Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Mech shooters are a wonderful set of games. They're a fantasy uniquely built for the world of video games with few experiences feeling better than jumping into a giant machine, roaming around a detailed world, and blasting any enemies who get in the way. Developer Simutronics Corp is leaning heavier into the "fantasy" idea by taking a mech shooter and mixing it up with King Arthur's Knights of the RoundtTable in a game called GALAHAD 3093. Shacknews recently had a chance to try out the upcoming multiplayer beta.
The first thing to stand out is the availability of four different types of mech. The Light, Medium, Heavy, and Super Heavy mechs will all vary in size, strength, speed, and ability and they're all suited for different play styles. Light mechs are swifter and can hit-and-run against bigger targets, while the bulkier Heavy and Super Heavy mechs are armored up to withstand larger assaults. Regardless of your mech size, you'll get a Rocket Jump that can propel you skyward and cover great distances across every map. Just know that your size will affect how much hangtime you'll get with your Rocket Jump.
As for what you'll be doing with your mech, the objective is mainly to take over various bases scattered across the map. For this hands-on, we played on a sizable desert map filled with rocks and cliffs. Scattered in the desert's various nooks are respawn stations that can be controlled by either of the match's two teams, which can help reinforcements reach control stations much faster. The respawn areas can be a bit of a double-edged sword, as they can help players reach critical points quicker, but they can also be camped by opponents. Both the control stations and the surrounding cliffsides cover several stories, which opens the door to vertical combat. Think of it as a larger-scale Titanfall, just without the infantry combat.
A player's firepower comes from their mech, but it also comes from the Knight piloting that mech. Each Knight has a special ability, which can range from passive buffs to powerful attacks. King Arthur, for example, has the power of X-Calibur and can use it to call down an orbital strike on his enemies. Just be careful where you target that strike, because here's one thing to note about GALAHAD 3093: there's friendly fire. Don't be careless about unleashing your mech's full arsenal, because you can just as easily take out a teammate in a crowded firefight.
GALAHAD 3093 has the potential for staying power with a barrage of customization options. These options will range from a mech's weaponry (including shotguns, miniguns, lances, flamethrowers, and more) to color patterns and other cosmetic choices. Players will level up after each session, at which point they can upgrade their stats, as well as their various weapons and abilities.
It feels like GALAHAD 3093 is very early in development, judging by some minor user interface glitches that popped up here and there. However, developer Simutronics will look to polish the game in the coming months. On top of fixing bugs, they'll be looking to gauge player feedback over the course of additional playtests. The next playable beta is coming this weekend. The full version GALAHAD 3093 will release on PC at a future date.
These hands-on impressions are based on a playable beta provided by the developer. GALAHAD 3093 is coming soon to PC. While these impressions are entirely those of the author, Simutronics has sponsored other posts on Shacknews over the past week.