Mecha Break is the best PvP game I’ve played in ages, and a must-play during the Steam Next Fest

Look, there’s no way of sugarcoating this. Mecha Break is phenominal. Very, very good. It’s a game I played around a year ago for a little bit, and while I came away impressed back then, sitting at home and running a few games has me thoroughly locked in. There are issues, sure, but for an open beta set live during Steam Next Fest, I’m hard pressed to think of another game I’d rather be playing.

Mecha Break is, for those unaware, a online mulitplayer shooter. In it, you and other players team up for one of two modes: traditional online PvP matches and extraction-shooter style PvPvE brawls called Mashmak. There are a variety of mechs available, as well as unlockable colours, pilot outfits, and so on. Not too shabby at all for a beta.

Now, Mashmak is fine. The map is huge and what fights I have had against other players have felt plenty tense. Plus, I’ve gotta say I love the map bosses you can occasionally take on, massive robots that are more like raid bosses than anything else I’ve played in a mode like this. However, I’m really in love with the tried-and-true online PvP. Six versus six action that genuinely feels like it could be my next live service addiction. I’ve had more fun playing this than I ever had playing Overwatch, Marvel Rivals, Rainbow Six Siege, whatever.

There are two main reasons why. The first is presentation. If you’re a mech head this game is phenominal eye candy. I mean really. You want small mechs with snipers? You want mechs that can turn into planes and do bombing runs? You want super heavy tanks with gatling guns? Do you long for the axe? It does have a vast spread of mecha goodness, so much so that I’d be shocked if you couldn’t find at least one you don’t vibe with. One small negative attached is of course that, some of these mechs require a lot of earnable currency to actually unlock, which is a slight bummer, but you can at least gather a healthy cast of each major archetype without much time investment.

Secondly, the movement system is fantastic. At the start it’s a game of boosting to your chosen location, then some simple air and ground movement. When you start getting the hang of things, you start zipping all over the place, managing energy and using your chosen mech to dash circles around other players. Two mechs, if they know what they’re doing, conduct a wonderful dance around each other. In melee, this is especially great. A game of parries, dashes, combos, and intermittent ranged blasts. A wonderful ocean of skill expression.

In this beta at least, the game seems generous in the goodies it’s giving out. Though the battle pass is there, and while it’s not unlockable quite yet, it does appear as though an entire mech will be locked behind it. Here’s hoping free-to-players won’t be too hard pressed to obtain ’em, but for now at least things seem pretty standard. In terms of player power unlocks, there certainly are super rare mods that can be crafted through combining various purple-quality pick-ups in Mashmak. Mods provide statistical bonuses to your roster of big robots, which in turn will provide slight advantages. This raises red flags of course, though it’s unclear as of yet how hard it’ll be to get the ideal mods for your mechs. Here’s hoping things aren’t too wallet unfriendly.

But like, as it stands, a wonderful game that just…popped up on Steam during the Next Fest. Absolutely give it a download if you’ve got the time to sink into another PvP shooter. It’s truly a beast in a world of its own. Jump in! Once you do, I’m sure you’ll find a playstyle that captures your heart.