So is this game indepth or not?

[Radix]

For the first time, I can't really get my bearing from the reviews alone. For every review that praises the game's customization and complexity, there is one negative talking about how it is all surface-level complexity and not much strategic choice involved.

So which is it? I've seen negative reviews with +100h talking about how shallow the mech design system is, but if it lasted for 100h then is it really?

Can someone please shine some light on the mechanics regarding mech building and parts? does it play a big role and trying out things matters or can you just rofl the entire game with one archetype?

[Flavalicious]

The combat system, mech customisation is definitely the life blood of the game. The strategic map system and its various events/decisions are on the shallow end of the spectrum. For the cost they are asking I think its a safe purchase.

[Arkan]

Well, while there are many different weapons and almost all of them are actually useful, mech customization can seem somewhat lacking because different parts are a bit poorly balanced leaving you with 2-3 "best" options which you will probably stick to throughout the game. And unless you've ramped up the difficulty the game can become extremely easy once you grasp combat mechanics.

Still this a very fun game, the prediction system and realtime turn execution allows you to pull incredible stunts John Wick style with a squad of railgun-wielding mechs. This is the game's selling point and its main attraction. Outside of combat - yes, it is a bit shallow.

[spasti696969]

It feels like its still an idea at this point. They got the combat system down pretty much but there's almost no story or anything outside of combat.

[Jeffreyac]

I've got about 60 hours in, and honestly it's starting to wear thin for me. Don't misunderstand that - overall, I've enjoyed the game, I like the mechanics, and I'm a huge turn-based mech combat fan (still with someone would redo the old 80's/90's crescent hawk type games!) so I did like the game, don't regret buying it, and would recommend.

But, I think there is an element of sameness - for me, there's enough difficulty in the UI in building mechs to make it tough to see what really is an upgrade and what isn't, and you can't see the stats on new weapons/modules you get the blueprints to build, so unless you want to a) gamble some of your salvage to build an item that may or may not be useful, or b) savescum it so you can build it, look at it, then reload to learn what it does, it makes it hard to get excited about new finds.

Others have mentioned bugs - honestly the only ones that bother me are the random encounter bugs, where you'll get a random encounter to check out a weapons cache or another location, but because you've already fought at that location it doesn't properly register, and there's nothing you can do except delete the quest.

I realize I'm just harping on the negatives - to be clear, I did enjoy the game, and don't regret the purchase, and would recommend. But I doubt this is going to be one of those long-term games I end up with hundreds of hours in. It is good for 80 to a hundred though, and for me that makes it worthwhile.

So, if you're looking for depth that will keep you in game for hundreds of hours - maybe not. But it is a good, fun game that you'll probably get your money's worth out of at least. (Oh, and the learning curve initially is very steep - expect to be a little frustrated at first until you pick up on some of the nuances... once you do, though, things get a lot easier!)

[peddroelm]

the combat system is fantastic ! game of the year quality

the out of combat systems are pretty shallow ..

I'm expecting fantastic things from the top notch modding community and dev modding support on that front but it will take a while ...

[spasti696969]

It needs more "loops" outside of combat. Pilots leveling up, a base to build, named characters to protect. Something to care about. It feels like from a design perspective the combat is basically finished but the "story part" is still in alpha build.

[xyzapip]

It’s absolutely shallow. It’s still fun for some time as an arcade action movie editor. I will not even try to argue for anything but the combat scenes, because every thing else is so half baked flawed, it’s a pain.

The combat itself is quite shallow itself:
- most fights only take 3-4 rounds (15-20 secs)
- there is no difficulty, you know everything upfront anyways
- ai does not exist, and the only reason it’s not so obvious is, because you know everything:)
- the only challenging turn maybe turn 1, because the game sometimes squeezes you in corners and exposes your glass cannons at the front line with everyone shooting on them without good cover.

Overall, this game is a huge disappointment for every half brained tactical fan. Is nice however for some time for playing around with new weapons in the arcade short movies.

[spasti696969]

would be awesome to get a full replay of the whole battle at the end. I do like the concept of everyone moving at the same time as opposed to each side taking turns and popping off shots at each other while the other side just stands there. It certainly looks a lot cooler this way.

[Saboera]

The combat is initially interesting for the first few hours, however it does feel really repetitive over time. Maps are too similar with very little difference between them. The encounters also feel repetitive in the same manner. Once you've conquered your 3rd province, it seems like you've seen everything the game has to offer. There's a lot of equipment variety but that's about it.

After 5 conquered provinces and 22 hours in, I don't really feel like playing anymore.
There's a single very focused idea that is really well executed but everything else around it is rather feeble. It's one of those game I'd give a 6/10. I don't necessarily regret buying it but it ended up being a very forgettable experience so far and I'd say it's hard to recommend buying it.

[verarticus]

The game play is interesting and it's very satisfying to watch your turns all come together and play out, however the game is very shallow and feels more like a game half way through early access than an actual final product. The difference between most weapons largely comes down to "what range is it BEST at" rather than any interesting ability or mechanic. There's no actual unique stat or benefit or mod bonus on anything, every piece of equipment is just raw stat increases and despite using a rarity system it only has common (white), uncommon (green), and rare (blue) nothing higher. The offhand system is basically non-existent and solely for bringing a shield, you can equip a sidearm weapon but it's pointless because of how weak they are in general and the heat system instead of ammo making it so you don't get any more attack than just using your primary. The map is HUGE, but there's nothing interesting on it, after 3 zones captured you'll have seen 90-100% of all the maps and equipment.

It's a decent game, but a largely unfinished feeling one.

[Azure]

Because it's both tbh. Mech customization is pretty complex the first time you play it but once you figure it out it's pretty simple. While there are many options but many of them are also not viable and you find that there is one build that rule them all.

IMO, it still worth the price. This is one of the kind and if you like mech strategy game you should give a try but don't expect much. You will run out things to do ~48 hours or even less.

[Radix]

Thanks all for the replies, I will get this on a 50% off sometime in the future as I am more of a tactical bug that likes tons of options and strategies to deploy. Though I have to admit the combat is impressive and a breath of absolutely fresh air. I hope devs will buuild up on it in the future.