Battle Royales are here to stay and have become a staple in the mobile games market. Whether it takes cues from real-life like in PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds, or colourful and cartoony like in Fortnite, there is a wide breadth of settings and genres that remains to be seen in the Battle Royale genre. Along comes Super Mecha Champions by Netease, a whole new Battle Royale game that is heavily inspired by anime and mecha.

Super Mecha Champions main gimmick, besides the whole Battle Royale aspect, is the mechs themselves. Similar to the mechanic found in Titanfall, which in turn spawned its own Battle Royale with Apex Legends, you must build up a meter to summon your mech suit. You can then have full-on Mobile Suit battles with the rest of the people on the field. The 8 mechs need to be unlocked throughout the game, 3 are given from the start, and an early game mission will ensure you another one. Which is way more than enough when you’re out on the field. Each mech is different, offering different strategies and movesets. Whether it is the fast and speedy Skylark, to the basic and reliable Red Fox, there is sure to be a mech for you.

Besides that, Super Mecha Champions works just like your typical Battle Royale. 100 players and on the map, loot some weapons and armor, and try to be the last man standing. The weapons range from your typical assault rifles and grenade launchers, to wacky stuff like a flame throwing guitar. The best part of the game that really mixes things up is the transportation that you can find on the field. Gone are the cars and jet skis that you’re used to, now there are smaller walker-like mechs that you can find. Think of them like the smaller AT-STs in Star Wars, only they can transform into a faster, mobile tank whenever you want. These littler mech suits make gameplay faster and can really tide you over until your mech suit comes alive.

The only drawback to this game is the usual free mobile game trappings. From the gacha like ways you can get new character skins and what not is not only a slow burn, but because the game is so new, there isn’t much to collect just yet besides the mechs you don’t have. And the anime aesthetics may not be everyone’s cup of tea. The human characters are abundant, but they definitely skew to the usual anime archetypes. There’s the happy idol girl, dark goth guy, if you’re tired of this aesthetic than you’re better off sticking to PUBG.

Overall, if you’re looking for a great mash-up between 100-man Battle Royales and Titanfall, then this is the game for you. It plays great, the mechs are super fun, and is a great time with friends. The game is available now for Android and iOS, with new content being added every season, spicing up the game for players new and old. Hopefully, the game will be ported to consoles and PCs someday.

By Cecil Harvey