DUAL GEAR

Mechs sure are popular - they are the focal point of so many entertainment series these days! Gundam Wing, Metal Gear, Earth Defence Force all have mechs defending the planet or universe from various foes. Developer Orbital Speed Studios have now offered their take on mech culture - openly admitting to being fanboys of it. They offer Dual Gear - a turn-based action-strategy game that's a whole lot of heavy metal combat.

While the game remains in early access, there's enough intrigue about Dual Gear to take a plunge into its aether realm. First impressions can be essential to channeling your game in the right direction. There seems to be a lot of time taken to move onto a final version of the game. Let's have a look and see what all the buzz is about.

Metal Gear Dual

There is something that instantly jumps out at you about this game. It is how remarkably similar the aesthetics are to the Metal Gear Solid franchise. The mechs look like Metal Gear Rex, and the battlegrounds look like Mother Base. Even the battle interfaces look like the mission management and weapons selectors, respectively. Duel Gear does not play anything like Metal Gear, however. It only seems to be an homage to the mech culture.

The gameplay is a complex array of functions to make your controlled mechs dominate the battlefield - destroying all-metal obstacles in your path with a varied arsenal. As a turn-based action strategy, the game serves almost like a chess offering where you will have to gauge the spaces you can move in - and think about how to best apply weapons. While obnoxious to get the hang of, once you do manage - battles become very satisfying.

Despite your environments looking like training grounds in Metal Gear Solid V's mother base, the cell-shaded art style is more reminiscent of Borderlands. The mechs and assets do look very good - and all the animations are rewarding after subverting the challenges opposing mechs deliver. While in development, a good story seems to be in the works in parallel - seemingly taking a Gundam direction with engaging narrative and compelling characters.

Keep Scrubbing To Make That Metal Shiny

Dual Gear is early access - but the core of the game seems to be there. It's to be said the game needs to be more intuitive on how it works. Many hours could be spent figuring out how to effectively control your mech before even thinking about applying the strategy. Plenty of interfaces present themselves demanding a resolution on what to do, yet not explaining how to work them.

Once you've got over the hump of learning the game's movements and modes, there is a lot of fun to be had. Battles are challenging and make you play strategist before engaging, but it makes the victories more satisfying. The combat can be diverse, and the AI is intelligent enough to keep things interesting. We have a high mention for the elongated JRPG elements cut out between battles - the game just focuses on what it does well.

Dual Gear needs refinement - there's no questioning that, but the current state it's in points to the fact that it will get there. The easiest way to summarize its current incarnation would be Metal Gear in visuals, Borderlands in art style, and Resonance of Fate in gameplay.

Pros

• Combat is very compelling for a turn-based strategy
• Visual and aesthetics are well drawn out
• The diverse nature of weapons and AI keep things interesting

Cons

• Very unintuitive - many hours will be spent figuring the game out
• Does not feel like quite a full game yet
• Looks very much like other games