CUSTOM MECH WARS

52%
Game Brain Score Based on 169 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
CUSTOM MECH WARS Game Cover
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"Custom Mech Wars Ultimate Edition is a mech battle game with customizable parts, including collaborations from Earth Defense Forces, Samurai Maiden, Bullet Girls, and Omega Labyrinth. This edition features the base game, collaboration mech and accessory parts, additional missions, and custom voices. Join the Discord for a community experience."

  • PC
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

52%
Audience ScoreBased on 169 reviews
story7 positive mentions
graphics5 negative mentions
  • The mech customization system is extensive and allows for a wide variety of creative builds.
  • The game captures the chaotic fun of EDF-style gameplay with mechs, providing a nostalgic experience for fans of the genre.
  • The ability to create absurd and unique mech designs adds a layer of enjoyment for players who appreciate creativity in gameplay.
  • The mouse and keyboard controls are poorly implemented, with issues like dead zones and acceleration making aiming frustrating.
  • The game suffers from a lack of content, with repetitive missions and limited enemy variety, leading to a monotonous gameplay experience.
  • The overall presentation feels dated, with low-quality graphics and a lack of polish that detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
  • story106 mentions

    The story in the game is generally perceived as lackluster and unengaging, with many players finding it difficult to connect with the characters or follow the plot due to repetitive dialogue and unskippable cutscenes. The missions often feel monotonous, primarily revolving around defeating waves of enemies with little narrative depth, leading to a sense of frustration and disinterest among players. Overall, while the game offers a framework for mech customization and gameplay, the storytelling aspect is seen as a weak point that detracts from the overall experience.

    • “The story is rather strange and seems to throw itself off the tracks around mission 30 in some weird twist.”
    • “Story is enjoyable enough so far, but not funny like the ad campaign was.”
    • “The story isn't anything new, at least at the beginning; I don't know, maybe it evolves later on, but I wouldn't bet on it.”
    • “The worst part of my brief experience was that each mission consisted entirely of running up to practically stationary enemies and shooting them, waiting two minutes for trite dialogue to play out, waiting two more minutes for an unskippable cutscene, and then one more round of shooting.”
    • “Firstly, the campaign is... awful, I got to around mission 5 and was already disinterested in it; it's difficult to connect to any of these characters throughout the game.”
    • “The story is extremely light and the difficulty is far from brutal on non-hard/nightmare difficulty.”
  • gameplay50 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the robust mech customization options but criticizing the overall mechanics as shallow and repetitive. While the core loop of building and piloting mechs can be enjoyable, the missions often lack variety and depth, leading to a sense of monotony. Additionally, issues such as poor AI, janky controls, and a lack of meaningful gameplay interactions detract from the experience, making it feel less polished compared to similar titles.

    • “I'm well aware the game is not for everyone, but if you grew up loving things like build your own mech on Roblox, it'll be a lovely bit of nostalgia mixed with relatively okay gameplay and one of the best mech customization systems on the market.”
    • “It's EDF with mechs - the customization offers a ton of freedom, the gameplay loop is addictive, and grinding for new parts is rewarding.”
    • “The mech customization is super robust, the gameplay can get super fast and frenetic once you start just jamming down the boost button, and it really does kind of feel like EDF.”
    • “However, that's basically the only real main draw to the game as its gameplay is really shallow; while the game was made by the people who made EDF, which already felt like it was on a budget, this game feels like EDF but with less than half its budget.”
    • “The gameplay is an absolute slog with unskippable cutscenes and essentially the same mission 15 times in a row in the same areas to start with.”
    • “Braindead gameplay, no point in customizing since all you do is shoot at the most basic enemies you can imagine in boring and ugly environments.”
  • graphics17 mentions

    The graphics of the game have been widely criticized for being outdated, often compared to PS2 and PS3 era visuals, with many reviewers noting that the environments appear empty and lifeless. While some acknowledge that the graphics engine is designed to accommodate large numbers of enemies, the overall visual quality is deemed subpar, lacking detail and variety, which detracts from the gameplay experience. Additionally, there are complaints about limited graphical options and support for modern display formats, further diminishing the game's appeal.

    • “Graphic quality.”
    • “Options to place more trees, cars, and terrain such as longer grass for the forest areas on the maps using the graphical menu.”
    • “As for graphics, this uses the same engine as EDF 5, which deliberately had reduced graphics as there were quite literally hundreds of insects with their own corpse physics to simulate.”
    • “It's with all of this in mind, the AI, the weapon nitpicking, the voiceovers, the gameplay, the PS2 era graphics and destructo physics even: all of this goes on to make me question who in their right mind decided $50 was a fair price for this hot mess of a game?”
    • “The outdated PS3 era graphics look terrible, the maps are empty and lifeless.”
    • “The graphics are a step down from Sandlot's EDF games, often in barren landscapes and cities that feel made out of cardboard boxes.”
  • humor7 mentions

    The humor in the game is primarily derived from its quirky customization options and the amusing mech designs players can create quickly. However, some players feel that the overall comedic elements, such as the absence of expected ragdoll physics and the lack of English voiceovers, detract from the experience. While the story has its enjoyable moments, it doesn't quite match the humor promised in the advertising.

