Front Mission Evolved asks players to step into a giant walking tank, and for a while, that promise holds. The 2010 shooter from Double Helix Games, published by Square Enix, puts players behind the controls of a wanzer — a massive, customizable war machine — in a story about a war against terror in the year 2171. It is the first entry in the series built as a shooter rather than a turn-based strategy game.
Trailer, via XboxViewTV.
The Wanzer and Its Fight
The core loop is simple: players move a walking tank through battlefields, shooting down enemy machines and vehicles. Missions run in a linear chain, with players watching cut-scenes, setting up their wanzers, and sorting through menus before heading back into combat. The Act Select feature lets players return to earlier missions and try again, which gives the campaign some replay value even though the missions themselves follow a straight line.
The customization system borrows from Front Mission: Online, where parts, backpacks and weapons depend on a player’s military rank. Players earn experience by completing missions or scoring kills in PvP matches, and that rank determines what gear they can equip. The multiplayer modes include PvP matches across four game types, plus a PvE mode called Last Stand added through downloadable content.
“Players can earn Trophies or Achievements if they own the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 version of the game.”
Story and Setting
The game opens in 2171, fifty years after Front Mission 5: Scars of the War. The world’s superpowers have begun building orbital elevators to reach space, and those structures become the center of a Cold War-style standoff between supranational unions. The story follows Dylan Ramsey, an engineer for the weapons developer Diable Avionics, who tests a prototype wanzer on Long Island, New York. Unknown forces attack New York City and its orbital elevator, Percival, and Dylan sets off to rescue his father, only to find him dead and engage the attacker, Marcus Seligman of the Apollo’s Chariot.
After Percival crashes, Dylan joins the USN Army as it prepares for war against the Oceania Cooperative Union. The plot moves quickly, with battles against enemy wanzers, vehicles and aircraft scattered across New York City and the surrounding areas.
Where It Lands
The shooting itself is competent but rough around the edges. Critics found the gameplay unpolished and the story generic, and the mixed reception held steady since release. Progression through ranks and gear choices give the multiplayer some depth, but the single-player campaign leans heavily on scripted sequences rather than open choices.
Front Mission Evolved is a shooter with a big idea — walking tanks, orbital elevators, a war against terror — but the execution falls short of the ambition. It is a worthy addition to the series for fans of the genre, but newcomers might find the pace slow and the battles repetitive.
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