Megaton Musashi W: Wired Review

If taking part in within the Megaton Musashi W: Wired World Cup taught me something, it’s that I didn’t fully suck on the sport. My workforce managed to win not less than one spherical, however then once more, I didn’t excel at it both as my workforce misplaced its very subsequent match. I wanted to know as soon as and for all whether or not I used to be good, so taking part in the entire sport appeared like your best option. You realize, aside from inviting all of the rivals again for a rematch in Tokyo.

Wired contains a traditional anime-style opening cutscene full with a tacky however lovable theme track that units the tone for the sport. It options all the same old tropes and humour you’d anticipate from anime and manga, from faculty punch-ups and romantic confessions to a spoof of two aliens in a maid cafe. There’s additionally a later scene the place a personality will get a bit intimate with an android he’s powered down… however having a scene that makes you query what the hell is occurring remains to be very a lot in keeping with these anime stereotypes everyone knows, love, and generally increase an eyebrow at.

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You’re Launched Straight Into The Motion

Issues rapidly go from 0-100. Protagonist Ichidaiji Yamato and each different character you meet aren’t in an actual metropolis any extra. Aliens, generally known as Draktors, invade the planet and decimate most of it, leaving only some survivors who take residence in a Shelter known as Ixia. Most are fully oblivious to the true destiny of mankind and have had their recollections wiped to allow them to dwell in ignorance going about their every day routines of faculty, work, and hanging out within the native arcade.

Most narratives would trace at plot twists like this little by little, permitting you to uncover them as you progress, however in Wired, it hits you want a Megaton Punch to the face within the first hour. The pacing from there was a little bit odd as you construct as much as this climatic battle sequence and the sport feels largely wrapped up by Chapter 11, even unlocking New Recreation Plus at this level. However no. The sport has 25 chapters whole, so after Chapter 11, it leads as much as the subsequent large battle, then the subsequent. This emphasises the mirroring of an anime, the place you have got this ebb and stream of motion and characters dealing with the subsequent menace and the subsequent.

Any time you aren’t actively battling looks like an interactive anime, with one cutscene pre-warning you it was half-hour lengthy. For probably the most half, this gameplay-anime hybrid labored, however some elements felt a little bit stilted or poorly paced. I assumed one character was a scholar till wham, bam, thanks ma’am it seems he has a child with somebody. This complete factor simply occurred with out a lot fanfare and felt extra like a plot machine than a part of the story itself. The daddy in query, apparently not a baby (I hope?), appeared unattached emotionally about this information, and the few transient scenes that contact on this don’t provide help to fathom this disconnect. When he later decides to care and change into father of the yr, all of it feels a bit disjointed.

General, some elements felt dragged out whereas many others felt rushed. Maybe that is the value to pay for making an attempt to catch as much as, condense, and surpass the anime multi function go. There have been elements I needed to see detailed additional, whereas others felt like filler episodes. No one likes filler episodes. And that every one makes reviewing the sport a little bit troublesome, as a result of actually I’m reviewing the TV collection the sport is hidden inside.

Slice Of Life Combined With Mech Fight

Gameplay looks like a good cut up down the center. Half the time you’re exploring the two.5D world, chatting to different characters and chasing down leads or watching cutscenes, whereas the opposite half of the time you’re in your mech finishing fight missions in a totally 3D world. Each supply non-compulsory content material, so in the event you like one facet of the sport extra, you’ll be able to select to dig deeper.

If you’d like extra narrative, you’ll be able to tackle non-compulsory aspect quests, and discover collectables referring to the opposite characters to unlock Facet Tales that provide you with extra perception into their lives. If battling it out in mechs is your favorite a part of the sport, there are a plethora of non-compulsory missions to undertake, together with differing kinds, reminiscent of Treasure Missions that yield higher rewards or Problem Missions which might be tougher to finish. You’ll be able to even repeat missions on various difficulties to really take a look at your mettle, or pit your self in opposition to different gamers in PvP.

The mechs are the shining stars of Wired. The extent of customisation is unbelievable, permitting you to finetune your battlesuits by selecting totally different physique elements and kinds, weapon sorts, and talents with various playstyles favouring particular setups. On prime of all that, you’ll be able to customise it cosmetically additionally, making your mech scorching pink and slapping on totally different decals if you want. There are quite a few retailers and options that permit you to recycle, craft, and buy much more upgrades, elements, and talents, in addition to battle missions yielding numerous elements, too. There may be a lot you are able to do, it’s overwhelming.

However that’s no dangerous factor. Most gamers will completely like it. If, like me, you’re not probably the most adept at selecting each little element, you’ll be able to merely go together with what the sport recommends on the press of a button. You continue to have to type your personal skills, which unlock as you progress by means of the sport. You may have to grind just a few missions to up your degree to beat some notably difficult story missions, however aside from that, finishing Wired whereas sticking to the fundamentals is well achievable.

I dabbled between being a fundamental mech b*tch and making an attempt to change into a tech whizz by making an attempt out a number of the different components, although I in all probability nonetheless fell brief within the latter space. I additionally realised the laborious means which you could’t simply favour the one mech you actually like, as there are occasions you’re compelled to play as the opposite characters’ mechs. Don’t be like me, ensure you’re upgrading all of them.

I don’t contemplate myself an enormous mech fan, however the fight is undeniably interesting. You can also make your mech nonetheless you need it to be, so I made mine quick and proficient in shut fight as a result of I wish to button-mash the heck out of my enemies fairly than go for a gradual and regular, long-range method. As you progress, you unlock greater and higher skills that may carve a piece out of your enemies’ HP in a single hit and battles acquire extra depth while you acquire flight skills.

Fight is enjoyable, however it turns into repetitive. The actual winners had been the boss battles, as you’re dealing with down totally different mechanics and coping with big titans for that thrilling sense of a powerful, epic combat on a battleground the place you’re smashing by means of decaying skyscrapers. However most missions contain progressing by means of a linear path, defeating X variety of enemies to progress to the subsequent half and rinse and repeat till you cope with the boss on the finish. Customising your mech to maintain issues feeling recent does assist to mitigate this considerably, however in the event you’re primarily sticking to your outdated reliables since you’re not assured in your skills to modify up your mech, you’ll get uninterested in this quick.

I didn’t understand how a lot I might gel with Megaton Musashi W: Wired as I don’t contemplate myself a lot of a mech fan, however I used to be stunned by how invested within the narrative and gameplay I turned. Although the story’s pacing might have been polished higher and fight can get a bit repetitive, it’s an gratifying expertise that I concern many will miss out on this yr because it has snuck in underneath the radar. If you happen to love anime, mechs, and even identical to beating down aliens (and different gamers on-line) in your personal customised exoskeleton, give Wired a shot.

Megaton Musashi W: Wired

Performed on PlayStation 5.

Megaton Musashi W: Wired is an enhanced model of Degree-5’s motion RPG title. It places you within the cockpit of a spread of Rogues, a sort of big mech constructed to fight the lethal alien Dracter race that has invaded Earth.

Launched

April 25, 2024

Style(s)

Motion RPG

Execs

• The combo of traditional anime narrative with gratifying mech fight is a recipe for fulfillment.
• The extent of customisation choices is spectacular.
• Completely full of content material to make what’s already a decent-length sport even longer.

Cons

• The usual fight missions can begin to really feel repetitive in case you are not profiting from altering up your mechs.
• Narrative pacing might have been so much higher.