Summary
There have been a plethora of mech games that have been released over the last few decades, but no developer has managed to pull them off quite as well asFromSoftware. While FromSoft has become synonymous with their brutally difficult Soulsborne games, they also have a large number of mech games in their catalog, all of which feature their specific mechanics and systems that help them stand out from one another.
There are a few key elements thatpeople look for in a good mech game, some of which include a tight and focused combat system, unique enemy types, and a compelling story that at least justifies why giant mechanical suits would be flying around the sky fighting each other in the first place. FromSoft are the masters at crafting these sorts of mech experiences, but with so many out there, it’s time to take a look at which of their mech titles stands as the most captivating, exciting, and most of all, fun to play.
Combining mechs with comedymight seem a little strange at first, but FromSoftware managed to pull it off incredibly well in the cult classic title,Metal Wolf Chaos. The player takes direct control of the President of the United States as he boards a mech in an attempt to defeat the rebel forces being led by the Vice President, Richard Hawk. This is already a pretty unique setting for a mech story, but the plot only becomes more nonsensical and hilarious as it goes along, which makes it very entertaining.
In terms of the gameplay itself, the third-person action is extremely fun and very intuitive, with there being tons of weapons that the player can utilize to tear down their environment. By far the biggest issue ofMetal Wolf Chaosis the lack of variety in its missions, since the majority of them can be completed by simply destroying every enemy on the map. While the game might be a little divisive, the unique blend of action and comedy still makesMetal Wolf Chaosincredibly memorable for those who have played it.
Verdict Dayis a direct sequel to the fifth game in theArmored Coreseries that primarily centers around its incredibly fun andaction-packed multiplayer mode. Upon booting up the online mode, players will need to choose between three different factions who are all fighting among themselves to get their hands on a pool of natural resources. After swearing their allegiance to a faction, the player and the rest of their team will then be pitted against members of the other groups as they duke it out in a chaotic clash to the death.
While the core gameplay looks visually stunning, it can admittedly be a little hard to get accustomed to the controls since nearly every button on the controller is extremely useful, so knowing when to use which one isn’t always easy. It’s a tough game to get into for newcomers to the series, but anyone already familiar withArmored Coreowes it to themselves to try out this addictive online multiplayer mech game.
Similar toVerdict Day,Armored Core 5can feel a little intimidating at first with the sheer amount of systems and mechanics that are at play, but it’s an incredibly rewarding experience once players figure out the best ways to take down their enemies. The core gameplay is a little different this time around. Rather than focusing on fast-paced reflex mech fights, it is instead a lot slower and more tactical. There’s especially a big focus on the environment, and how a player can use the high ground to their advantage, especially when wielding the new OVERED weapons,which can annihilate anything within their range.
The story is also very engaging from beginning to end, and while the 5v5 multiplayer doesn’t gel too well with the tactical angle of the gameplay, it’s still fun to try out with a few friends or strangers online. There’s also a staggering amount of customization options in this game, making it very replayable and personalized.
Another Century’s Episodeis one of FromSoft’s more niche game series which is also based around mech battles, but it also leans much more into an anime visual style, as opposed to the gritty and realistic visuals ofArmored Core. Because of this, a lot of the mechs in the game arevery similar to those found inGundam, possessing bright color palette designs, along with exaggerated weapons that can tear their enemies apart with ease.
The story itself might be a little nonsensical and messy, but it’s in the gameplay where the third and final entry ofAnother Century’s Episodeshines. The moment-to-moment battles with enemy mechs are incredibly fast-paced, with the stages usually only having a handful of buildings that can be used as cover. It’s a very challenging skill-based game that might look a little rough around the edges but is still a joy to play nonetheless.
Silent Linemight not be packed with quite as much content as some of the other entries in theArmored Coreseries, but it’s still incredibly fun thanks to the intense action and hundreds of customization options that are on offer. There are also a few small features that help it stand out, such as thenewly introduced first-person modewhich adds an extra layer of immersion to the gameplay, and the ability for the player to train their own AI Armored Core to train against.
The story this time around is short, sweet, and gets straight to the point, which makes it one of the best stories in the series to return to since it’s always worth playing through it again with a brand-new type of mech. Despite not technically being a mainline entry,Silent Linestill stands on its own two feet as a worthy addition to theArmored Coreseries and a great mech game in general.
After many fans voiced their disappointment at the direction of the story, FromSoftware decided to completely reboot the series inArmored Core 3, with the plot now being set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are barely able to survive. Because the games often only offer a tiny bit of information for each mission, it usually means that the stories inArmored Corecan sometimes fall a little flat, but this is far from the case in the third game, which many consider to have the most intriguing plot in the entire series.
The whole concept of humans living underground and being controlled by a mysterious AI is fascinating, and when mixed in with a few plot twists near the end, it makes for an amazing story to complement the tight and focused mech gameplay. The variety of mission objectives, expansive customization, and Arena mode also help the game stand out from its peers.
The major reasonArmored Core 2is so beloved among many longtime fans is because of how balanced it is. Many of the games will havea handful of weapons that are far too powerful for their own good, which can end up making the game far too easy, but inArmored Core 2, while every weapon is ideal for a certain situation, there’s no single one that is better than the others. On the other hand, the enemy mechs are also much more aggressive in this title which drastically raises the challenge, with Scarabaeus being the biggest example of a boss enemy who feels like it was ripped straight out of theDark Soulsseries.
Despite coming out so many years ago, the game also has a very charming, almost cartoon-like visual style, and there’s even a good amount of exploration in the main campaign, which helps to break up the intense gunfights.Armored Core 2is a blast to play through, and it would undoubtedly be the best mech game FromSoft has ever made, if not for one other title.
After an agonizingly long wait,Armored Corefans were finally able to get their hands on the rumored sixth entry, and it’s fair to say that it blew away all expectations. Everything from the graphics to the reflex-based gameplay, all the way tothe customization options, felt like they had all received a massive upgrade from the fifth game, and even the story had a lot more context and word-building that made it very memorable.
Since this game was released after the immense popularity of FromSoftware’s Soulsborne sub-genre, there are also a few elements from those games that were incorporated intoArmored Core 6too, especially in the form of the boss fights. Balteus is a prime example of this, with many considering him to be the gatekeeper to the rest of the game.Armored Core 6feels like the mech game that FromSoftware had been building up to for all those years, and it’s without a doubt the best of its kind on the market today.
