The battle of MechWarrior 5 is at its destination, but other parts fall flat

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries need a few hours to get moving properly. For a game about building big robots, which compete with each other with futuristic weapons, that is much too long. Add a little bit of uninspired voice-acting, character models that look strangely old-fashioned, and a frightening CGI opening scene, all of which gives a very bad first impression. But after undergoing a flawed pre-release version of the game, I’m looking forward to playing with the new build of the first day. That’s because with MechWarrior 5, it’s a lot of fun shooting down other ‘Mechs.

MechWarrior 5 is the first single-player game of its kind in almost 20 years. It puts you in the cockpit – or over the shoulder in the third person, if you prefer – a 50-ton BattleMech. The action builds from there, adding bigger and faster units and up to three additional AI-controlled squadmates. The game also supports up to four players in multiplayer, but I have not had a chance to try this feature.

Unfortunately, MechWarrior 5 does not do a good job of showing you the ropes. This tutorial omits important information and floods things like targeting enemies. This is the key to triggering remote attacks. Targeting also lets you control your AI-controlled pets. The game includes a system that allows you to give orders to your allies. However, it is skipped to explain what the AI ​​is doing with these commands.

Damage must be remedied after each use. In the hangar bay, you can take a close look at your BattleMech fleet. The scattered NPCs are scary and will not be touched by your presence. Image: Piranha Games and Image: Piranha Games

The most annoying part of the game is writing. The script is outdated and contains jokes from the action movies of the 1980s. The voice output is stiff, as are the models for non-player characters. Your engineer can not even care to move from one foot to the other while standing still and staring into the middle distance as he delivers his lines.

However, under this nasty surface is a deep-combat simulation. One of the quirks of MechWarrior 5 is how you are forced to aim your weapons. Weapons are attached to all parts of the body and arms of your ‘Mech. In front of you there is only a single target reticle. While a laser in the chest of your ‘Mechs marks everything you have in the crosshairs, a car cannon attached to your right upper body strikes the same target a little deeper and on one side.

That makes it a bit difficult to find the right area. As a result, it always feels like you’re shooting from the hip. Shooting down air targets when they turn up can be a lot of fun, but hitting fast-moving tanks and armored cars on the ground is an act of frustration. Explosive shells and laser beams often collide in the foreground with the terrain or are not sufficient due to the misalignment targeting some weapons. In the meantime, these little things never seem to be missing. MechWarrior 5 is very much a game of skill, and I see that I have to spend a lot more time in the cockpit before I feel really comfortable.

In particular, the second mission of the game is a low point. Alone in a downed and poorly armored ‘Mech, I had to defeat a whole battalion of tanks and planes alone. Then I had to shoot through a single, fast-moving enemy “Mech” as it literally ran circles around me. I blew up half a dozen times before I had half of the mission behind me. To make matters worse, saving is not allowed during the fighting, so I had to start all over again.

Chief Engineer Fahad seems nice enough. He never moves, however, except to follow the player in a tight arch right in front of his face. Image: Piranha Games via polygon

Playing the same mission again and again gave me at least some time to try out a few different control schemes. At first I played MechWarrior 5 with mouse and keyboard, just to find it a bit too complicated. Moving the ‘Mech and Torso with the WASD area of ​​the keyboard is somewhat uninteresting, especially when it comes to controlling the gas.

The game really opened for me when I got it running on a HOTAS. The support was only added in the last few days when I had access to a preview of the game. I’m pleased to announce that MechWarrior 5 works well with Saitek / Logitech X52, but was more interested in the Thrustmaster T.16000M Flight Control System. This set has a bonus paddle on the gas pedal, which allows me to control the lower half of my ‘Mech with the left hand and the upper half with the right hand. As of today, the team informs me that pedals are also supported.

The developers of Piranha Games have been working on balancing issues in the last few weeks before release, and everything still needs to be entered. I will postpone my final judgment until I have much more time in the game. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is available for $ 49.99 at the Epic Games Store this morning.