Megaton Musashi W: Wired review

Level 5 has been dormant in the last few years by its usual standards, but is coming back to the fore in a big way with forthcoming sequels to heavy hitters Professor Layton and crucially underrated action RPG Fantasy Life, not to mention the very interesting looking DecaPolice. Prior to these releases, has been the somewhat convoluted Megaton Musashi franchise, a mecha RPG that has seen a number of iterations in the run up to this – the definitive version of the game after stabs at free-to-play models and Japan-only releases, as well as two whole full seasons of accompanying TV animation.

On the surface, with it’s anime stylings, Megaton Musashi W: Wired looks like an all-action, whimsical take on the genre, lacking the post apocalyptic seriousness of stalwarts like Armored Core. But this is Level 5 we are talking about; let us not forget the crushing opening of Ni No Kuni, or the many sinister turns taken by our old pal Prof Layton – don’t let the comic book presentation fool you – this has a mature and surprisingly hard-hitting story as you take control of plucky youngster Yamato, who early doors foils an attempt on his life, manages to break out of clink, and finds out that the world is populated by alien-constructed robots who have destroyed most of humanity as he knows it.

He discovers that the world in which he lives is actually a charade; humans have had their memories erased to forget about the alien genocide, with citizens oblivious to the fact that outside the carefully constructed dome that they reside in, a war still rages between the nefarious Draktor menace, and human heroes piloting super cool military mechs known as Rogues. When the reality of the situation is revealed to Yamato, he is invited to join the resistance and take up the fight. He is initially reluctant, but then the story takes a very dark turn as he is effectively forced to relive the supressed memories of the aliens murdering his family in front of his eyes.

With his name itself holding a loaded meaning (“Yamato” can be used as a term emblematic of Japan itself, or the “Yamato Soul”, and has been used to name famous battleships and even astral bodies like meteorites), this young man represents humanity’s hope against a seemingly overwhelming set of odds. This is where you come in. As the complex plot of Megaton Musashi W: Wired unfolds, there are also narrative sections where we see things from the perspective of the Draktors themselves, really fleshing things out to help understand the motivations of both sides.

Once things actually kick off, you find yourself exploring a huge in-game map, chock full of interesting characters and interactions, shops where you can power up your battle gear, and a frankly shocking amount of fully-voiced cutscenes and vignettes. Out of this 2.5D world, you can then plunge yourself into the satisfying shooty, hack and slash third person mech action sequences, which have a gentle learning curve. Initially things are quite basic and you will whizz through the early levels quite quickly. Your mecha have ranged and melee attacks, as one would expect – and you can do anything that mechs usually get to do in Japanese-constructed fare of this ilk – dash, leap into the sky, shield, and use targeting systems.

You can hold a loadout of three weapons for ranged and melee attacks, and have the option to power your Rogue up with a selection of badass super moves that can be discharged a limited number of times depending on how many “TP” points you have – just like magic in a traditional RPG. The addictive and steady drip feed of the loot-chasing gameplay loop means that there is always something bigger, better and cooler to unlock. There is a Rogue for everyone here: if you like going at it with a giant sword and shield like a futuristic robot knight, then crack on. If you prefer to cause all manner of explosive, ordnance based mayhem, then grab a bazooka and an enormous shotgun.

The deeper you go, the more satisfying and varied things get. Your Rogues sustain damage and you have to learn how to repair them effectively to stabilise their performance in battle. The way the damage to your mechs manifests is surprisingly deep and clever – as well as obvious penalties on movement speed or manoeuvrability if limbs are busted, if for example the head of your machine takes a beating, your targeting and ability to scan in-battle maps goes awry. There is an element of risk/reward to undertaking repairs, as Megaton Musashi W: Wired leaves you no option but to carry them out on the battlefield at the cost of being a sitting target for a few seconds. It adds a decent layer of jeopardy and is very nicely done.

Just like any good action role player worth its salt, there are status ailments that can help you exploit weaknesses in your opponents, and you unlock hitherto unseen new abilities via the skills tree-esque “motherboard” interface. There is even a skill tree for your pilot. There are a silly amount of buffs and gadgets to find and play around with such as being able to juggle enemies in the air, fancy evasion moves, and using guard crush-style tactics to penetrate the hardest of defences. You can also enter battles with up to three different Rogues that can be switched on the fly. It brought to memory how much fun I had with Transformers: Devastation – a title that this reminded me of frequently.

A bit like that classic, however, Megaton Musashi W: Wired does get a bit repetitive once the novelty of the deep mech customisation wears off, with the missions frequently being linear in nature and just consisting of destroying the amassed enemies. But thankfully the engaging story, tremendous amount of tinkering to be had, and loot-based gameplay should have more than enough to keep fans entertained. It may not attract may new devotees of mecha-action titles, but for those like me who cannot resist strapping into a giant anthropomorphic robot, this one is a rollicking good time.