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The free-to-play monetization is already rankling eager mech pilots, but the actual combat in Mecha Break should have Pacific Rim fans salivating. The live service multiplayer mecha battler just entered open beta on Steam, but publisher and developer Amazing Seasun invited us to Irvine, California to try out the latest build a few days beforehand.
That build—while plagued with bits and pieces of live-service baggage—was a mechanically sound combination of dazzling mecha combat and comprehensive customization options for both my mech and pilot. It felt like a sharp union of Overwatch and Armored Core 6 with enough polish to make it feel separate from both those inspirations.
All about movement
Choosing a Break Striker, Mecha Break’s name for its robots, is as difficult as choosing a favorite hero in Overwatch. The classes—attackers, snipers, supporters, brawlers, and defenders—and their weapons, drone deployments, shields, and secondary abilities each come with drastically different playstyles.
Each class does what its name suggests. Brawlers focus on getting up close and personal while defenders are tanks with all-purpose shields to help block incoming fire while capturing points or moving payloads. Supporters focus on healing and keeping their fellow mechs within the fight while snipers are all about range.
Obviously this all sounds familiar to fans of hero shooters and other class-based games, although the core gameplay that the class system is built on top of is as tight as any multiplayer game out there. Maneuverability—which Amazing Seasun believes to be the core of what makes a mech game work—is phenomenal in Mecha Break. Whether it be brawler or sniper, Welkin or Narukami, moving around open space is fun, hectic, and easy to manage after a little bit of practice.
That practice is mainly needed in learning how to manage energy levels. Mashing your boost button and attacking indiscriminately will drain your energy bar, leaving you exposed and open for a counter attack. That limitation makes every step in your mech a choice, which makes it feel like you’re playing as a pilot in a mech and not just controlling the giant metal monstrosity directly. If you don’t have a strategy in place to use your abilities in stride, you’ll move like a horse caught in mud.
This give-and-take gameplay is present in all of Mecha Break’s modes, including a 3v3 deathmatch, 6v6 objective based modes, and an extraction mode that mixes PvP and PvE elements. We didn’t have a chance to try out the 3v3 deathmatch mode, but the 6v6 modes—including a variety of familiar modes like payload and domination—provide a backdrop for wonderful team strategy and combat.
These modes combine the demanding action with clear objectives that require teamwork at almost every level of play. The objectives are often so crowded that shields and healing are a necessity and any fan of Overwatch or Marvel Rivals will feel right at home with any of the roles in Mecha Break. The huge clash of visual effects will also be familiar—and somewhat confusing—to fans of other hero shooters.
Gundam style
Amazing Seasun had us play through a short tutorial that laid out Mecha Break’s controls and story, something that every new player will see upon booting the beta up. It was straightforward, but filled with small moments that felt straight out of Speed Racer. Soon after we find out that corite—an element and currency in Mecha Break—is infecting and fusing with human pilots, our captain shouts out that “it’ll sure make things interesting” with a creepy amount of glee.
It seemed like a somewhat Alien-esque moment that could be taken seriously, but any feeling of tension was removed and replaced with a bit of light humor as soon as the line was delivered. We’re beating the hell out of each other with giant robots, not saving lives after all (everyone ejects before serious injury).
Nothing about Mecha Break’s schlocky, anime-inspired story and characters stands out, but the generic vibe does provide a clean backdrop for the extensive customization.
Hours of in-game time could be spent browsing Mecha Break’s character creator and mecha customization options. Most aspects of your pilot, which you see and hear an unnecessary amount for a mecha game, can be tailored to your preference. Nose length, mouth shape, and skin tone can all be configured to your liking. As for the mech, every color in the rainbow can be applied to various parts of your Break Striker.
We didn’t have access to all of the customization options in our play session, but extensive menus full of custom insignias, patterns, and special parts can also be used to deck out a mech. Mechs always look like they came straight out of Gundam, which is thanks to the design contributions of legendary artists like Takayuki Yanase and Junya Ishigaki, but even a quick customization made my olive green brawler feel a little more like home.
Customization compliments gameplay as well. Multiple modifications can be applied to different parts of each mecha, including the cockpit, engine, and propulsion systems. Each mod gives minor buffs and nerfs to abilities, like energy regeneration rates. Small changes that’ll be important at higher levels of play and that’ll boost certain playstyles.
One of my favorite customization elements of Mecha Break is a simple cosmetic one. Whenever you’re killed, a photo of the enemy pilot throwing up a peace sign pops up on your screen. It wasn’t customizable during the play session, but I imagine it will be whenever Mecha Break launches. There are no emotes or dances in Mecha Break, so that little spicy post-death image is like your calling card in online matches.
Mecha monetization
Despite Mecha Break missing a few trademarks of a typical live service game—who wouldn’t love seeing a mecha do the griddy?—the grind is already built in. Multiple currencies as well as loot boxes are present as it enters another open beta. That’s expected from a free-to-play game, but one of its strongest elements—customization—will be its main source of monetization.
It’s hard to knock Mecha Break for this as the majority of online multiplayer games use this model, but I’m always wary of games built off of gacha mechanics, and Amazing Seasun has a history relying on randomized rewards with one of its most successful games, Snowbreak: Containment Zone.
It’ll be worth checking out how Amazing Seasun prices future cosmetics, passes, loot boxes and other purchasable items and how easy it is to get certain items that may be locked behind gacha mechanics.
Mecha Break’s gameplay can measure up with any other online multiplayer shooter out there. Its mechanics and modes are engrossing, making it easy to jump back into a match as soon as one ends.
Action games have you side stepping and dashing across the map are a dime-a-dozen, but there aren’t as many mecha action games that let you fight against other, player-controlled mecha. Mecha Break had me feeling as if I was piloting some of the most iconic mechs in pop culture as I was taking apart another player with my battle axe.
Mecha Break could follow Armored Core 6 in bringing high octane mecha gameplay to a wider audience, especially with how it combines popular shooter genres with some of the best mech-based that’s available right now. World of Tanks developer Wargaming is also getting into the free-to-play mech game with Steel Hunters, so perhaps we’re at the start of a new multiplayer mech combat golden age. The most recent MechWarrior went the opposite direction—MechWarrior 5: Clans is a singleplayer-only campaign—but it was good. Giant robots are clearly having a moment, at the very least.
The Mecha Break demo is currently the most played Steam Next Fest demo, although its user reviews are more negative than positive right now, with monetization among the more common complaints.
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Kurt Indovina
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