Summary
Mechs are some of the coolest things in popular media. Anime is one avenue wherein mechs get highlighted the most like in theGundamseries as well asCode GeassandNeon Genesis Evangelion. Mechs have also appeared in several video games.
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TheArmored Coreseries is one example and the newest title,Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, is almost out. Other great examples includeTitanfall 2andZone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner. Those are all action games though. What about gamers that want to play a good mech-based RPG? The good news is that there are plenty of those as well.
8Chained Echoes
Chained Echoescame out at a bad time last year in December 2022. By December each year, a lot of gaming websites already start to determine the game of the year lists and rankings.Chained Echoesgot lost in the shuffle despite getting rave reviews. Thankfully, the game eventually got its due after word of mouth spread over this retro-inspired RPG in 2023.
This turn-based RPG is played mostly through humanoid characters, but eventually, mechs will unlock, called Sky Armours, to power up the party. It feelslikeChrono TriggermeetsXenogears.
7Dark Cloud 2
Dark Cloud 2has two playable characters and they each have a unique power. Monica can copy monster data and transform into them. Her standard attacks are based on magic and swords. Max comes armed with a gun and a wrench, and can also switch into his Ridepod called Steve.
Players can customize Steve with new armor, legs, weapons, and so on. If playersdedicate themselves to it, they can turn Steve into an absolute beast in this action RPG about time travel.
6Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy 6was the first game to not only feature mechs, but the game began with them. A brainwashed Terra rides a suit of Magitek Armor into Narshe along with Biggs and Wedge. There are other opportunities to pilot these mechs as well,like when Sabin, Shadow, and Cyan team up to stop Kefka around Doma.
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Magitek Armor has appeared in otherFinal Fantasyentries such as a mount inFinal Fantasy 14. Players can recruit sentient Magitek Armor inWorld of Final Fantasytoo.
5Front Mission 4
TheFront Missiongamesare a dedicated mech-based tactical RPG series. Wars are fought in this universe with mechs called Wanzers. Every entry is a good one to jump into with the remake of the original being the most accessible right now.
Front Mission 4, on the PS2, is where many fans agree where it peaked though. The battle system was refined, the customization options were unique, and the story took many sides. If fans can track that game down, along with a PS2, they should do it.
4Mobile Suit Gundam AGE
Mobile Suit Gundam AGEwas released in Japan exclusively on the PSP. Like most mainPokemonentries, it launched with two different versions:Universe AccelandCosmic Drive. There are story differences between the two, but the gameplay is the same.
This action RPG set in the mechaGundamuniverse was developed by Level-5, who some may know from the aforementionedDark Cloudseries,Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King, or evenNi no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. Of the manyGundamgames out there, this one is worth seeking out as fans have patched most of the non-story text into English.
3Star Ocean: Blue Sphere
Some may not know that one of thebest entries in the series,Star Ocean: The Second Story, got a direct sequel on Game Boy Color. It’s another Japanese exclusive but this time there is a full 100% English fan translation out there that was finished in 2020. InStar Ocean: Blue Sphere, players crash land on a planet, similar to most entries in the series, and then start to explore its inhabitants.
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Players can form a party of three and one of these party members, Precis, rides a small mech she developed through the entirety of the game. This action RPG was also remade for mobile phones but that version is more lost to time.
2Super Robot Wars 30
Super Robot Wars 30was released as a celebration of the series’ 30th anniversary. It was also the first game in decades to release outside of Japan. The hook ofthis long-running franchiseis that mecha-based video games and anime join together in a giant crossover tactical RPG.
In this game, fans can control characters and mechs from variousGundamseries,Code Geass, andMagic Knight Rayearthto name a few. It’s the most accessible one on the market in North America, but most of the older entries up through the PSP do have fan translations too like3rd Super Robot Warson the SNES.
1Xenogears
Xenogearsbegan a giant franchise that is only a series through countless spiritual successors. The team at Squaresoft went on to help form Monolith Soft, which beganXenosagaon PS2. They then started another new series,Xenoblade Chronicles, on Wii.
All three series feature mechs in various ways, butXenogearsis the most classic example, which is a turn-based RPG. The suits are called Gears and they unlock relatively quickly. Gears are like an extension of the party’s movements, feeling more like armor than clunky mechs.
