DUAL GEAR Review

Where have mech based video games gone in the past half a decade? Armored Core, Supreme Commander, and even Transformers are all considered mech games each packaged with unique features. DUAL GEAR has what seems like endless customization potential from gun type all the way down to skills which are usually your type of missiles such as rocket launchers, basic semi-automatic weapons, shotguns, and assault rifles attached on the side of your mech. A mech is simply a mechanized vehicle that is a rig with armor, special abilities, weapon attachments, and a pilot to control all of it.

Keep in mind that DUAL GEAR is still in closed alpha, so. As a result, my review over its current features may come off towards some as bare bones. There are currently only two known modes: skirmishes and a story mode. Thankfully, there is an instructional tutorial for all newcomers such as myself in the genre.

Let me start off with my criticisms before I go into the positives as well as the potential of this game I see in its final state. Currently, the user interface for a newcomer like me is confusing because of the amount of depth one must know beforehand in the hangar that Is used for upgrading your mechs abilities, attachments, color pattern from top to bottom and used in decrypting, and decoding new gear. The layout is too cluttered for my sake which could only be a result of my personal preference. The tutorial is hard to follow because it proceeds to go at a quick pace assuming that you already have invested prior time in learning about the action mech strategy, shooter genre. While this is not a substantial turn off, it currently will dissuade newcomers from getting right into the action. The skill menu for me was not properly stated for me to know how to go about getting superior gun attachments. No weak points towards enemy units are outlined, so it becomes trial and error. I could not even figure out if I was able to dodge enemy attacks later.

Other than these few flaws right now, DUAL GEAR looks and plays like Supreme Commander. New generation graphics create a robust and enjoyable learning experience. Gameplay requires you to move based on a turn-based action point system. Each unit has a limited amount of energy power that must be conserved. Action points rather are a limited number of moves that can be made based on the energy bar meter and turn count. Each enemy cannot hit you if you stay in place, however, once you become mobile, only if in range, then an opposing unit will attack you at full force. Fist, armor must be broken to penetrate through separate parts of the construction of mechs. Unfortunately, for you and me, the mechs have increasingly strong armor. However, this is because of my current failure not to find out how to equip new attachments in the slot wheel used to change weapons based on specific strategical and tactical situations.

It is an open playing field in which all opponents have a fair advantage at destroying one another. Luckily, there is a statistics box that pops up on the screen when each enemy and offensive mech attacks. We can see throughout this text, the armor resistance percentage all enemy units have separately, and also the percentages of each separate mechanized part in its relation towards hit point damage. The other main enemy variety in DUAL GEAR right now are turrents which can be taken down more easily since they are composed of single more penetrable layers than their counterparts. We can also switch from mech to mech on the fly. After each mech on one side takes its turn, the other opposing team is allowed to attack while the others spend time defending. I prefer using a Xbox 360 gamepad over keyboard controls because DUAL GEAR requires you to move around frequently while normally finding a place to stand still and attack.

Overall, in closed alpha right now until the full game releases sometime this year; it is a good game within its current features when compared to the already classic games within this smaller subgenre of a mix of strategy and shooter.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary PC code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.