Now when we talk about mecha-themed games, what is everyone’s first reaction?
Is it “Gang Lan”, a popular war chess game last year? Is it “Armored Core 6” that won TGA’s best action game? Or maybe for some old players, the “Mobile Suit Gundam EXVS” series is still irreplaceable?
This theme, which is full of characteristics but difficult to develop, may be a big challenge for all manufacturers. Especially without much accumulation, it is even more difficult to create a sense of presence and unique driving gameplay in large-scale mecha battles.
However, Xishanju, which has always been famous for its martial arts games, is determined to realize this mecha dream. “Unlocking Machine”, which got its version number last month, is moving at full speed and is about to come to us.
On the morning of April 5, I went to Kingsoft Software Park in Zhuhai and participated in the offline trial session of “Unlocking Machine”. In addition to experiencing the game’s 6v6 battles and the new mode “Mashmark”, the author also visited the office of the R&D team Xinhuo Heavy Industry and witnessed firsthand how much love these challengers have for mechas.
So as an original domestic IP, to what extent can “Unlimited Machine” portray the mecha theme?
After this trial session, I feel confident.
A large-scale mecha production full of “ritual sense”
For me, a good mecha game must satisfy at least two factors.
First, the mecha design must be highly recognizable; second, the gameplay must reflect the action characteristics of large-scale mechas.From these two perspectives, “Unlimited Machine” has a relatively outstanding degree of completion.
First of all, the comprehensive presentation of mecha in terms of appearance design, combat style, and performance planning is definitely the most important point for fans of this theme. “Unlimited Machine” has obviously put a lot of effort into this. As soon as you enter the trial venue, you can see a wall full of body design manuscripts, which intuitively displays the design logic behind different bodies.
In my opinion, the design of “Unlimited Machine” is between the “real series” and the “super series”: it has a cool and gorgeous body aesthetic, but also has a solid military-industrial atmosphere; it also has a sci-fi future. It is armed with melee weapons such as swords, spears, and shields. It can be seen that this is a new mecha product that the production team has deeply refined and organically reconstructed classic elements from past entertainment works.
Specifically in the game, you can even feel the differences between different models of aircraft.
The game has positioned each airframe as light/heavy, attack/fighting/defense/sniper, etc. to give players an intuitive feel. It then uses different main and secondary weapons + 3 skills to deeply depict the performance advantages and corresponding shortcomings of different airframes. plate. From this, players only need to try it out to feel the core differences of the machine beyond its appearance, and gradually find a combat style that suits them.
For example, the melee mecha “Panther”, which I personally like to use, has almost no long-range means of fighting enemies, but the spear that can charge up and sprint can trigger a large amount of assault damage as long as it pokes the enemy. It is not difficult in actual combat. Low but addictive in the hand.
The extremely thickly armored “Triceratops” is a turret-like body with strong firepower and lack of mobility. After transforming into a fortress, it can fire wildly with a defensive shield and it feels like pouring out firepower. The extremely maneuverable “Gyrfalcon” does not use firepower but uses physical skills to attack the enemy at super high speed after transforming into an “aircraft”. It tests the driver’s sense of space and emphasizes the sense of accomplishment brought by precise operation.
In this offline trial of the newly added Hurricanes and Skyraiders, you can clearly feel the production team’s deep exploration of the characteristics of the aircraft. The hurricane’s decoy release and floating cannon, and the skyraider’s dense barrage summoned by wingmen, all have very distinctive combat characteristics.
The differences in the gameplay genres of different machines allow players to quickly establish an initial impression of “Unlimited Machine”. At the trial site, I met many players who were trying this game for the first time. After the trial, they basically found their preferred airframe style and exchanged driving experiences and team composition. As an original IP, the machine can be remembered by players in a short time, which shows the design skill of “Unlimited Machine”.
Secondly, let’s talk about the presentation of mecha characteristics in the gameplay of “Unlimited Machine”.
I think,Mecha games must give players a strong “robot driving” experience.The immersive feeling of being an ace pilot as if you are in the cockpit, constantly shooting down enemy planes as the aircraft moves and flickers, is exactly the kind of fun that other categories cannot provide.
This driving feeling is multi-faceted. On the one hand, it simulates the unique operation feeling of large mechas, such as the sense of speed of jet acceleration, the inertia after sprinting, and the sense of weightlessness during landing; on the other hand, it must be matched with similar fuel , energy, overheating and other “limiting” factors to show the mechanical resource consumption that needs to be considered when driving the body.
