Exomecha has mostly flown under the radar so far. It was first announced in July of 2020, the heat of game conference season. 2020 may not have had quite the traditional summer game season due to the pandemic, but there were still a ton of announcements flying around because of the impending release of the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. Exomecha can't be blamed for having a hard time making huge news in the middle of that season, especially considering it's industry newcomer TwistedRed Games' first project. However, Exomecha recently resurfaced with a new trailer, and now that there aren't so many AAA games crowding it out for attention, it can turn some more heads.
Now that potential Exomecha fans have gotten a better look at the game, they can draw new comparisons between it and other media to get a sense for whether or not they'll like it. For one thing, it's looking a little bit like Crysis. The game's high-tech setting and specialized exosuits are a little bit reminiscent of that sci-fi FPS classic, not to mention Exomecha's increasingly impressive graphics. However, it also comes across like it's taking notes from a completely different IP: Transformers. Later in its trailers, Exomecha reveals that the game sometimes involves towering mechs duking it out on the battlefield, which might mean TwistedRed Games has some really exciting over-the-top battles in store.
A Sci-Fi Potpourri
There's lots of aspects of Crysis that seem to shine through in Exomecha. The most obvious is that Exomecha seems to be filled with soldiers in highly advanced combat suits not unlike the nanosuits that Crysis built its brand on, right down to the visored helmets. It seems like Exomecha is borrowing some setting notes from Crysis, too. Its trailers show a lot of combat taking place in tropical, beachy locations, which will remind Crysis fans a lot of the Lingshan Islands where the first game takes place. Exomecha also seems determined to mount a strong delivery on graphics with its extremely flashy combat, which bumps elbows with Crysis' famously overwhelming graphics.
It's at the additional intersection with Transformers where Exomecha really starts to get interesting. The first parts of the game's trailers show plenty of FPS combat, both with and without vehicles, but then Exomecha breaks out the giant mechs. Players will encounters machines dozens of feet tall, in the forms of swordsmen, giant cats, and even dragons. Although it's unclear for now if these machines are meant to be bosses, the fact that the trailer shows them fighting each other makes it seem more like players can pit them against each other. The promise of giant mech combat should excite any fan of Transformers who wants to see hulking robots duke it out.
New Game, Familiar Parts
Exomecha seems interested in making its fortune from the special kind of game that emerges from the intersection of elements like Crysis and Transformers. Its vehicular combat and grappling hooks is drawing additional comparisons to Halo Infinite, and the potential of piloting giant mechs is making some fans nostalgic for Titanfall. Exomecha stands at the intersection of a lot of really popular media, and seems interested in making something new out of all these ingredients.
It remains to be seen if Exomecha's formula works, but for now, it certainly looks promising. At the very least, Xbox owners won't lose anything on giving it a try once it comes out. Exomecha is a free-to-play MMORPG, so anyone and everyone with the right gaming platform can see for themselves if it holds up. Putting all these familiar themes into a free-to-play MMO is certainly a bold take in and of itself, so Exomecha certainly stands out in that regard. Microsoft's consoles can always use more quality exclusives, so hopefully Exomecha lives up to the many IPs that it seems to take inspiration from.
Exomecha releases in 2021 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.