Mecha Break speaks to a very particular variety of sicko: the type of one that plays multiplayer video games searching for perfection. Not general – there’s no such factor as a “perfect” piece of artwork. But excellent moments? The excellent shot, the clutch dodge, confirming the final kill that wins you the match? They’re on the market, in that issues come collectively simply the way in which you need them to. I’ve solely gotten to play a couple hours of Mecha Break forward of launch (which, in case you’re studying this, has simply occurred) so I’ve a lot more to see, do, and unlock in this robot-themed hero shooter, however I can already say it’s a game that allows you to build your own tales.
Over the course of a two-hour preview occasion (taking part in on PC) I obtained to play 5 matches and check out 5 of the 15 completely different mechs out there (with the free-to-play mannequin Mecha Break is utilizing a number of of those I examined will need to be unlocked as soon as it goes reside, however we had free reign for our preview). One of the issues I appreciated most was how a lot selection there may be, each in mechs and match sorts. Mecha Break has all types of mech you might need: heavies just like the Stego with the flexibility to plant itself in the ground, sit behind a defend, and launch a large missile barrage; the Falcon, which transforms into a aircraft, Starscream-style, making it an supreme alternative for folk who prefer to zoom throughout the expansive battlefield and rain demise from above; and my private favourite, the Alysnes: a medium-weight, more conventional mech that turns into smaller and more agile after its armor is blown off. Survive long enough in this type and you may reapply your armor, like some variety of mech-flavored Magical Girl. Everyone has completely different armaments to handle, and I needed to tailor my playstyle to the mech I attempted. Picking the fitting one is important, as a result of when you’re locked in and the match begins, you’re caught with it.
This record catalogues a small quantity of what’s out there, and because the mode we had been taking part in saved our six-person group from having duplicate mechs, it led to some actually great fights. I had a significantly tense rivalry in one game the place my Alysnes confronted off towards one other participant’s camo-enabled, melee-focused Stellaris. We clashed a number of occasions, they usually had been long, drawn-out duels that examined all the pieces from our general map consciousness and positioning to after we determined to assault. We had been building rivalries in actual time, and it made for some memorable moments. Some I misplaced, others I clutched out, however the fights had been all thrilling.
Other matches showcased that there’s a ton of selection in terms of modes, even when none of them is something too far out of the field. We began in a conventional deathmatch (first to eight kills wins), however we additionally performed King of the Hill, one other mode the place you must destroy factors that seem on the map, one which requested us to seize launch keys and ship them to a launch facility, and good ol’ normal payload escorts. I had enjoyable no matter what the target was, and I appreciated that Mecha Break let me contribute no matter what I used to be doing. Even maintaining one other mech distracted whereas your group hits the target (or killing them outright) can swing a game, particularly as a result of respawns take a sizzling second longer than they do in most comparable video games. If you’ll be able to take a piece off the board for a bit, that issues. For instance, whereas piloting a Stego towards one other participant in the identical heavy-hitting mech on the alternative group, maintaining him out of the fight long enough for us to secure the final goal helped resolve that match.
The maps themselves are a smorgasbord of attention-grabbing places. One is a mixture mountain vary with a valley and a destroyed metropolis. I may set up and snipe at different mechs from the high ground with the Stego, however to get the targets (and keep in the fights over them) I needed to go down the place I used to be more susceptible. Another is at a missile launch facility the place you’ll be able to select between preventing exterior with restricted cowl, or getting up close and private in the tight corridors of the power itself. There’s even one set on the moon that features each open skies and huge craters and small canyons simply large enough to squeeze by, supreme for dodging enemy fireplace or transferring round out of sight. The actual trick there may be the heartbeat storms, which harm your mech until you are taking cowl.
Each map felt distinct and compelled me to strategy conditions in other ways relying on the place I used to be and what mech I used to be piloting. A Stego’s long-ranged firepower is wonderful in open space, however its sluggish velocity makes it a legal responsibility in areas with much less elbow room. The Alysnes’s versatility, alternatively, means it’s proper at home in each however by no means hits fairly as laborious as a Stego in the fitting situations. You’ll most likely simply make use of its melee weapon much less once you’re preventing throughout open ground.
Naturally, two hours isn’t practically enough to wrap up a review of a game like this, so I’ve a lot left to see in Mecha Break: I wish to get a really feel for more of the mechs and the opposite modes, and see what development seems like. But up to now it’s made a good first impression. I’ve come away liking the little moments, and the tales I’ve already been a half of in a short session. Now we simply have to determine if Mecha Break has the juice to maintain telling them for the long haul. If you’re leaping in to play at launch, tell us if something cool has occurred to you to this point.