In both aspects, “Unlocking Machine” is very sophisticated. The feeling of controlling the limit-limiting machine to fly up and down, sprint quickly, and accelerate to the ground is very smooth, and it completely creates the fast-paced, three-dimensional pull between the enemy and the enemy in the mecha battle. At the same time, the game also sets up corresponding resource management. On the left is the armor value and on the right is the energy slot. Players must monitor resource consumption at all times to avoid empty slots becoming targets and being caught.
thus,We were able to experience a comprehensive game that combines high-speed battle operations with resource management and teamwork strategies.There are many aspects worth developing in the gameplay of the game. Whether it is the movement skills in three-dimensional space, the multiple combat methods that take into account both melee combat and shooting, or the overall judgment involving the enemy and our team, they all depict the mecha battlefield very well. The exhilaration and cruelty that should be seen in the movie are refreshing.
There was a Longyuan parked at the trial venue.
It is particularly worth mentioning that,It can be seen that “Unlimited Machine” attaches great importance to the “sense of ritual” unique to the mecha theme.
For example, a special facial pinching system was made for the driver to enhance the sense of immersion, cutscenes were made for the entire process of boarding the machine and going into battle, and even a display stand for the Longyuan machine was set up during the trial session, and a sound and light show was performed on the scene. At the beginning of the trial, the scene created the feeling of “boarding off to fight”. It can be seen that the production team is really serious about “turning on the mecha”.
A senior plastic guy’s “power generation for love”?
I had a strong feeling when I tried it out:The people who make this game must know it very well.This is not just about knowing how to make a mecha game, but a deep understanding and love for mecha culture.
Sure enough, when I came to visit the office of Xinhuo Heavy Industry, the first thing that caught my eye was the pile of “plastic boxes”.
According to the accompanying studio guy, the team of “Unlimited Machine” are basically all senior “glue guys” who are very keen on collecting various model toys. When you enter the office, you can also see that the desks of the research and development bosses are piled with models of well-known mecha IPs such as Gundam and Transformers. Drawing and modeling in a rich “machine combat” atmosphere must be able to get twice the result with half the effort.
The enviable front door of Xinhuo Heavy Industry
In the office of Kris (Guo Weiwei), the producer of “Unlimited Machine”, you can also see a whole cabinet of personal collections, which caused fellow players to exclaim. What surprised me was that there were not only a full range of Gundams, but also METAL BUILD EVA Unit 1, Mazinger Z and other models that I personally like very much.
At the same time, we can also feel that Xinhuo Heavy Industries’ refinement and presentation of the concept of mechas in its creation can be said to be inclusive of all rivers and the strengths of various industries. They understand the beauty of mechas and the possibilities of this beauty. This makes the presentation of “Unlimited Mecha” not too stereotyped and unique in the settings that mecha enthusiasts love to see.
When contacting many studios in the past, the creators would emphasize how much the team loves a certain subject. Because this kind of love is related to how much enthusiasm and energy the team can put into a product, and whether the team’s understanding and expression of the subject matter are adequate. Especially those products with more vertical themes are often successfully hatched with the help of enough love.
I think “Unlocking Machine” is also such a product based on “love and passion”. This is not like a project entirely based on commercial considerations and motivated by the desire to quickly occupy a certain track, but more like a valuable opportunity for a group of capable and enthusiastic mecha enthusiasts to prove themselves – —It’s time for China to have an original mecha action masterpiece.
Still just the tip of the iceberg
I admit that, as a half-fan, I have some filters for “Unlimited Machine”. But now that I have calmed down, I still have to say something “but” – look forward to the subsequent form and possibilities of the product.
It is too early to talk about commercialization at present, but based on some clues I have personally observed, “Unlocking Machine” will most likely refer to the popular GaaS product model, focusing on appearance and passes. I have to say that the painting system in the game is worth looking forward to. Even players who are not so keen on fighting can feel the beauty of the machine with the pure intention of collecting and playing, and DIY the protagonist machine in their heart.
In short, from last year’s test to this offline trial, “Unlimited Machine” has given a very eye-catching debut. It has excellent quality and a production team that loves mechas enough, but where will the key experience and long-term content composition of the final game fall? Can mechas, a theme track that is not so mainstream in China, be completely opened up and become a Xishanju? Another major IP pillar remains to be seen.
Let’s wait for the transformation of the next test.
