No one has rated this review as helpful yet
Not Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 100.4 hrs on record (84.8 hrs at review time)
Posted: Aug 8, 2015 @ 1:45am
Updated: Jun 11, 2017 @ 5:08pm
Product received for free

Early Access Review
Edit: They ♥♥♥♥♥♥ it up. Rot in hell, Reloaded Games, and your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Minions community manager.


Hawken is one of the most engaging games I've ever played. Often I shy away from competitive shooters, but Hawken's community has a casual and welcoming atmosphere, even amongst advanced players.

Regarding community-
Typically, the people you meet won't take the game too seriously, and sometimes lobbies can fill up with players who love to chat about the game or organize fun, gimmick matches. Hackers are few and far between- The only hackers you'll come across are aimbotters, who can easily be killed with proper teamwork or clever use of cover and items. Basically, the Hawken community is great. Even on opposing teams, people won't get mad talking to you.
Matchmaking- I haven't found any difficulty finding matches in the US region during most waking hours and can still find a few games late at night. However, if your performance is incredibly high, finding a lobby that matches your skill level can be difficult, which leads to players creating new accounts to play with others of lower skill. However, said players have put thousands of hours into the game- if you want to play the game casually, matchmaking isn't an issue in the slightest.

Regarding price model-
Hawken has 2 types of currency. Hawken Credits can be earned through achievements, ranking up, and simply playing matches. Hawken credits can be used to buy unlocked primary weapons, new mechs, usable items (don't worry- they come back every time you respawn), and "internals" (essentially, passive effects for your mech).
The 2nd currency is Meteor Credits. These can only be earned through community events or bought with money. They can be used to provide a boost to your earned credits or experience. Additionally, Meteor credits can be used to purchase weapons (even if you haven't unlocked access to a weapon yet), mechs, and cosmetic items such as new taunts or paintjobs.
The rate that Hawken credits are earned isn't perfect- you'll be earning a lot more as you start before you stop receiving bonuses. However, there are semi-regular events which provide doubled HC earnings, and switching to a team with less players provides a nice bonus. In addition, daily win bonuses are available for each mode. I haven't spent a cent on the game as of yet, and in 30 hours of gameplay I've acquired 7 mechs and outfitted all of them with plenty of items, weapons and internals. The rate may be a little grindy- but each mech is unique and fun to play, and the game itself is an absolute blast. Earning HC actually feels like a reward rather than an obligation, and I haven't found myself bored with my selection of mechs before acquiring the funds for another as of yet.


The gameplay revolves heavily around teamwork and coordination, so you wont be seeing many players on Deathmatch.

Hawken's gameplay differs from many shooters- mechs have a limited turning speed, meaning it can be hard to keep your reticle on a quick mech that rushes you down. To circumvent this, you have the ability to dodge from side to side- this helps not only with dodging strong projectiles, but quickly adjusting your position to move your reticle onto an enemy. However, dodging has a short cooldown attached. Boosting (sprinting) everywhere is discouraged- this will drain your fuel meter until you can no longer boost, and disables you from firing weapons for a short duration after ending the boost. Mechs can also use their fuel meter to hover in the air- however, the height that can be achieved is limited, and your maneuverability in the air is greatly limited, making you an easy target for any player.
These mechanics seem to make it very easy to suppress targets, as anyone who attempts to rush in on a defended point has no way to fight back, and will likely die in seconds to a full team. However- you can instantly shoot out of a dodge, and one mech- the Raider, has the ability to shoot while boosting for a short duration, with the role of breaking up a defensive team and causing chaos while their teammates provide supporting fire and move in whilst the other team is distracted.

Alternately, there's another approach that I prefer greatly- stealth. Each mech is equipped with a radar. Everytime you fire a weapon, boost, dodge, or jump, you will appear on a nearby enemy's radar for a short duration, in addition to appearing on radar once in the enemy's line of sight. In most firefights that involve a large portion of the enemy team, the enemy will be completely focused in one direction, allowing a lone mech to walk around, undetected, and attack the enemy team from behind. Organized flanking can be devastating to an unsuspecting team- ESPECIALLY with the mechanic of repairing in mind.

What is repairing? Repairing is one of the main methods of restoring a mech's hp. Repairing puts you in a third person view with no radar, and will not begin restoring hp until a few seconds have passed. The mech cannot fire or move until a few seconds after repairing is stopped. If an enemy mech is hit while repairing, the process will be cancelled. If a repairing mech is caught off guard, they're most likely dead.

One of the greatest joys in Hawken is finding a player and organizing a flanking ambush on the enemy team- either verbally or nonverbally. Hawken's gameplay greatly encourages tactical play, and a team that sneaks up on enemies will likely prevail.

Another tactical aspect of Hawken lies within mech abilities- special augments for your mech that can be activated after a certain cooldown has passed. Almost every mech has a unique ability (only 3 mechs share an ability in the game) that can greatly change how a skirmish plays out. As mentioned earlier, the Raider mech has the ability to shoot while boosting, which can be used to chase down an opponent at high speeds, or to sacrifice yourself to give your team an opening to attack. Other notable examples include the Infiltrator, which can make itself nearly invisible and undetectable on radar until the mech attacks or runs out of fuel (which the ability constantly drains).

That about wraps it up- many other mechanics will explain themselves, or be found through experimentation. Don't be afraid to look up guides on mechs and maneuvers.

TL:DR
This game is an absolute blast if you get into it, and extremely easy to play completely free. There're plenty of handy techniques to learn, coordinating with teammates feels good, and duels with opponents can become very intense and action-packed. Every mech has a completely different playstyle, so if you ever find yourself bored, you can try out one of the free mechs, purchase a new one, or even just change the weapons and items you're using for a new experience.


My biggest hang-up with the game: development.
Adhesive games went under a while ago, and only recently was Hawken picked back up by a new company. While we receive updates every week, new content is still a ways away, and said lack of content has led to a small community. However, the game is still populated. I highly encourage you to give the game a go and maybe invite a few friends- after all, it's free.
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