A new turn-based mech-battle game called Dual Gear will hit Early Access next week. The game, which is a robust mix of XCOM and Battletech, will come out on July 29.
Dual Gear is reminiscent of mecha games of old like Armored Core and Front Mission. The stylized mech designs seem straight out of Patlabor; everything made as realistic as possible. The game, if successful, can upend its many modern counterparts.
Mech games with good story and design are rare
Mech games are not among the most glorious subgenre in gaming at the moment. While graphics have improved, many lack the level of storytelling and gameplay out there. A ton of mech games also stays within online multiplayer, with no real focus on the story.
Among the few exceptions to this is Titanfall 2, which has a superb single-player. Even then, the focus of the mission was not on the mechs themselves. Other rare gems include Xenosaga Chronicles, Battletech and Daemon X Machina.
DG is looking to put itself among the few mech games that are worth the work. The developers uploaded a shiny new trailer for the game. They also added a free pre-alpha demo that players can test on their Steam listing.
The pre-alpha test may look much different than the final product, and that’s great. The pre-alpha build looks beautiful but still needs quite the polish. The entire gameplay and visual design are stunning for people who want a deep mecha title.
DG offers beautiful visual design and cool mech battles
Dual Gear offers real-time shooting in its combat, with a layer of turn-based management. Players would be swapping from a tactical angle view, much like many modern JRPGs. From there, players can see firing zones and real-time action from the characters of the game.
The design of the mechs are super cool, known as “tactical humanoid vehicles” or THV. The THV looks awesome, as if Patlabor, Robotech, and Gundam had baby. Players will earn XP as they level up their pilots, together with their mechs and weapons.
The Early Access installment will have the game’s story mode available to players. The story will trickle further as progress goes on towards the eventual official release.
It’s hard not to feel the excitement with how the entire thing plays. Judging by the trailer, the robots are still mechanical in feel, unlike Gundams. Furthermore, they will also be more agile than the lumbering robots in Battletech.
Dual Gear is looking to go shoulder to shoulder with other mech games out there. The game is available on its Steam listing and will be available on July 29.
Images courtesy of Orbital Speed/Youtube Screenshot