1995 turn-based mech roleplaying game (RPG) Front Mission 1st is coming to PC, after making its debut on the Nintendo Switch back in 2022. It could be a welcome addition to fans of mech-based turn-based tactics that might be looking for something new to play after several years of Battletech.
It strikes a fairly mature tone for the 1990s and Japanese RPGs in general, as the game has two different campaigns examining each side of a cold war gone hot between two large alliances and the mechs they control. It loses serious points for the name of those mechs, which are called Wanzers – please don’t laugh, this is a serious game, honest.
While I haven’t played it myself – despite a collectors edition for the Nintendo Switch sitting on my desk looking at me with shame – it’s reportedly quite a good update. The customization of your in-game pilots and their Wanzers – stop laughing – and the brutally difficult missions you toss them into should feel immediately familiar to fans of XCOM or Xenonauts.
I have fond memories of Front Mission 3, also currently getting a remake, which would let you update your fictional computer’s wallpaper with any nonsense images you could find on the equally in-game internet.
Those looking for big stompy robot fun should be well served here. The remake’s Classic setting will allow people to relive those 1995 glory days, but the Modern mode adds a mobile camera that can twirl and zoom and a shiny new soundtrack. Elsewhere, there are now selectable difficulty modes and a few other tweaks that should make things feel a lot more modern.
If you want to help these pilots look after their mighty Wanzers, it’s available on Epic, GOG, and Steam now for $35.
If you would rather spend your money on things that aren’t giant mechs then, firstly: why? But also here’s a link to some of the best Prime Day board game deals, so you can get some little plastic stompy robots instead.
