Before free to play games were the buzzword behemoth they were today, games with unique concepts gauged their success through word of mouth, good gameplay, and luck. One of these was the mech game Hawken. In the months of it’s digital arrival, it made Mech Warrior, Armored Core, and all before it feel weak and frail.
This was however, until a new king claimed the spot.
Of course, I’m talking about Titanfall. It’s AAA presence kicked Hawken to the side, which was even more shameful due to the dubious financial problems the game faced. And when Titanfall faded out and a sequel and a VR competitor arised (RIGS) Hawken came back to join the free to play space once again.
So, most importantly, should you care about giving this game a second chance?
Gameplay:
To the misinformed and attention deficit, Hawken might seem like a pure Titanfall ripoff at heart, but the game’s are mechanically different. For example, in Hawken, you can repair your mech after constant strings of damage, while Titanfall goes through the whole eject shoot hijack route. While both systems aren’t bad, it’s crazy how concentrated and intense this feels. Adding it to modes like Team Deathmatch feels just right, although other issues exist, some more prominently than others.
Story & Design:
Like a majority of free to play games nowadays, Hawken doesn’t waste it’s time with an epic dystopian tale, but after playing a couple of matches, it doesn’t feel like it needs to. The progression is fluid enough to cater not just the hardcore players, and some unique items and traps change the gameplay up just enough so the notch is never truly repetitious. However, none of these systems equal a true sense of challenge, and you might be getting kills left and right with a couple simple moves. The game is balanced, but in all the wrong ways.
Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:
Hawken doesn’t have a huge dose of content, but it is decent enough to be stretched out throughout a free to play title. This wouldn’t be the case if the map design wasn’t so exhilarating, which never seems like it would be the case due to the pale and bland graphics. It’s a nice surprise, even if it calls to question the definition of unevenness.
Conclusion:
Hawken is a competent mech shooter, and not much else. If you put enough downtime on it, there will be room to grow. However, with more engaging mech titles already entering the market, I’m worried that not much will last. The lack at something truly new at the heart of Hawken is it’s biggest downside.
Hawken gets a 7/10 (Average)
If you’d like to read more features and or reviews like this, please check out The Cube on Medium.com, or our Twitter @TheCubeMedium for more updates.
