Get comfy: You'll be the only human BattleMech pilot in 'MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries'

By Jon Martindale December 5, 2016

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Pre-Alpha Footage (Mech_Con 2016)

The kids of today may get their mech kicks from games like Titanfall 2, but anyone who was a PC gamer in the ’90s will have stumbled across a MechWarrior game at some point. And now the franchise is set to make its triumphant return, and introduce a whole new generation to its classic campaign action.

That’s not to say the MechWarrior games haven’t remained popular. With multiplayer gaming taking more of the center stage in the past decade or so, that’s where fans of the series have had to go to get their fix of mechanical warfare, but in 2018 we’re heading back to the satisfyingly lonesome world of single-player BattleMech action, in the form of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries.

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A giant red mech in MechWarrior 5.

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Unfortunately, with a 2018 release date, gameplay details are rather thin right now, but we do have a little bit of pre-alpha footage to whet your appetite.

We also know that the game is set during the Third Succession War, and that players will take on the role of a rookie BattleMech pilot tasked with piloting some of the greatest war machines ever made. They’ll take on contracts from different factions, engage in tactical, first-person combat, and affect the game world and its emergent story through their choices.

The game looks to feature some on-foot sequences as well as action within the mech itself, though that may just be a short setup sequence shown near the beginning of the game.

Although we’ll need to wait a little longer to see how good the new MechWarrior game will be, the pedigree of Pirahna games is pretty strong. MechWarrior Online had a slightly rocky start, but it’s been well received and continues to receive updates. That will continue in the future, with independent teams at Pirahna producing the single-player and online experiences.

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