Hardcore Mecha

The campaign alone is worth playing, but Hardcore Mecha's extras give the package a real boost.

Hardcore Mecha is a superb 2D side-scrolling adventure that marries some spectacularly OTT anime storytelling with explosively satisfying robot combat. There's a surprisingly meaty story here set across eighteen wonderfully varied levels with plenty of depth to RPG elements allowing you to customise your mech's attack and defence capabilities. An unlockable survival mode, online PvP, local multiplayer and mission rankings also add plenty of replayability to proceedings. It's a shame that this Switch port has some framerate issues that can see intense battles stutter, however, if RocketPunch can rectify this with a patch pretty sharpish you can feel free to add a point or two to the score below.

Hardcore Mecha provides you with all the tools needed to scratch that mech action itch. While the main campaign lacks narrative and creativity, the core gameplay is solid, which finds its way into the boss encounters and multiplayer mode. There’s definitely room for quality patches that would improve the experience, but a few hours of fun are packed into this title for mecha fans.

Fast 2D platformer action with a lot of in-game cut-scenes offers dynamic gameplay and not so amusing story.

Hardcore Mecha is completely surprising, coming from someone not a fan of mech stuff in general.

Ringing in at just $19.99 on the PlayStation Store, it’s hard not to recommend HARDCORE MECHA. With countless hours of replayability in the singleplayer portion of the game, a chance for some local competitive play and an ability to try some multiplayer fun, you’ll find HARDCORE MECHA to be a dish best served warm and one to not let pass you by.

Hardcore Mecha won’t be for everyone.

Hardcore Mecha's engaging single-player narrative, fast-paced 2D side-scrolling action, multiplayer options, and sweet mecha designs produce a well-rounded experience. The game runs and looks excellent on a PlayStation 4 Pro. The lack of current players online is disappointing, but there is a discord channel where others are looking to group up, but mostly seems to be centered around the PC release.

Hardcore Mecha doesn't bring anything new to the table, but it is extremely enjoyable. While having Japanese-only VO could cause you to miss dialogue in heavy action sequences, you might be having too much fun flying around shooting things to even notice.

Hardcore Mecha is a fun and beautiful mecha action game, with a very unique gameplay style and a story that holds its own, despite being full of small issues that undermine its potential, being a good game for fans of giant robots.