Video games and mechs are a match made in heaven, so it’s surprising there aren’t more games about piloting the hulking war machines. 2023’s Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon was the last mech game of note, delighting both fans and newcomers alike with its breakneck action and fully fledged customization. Yet those of us looking for more mecha-based thrills have been left wanting in the years since.
You can only go so long without soaring through the air in a sleekly designed mech, dodging missiles and small-arms fire like you’re starring in Macross or Mobile Suit Gundam before you begin to crave more. Up steps Mecha Break: a new free-to-play, third-person multiplayer game that evokes the exciting, full-tilt action of classic mecha anime. With three distinct game modes on offer and dozens of varied machines to pilot, Mecha Break offers quick thrills, but a lack of customization and a free-to-play model built on aggressive monetization and not-so-micro transactions hold it back from achieving pure mecha greatness.
Things kick off with a brief introductory mission that does a poor job of teaching you the objectives of an actual match. With its boss fights and set-piece moments, it feels more like a mission from a nonexistent single-player game than a primer for what Mecha Break has to offer. There’s some semblance of worldbuilding revolving around a mysterious mineral called Corite, which drove humanity’s rapid technological growth but is now killing the Earth.
