I’ve never really been a huge fan of mech-style games. I played a bit of Mech Assault 1 & 2 on the Xbox 360 last generation, but that’s about it. I am fan of dual-stick shooters though, so I decided to take a chance with this game.
Mech Rage is a top-down dual-stick shooter that released on the Nintendo eShop back around the end of 2018 by Drageus Games Factory. You take on the role of a greenhorn captain named, John. Aliens have breached their intergalactic spaceship and it’s up to him (you) to try and save the crew and what’s left of the ship.
After a brief story, you jump in your Combat Mech and the tutorial starts. Controls are pretty simple for a dual-stick shooter. The left joystick moves you around, while the right joystick aims your weapons. The right trigger is your primary weapon and the left trigger is your secondary weapon. As you progress, you’ll gain different abilities like dashing and shields. Those take the role of your shoulder buttons.
Mech Rage isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s tough and seemingly impossible at times. I played through the game on normal mode and struggled a lot in the later levels. Luckily, there’s 3 difficulties. I honestly couldn’t imagine playing on the hardest mode. What makes the game tough is that you feel underpowered most of the time. You can buy new and bigger weapons between levels, but even with a beefed up arsenal, I was still sometimes struggling. You have to play smart in this game. There’s actually a bit of strategy involved and not just blowing holes in everything like in most shooters.
You have an unlimited amount of primary ammo, but a limited amount of secondary ammo, which is usually your more powerful weapon. You can only use your special moves (like dash) a certain amount of times before it needs to recharge. So, you have to be aware of your surroundings, make use of cover, and keep an eye out for ammo and shield drops. Once you strategize a little bit, the game becomes a lot more manageable.
Mech Rage is a decent enough looking game. The top-down perspective visuals are crisp looking, while the soundtrack is eerie and draws you into the game. I will say that things are pretty dark and gloomy looking. I understand that you’re inside a big ship, so most of the rooms are all going to resemble each other in some way. But, every level just felt the same to me with only some minor changes. Even all the aliens felt similar. With that being said, Mech Rage isn’t at all a bad game. It can actually be pretty fun once you get the hang of things. There just isn’t much that we haven’t seen or played before unfortunately.
NOEN (@hashtagNOEN)