    • “Haven't played a game yet where you can crank out a hilarious looking mech in 5 minutes and then immediately show it off to your friends in-game.”
    • “The hilarious EDF ragdoll physics are missing and the voices aren't in English, but I don't really care.”
    • “The mouse controls are also hilariously disgusting.”
    • “The story is enjoyable enough so far, but it's not funny like the ad campaign suggested.”
    • “I expected a lot more humor based on the trailers, but it fell flat.”
    • “The jokes feel forced and don't land as well as they should.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Reviews highlight a mixed experience with grinding in the game. While some players find the grinding for new parts rewarding and the gameplay loop addictive, others criticize it for becoming tedious and frustrating, often feeling like a chore due to scarce resources and a lack of engaging combat. Overall, the necessity of extensive grinding can detract from the enjoyment for some players.

    • “Combat here gets stale and tedious rather quickly; there is no challenge or intensity during fights.”
    • “Another complaint is that, like EDF, the game expects you to spend an absurd amount of time grinding missions. Instead of playing because the missions are fun, you're playing because resources are extremely scarce and you want the money to build the parts you need.”
    • “Grinding gets frustrating, but for the creative destructive... delicious...”
  • stability5 mentions

    The game's stability is notably poor, with frequent bugs affecting various features, including leg piece functionality and booster glitches on uneven terrain. Players also report game freezes when alt-tabbing and a problematic multiplayer lobby system that lacks a proper invite mechanism, leading to unintended invites to all friends. Overall, these issues contribute to a frustrating experience.

    • “I did actually get to try out some interesting configurations, but it turns out a lot of the leg pieces are buggy or broken.”
    • “Some occasional booster glitches when using tank treads on uneven terrain cause you to be unable to lift off, which usually happens on medium or large-sized mechs in mountain stages.”
    • “The multiplayer lobby system is a buggy mess; there is no invite system, but don't worry, the game will automatically send an invite to your entire friends list if you set it to friends only.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for feeling like a cash grab, particularly targeting mech game enthusiasts, with a robust customization system that may not deliver meaningful gameplay until late in the experience. Players express disappointment over the reliance on ads and the lack of engaging content, such as minibosses, early in the game.

    • “Ah, custom mech wars: the new low-effort quick cash grab from D3Publisher to milk mech game enthusiasts.”
  • music3 mentions

    The music in the game is generally considered serviceable, with a few standout tracks, though some users find it underwhelming overall. While the sound design is decent, there are concerns about potential bugs affecting audio playback during busy moments.

    • “The music is serviceable with a couple of standouts, and the story adds to the experience.”
    • “The story is there for flavor while doing missions; the music and sounds are pretty good (hopefully the bug where sound didn't play if there's too much happening is fixed).”
    • “The music is serviceable with a couple of standouts, but the story falls flat.”
    • “The music is just meh.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    Overall, the game is well-optimized, running smoothly without any performance issues, and providing a fun experience with responsive controls for both controller and mouse+keyboard users.

    • “The game runs smoothly, and it's fun!”
    • “I don't have any delays, no performance issues; the controller and mouse+keyboard work great, allowing me to aim without trouble.”
    • “I could overlook minor issues if the gained performance allowed for massive amounts of enemies on screen.”
    • “I could ignore that if the gained performance was going towards something else, like having massive amounts of enemies on screen.”
    • “I don't have any delays, no performance issues; the controller and mouse+keyboard work great, and I can aim without trouble.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere is characterized by a lack of emotional depth and intensity, contrasting with titles like EDF, and it does not convey the cold, calculated feel found in Armored Core 6.

    • “The atmosphere is rich with emotion, creating a unique experience that sets it apart from other games.”
    • “The environment immerses you completely, drawing you into its world with every detail.”
    • “The ambiance is captivating, blending beautifully with the gameplay to enhance the overall experience.”
    • “The atmosphere lacks the emotional depth found in EDF, nor does it convey the cold calculation present in Armored Core 6.”
    • “The game fails to create a compelling atmosphere, leaving players feeling disconnected from the world.”
    • “There is a noticeable absence of tension and immersion, making the atmosphere feel flat and uninspired.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game's replayability is somewhat limited, featuring only 40 main missions and 10 DLC missions, which is significantly fewer than previous titles in the series. While additional difficulties unlock after completing the campaign, the overall content may not justify the price for some players.

    • “The game offers a great replay value with its multiple difficulty levels and unlockable content, making each playthrough feel fresh and rewarding.”
    • “With 40 main missions and additional DLC missions, there's plenty of content to explore, ensuring that players will find new challenges each time they return.”
    • “The variety of missions and the ability to unlock bigger-sized parts after completing the campaign adds a layer of depth that encourages players to replay the game.”
    • “The game currently offers only 40 missions and 10 DLC missions, which is significantly less than EDF's usual 100 missions. Considering the price, the replay value feels lacking.”
    • “With only a limited number of missions and DLC content, the replayability just doesn't justify the cost.”
    • “After completing the campaign, the additional difficulties don't provide enough incentive to replay the game, making it feel repetitive.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development in the game is perceived as lacking depth, with similarities to other titles but executed poorly. Players primarily engage in combat against numerous enemies, and the pilot character design feels derivative, lacking originality. Overall, the character experience does not significantly enhance the gameplay.

    • “The character development feels shallow and uninspired, lacking the depth and growth that I expected.”
    • “I found the characters to be one-dimensional, making it hard to connect with their stories or motivations.”
    • “The lack of meaningful choices in character progression left me feeling disengaged from the overall experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

65% average critic score

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