, which had a lot of the same DNA as the games, but eschewed the pilot-perspective cockpit in favor of a third person camera and was released for consoles instead of arcades.

While the game is likely to stay in Japanese arcades for a while, this isn’t a cause for despair. Cabinets for the original game found their way overseas before, albeit without an English translation. Here’s hoping the same happens to this one.

Here’s the full roster of mobile suits available in Gundam: Senjō no Kizuna II:

Federation Mobile Suits

• Gundam
• GM Light Armor
• Ground-Type Gundam
• Ground-Type GM
• GM Sniper
• GM Striker
• GunCannon
• GM
• GM Cannon
• GM Commando
• Guntank

Zeon Mobile Suits

• Zaku II (Char Custom)
• Gouf
• Zudah
• Z’gok
• Dom
• Gyan
• Zaku I sniper type
• Zaku II
• Zaku Cannon
• Gelgoog
• Zaku Tank

(Source: 4Gamer)