Prepare for Titanfall
Mechwarrior 5: Clans is the latest installment in the iconic Mechwarrior series, developed by Piranha Games. Clans takes everything that has been fantastic about its predecessor, Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries and adds on a real narrative with a fantastic cast. I have been a fan of the Mechwarrior series since first playing Mechwarrior 2 back in the 90’s It’s always been odd to me that Microsoft, who owns the video game distribution rights for the Battletech series hasn’t done more with this franchise. MechAssualt was a great game back in the day, but I am extremely happy to report that Mechwarrior: Clans feels like a towering behemoth of action and storytelling, on that feels worthy of the Mechwarrior legacy.
MSRP: $49.99
Platforms: PC (reviewed), Xbox, PlayStation
Price I’d Pay: $49.99
Mechwarrior 5: Clans follows the story of Jayden, a young Mechwarrior pilot who aspires to join the Smoke Jaguar clan. As for the campaign itself, its set during the Clan invasion of the Inner Sphere. If you are a Mechwarrior fan, then you know that this is an important time for the universe as Clans are fighting to reclaim Terra, humanity’s birthplace. While Jayden is the star for sure, the supporting cast in this story also deserve a shout out, the cast help make this story feel as compelling as it is. Over the course of the narrative players will explore things like propaganda, war, morality and the cost of conflict.
Gameplay involves strategic, narrative-driven missions that can be played solo or in co-op. I managed to play a few hours of the co-op and can say that with a team that knows what they are doing, it’s a great time. But boy, people who think just because you are stomping around in a ginormous walking death machine that they are somehow invincible really need to take a second and replay the tutorial. Combat feels weighty and there is a deep customization system that allows players to trick out their Battlemechs to match their playstyle.
Graphically, Mechwarrior 5: Clans looks stunning. Somehow the team managed to make Clans look and play better than Mercenaries, which is wonderful. Missions will take players to different planets as they play out the galaxy wide conflict. But even with so much good going for it, Mechwarrior 5: Clans does have some issues. For one I had a few crashes on Steam while playing as well as a lot of frame rate issues. After some tweaking to the settings, I was able to stem the issue a bit but it was never rock solid. Also, newcomers to the Mechwarrior series should note that this game has a bit of a steep learning curve. While it doesn’t take long to master, just know that you can’t just run-and-gun, this isn’t that type of game.
Mechwarrior 5: Clans is a fantastic addition to the Mechwarrior lineage, offering a good mix of an engaging storytelling, deep customization options and some seriously satisfying mech combat. While the PC version has some technical issues and the overall game has a bit of a learning curve, the overall experience is well worth it for fans and newcomers alike. And the fact that Clans is hitting gamepass is sure to garner some new Battletech fans to the fold, which is great so we can get some new games form this legendary mech series.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
