BattleTech‘s expansions have been a little light on new murderbots. Flashpoint brought in new multi-stage missions and Urban Warfare took the fighting to city streets, but this week’s Heavy Metal DLC is all about these mechs. BattleTech’s third (and remaining, for now) DLC drops with seven classics alongside the bespoke new Bullshark, accompanied by sufficient new lasers, missiles and mortars to show even the most important metal titan right into a smoking scrapheap.
Might as properly throw out the scales on this one – Heavy Metal’s earnings roster consists of some correct beefcakes to blast aside.
Heavy Metal lets Harebrained Schemes stay my private dream, leaving a everlasting mark on BattleTech canon by creating their very own bespoke mech. The Bullshark is an absolute unit, a 95-ton Assault with a rugby participant’s construct packing extra autocannons than I can rely.
At PDXCon, producer Mitch Gitelman informed our Nate that the group had been very respectful of the 35-year historical past of the setting when designing a brand new mech. “Once you leave your ego at the door and embrace the lore, rather than try and fight it, you realise you can do a lot of creative stuff without disrespecting anyone who’s contributed to this shared universe”.
As for why it’s a whopping 95 tons? Art director Marco Mazzoni wished it to be 95 tons “because there aren’t many 95 ton mechs in this part of the setting”. Fair dos. The Bullshark even comes loaded with a particular Thumper cannon, one among Heavy Metal’s new area-of-effect weapons, utilizing it to politely redraw a city map.
The DLC additionally comes with 7 traditional mechs, starting from the unassuming Flea to the rubber-necked Annihilator. Like the Bullshark, every comes with a singular piece of package that “reflects the flavour and lore of the original board game”. I’m simply glad they don’t replicate the atrocious high quality of previous steel BattleTech miniatures.
Lighter mechs have been given some additional oomph with a brand new Coil Beam weapon, a nippy wee bugger that hits tougher the quicker you journey earlier than firing. Gitelman claims it turns the Flea – a paper-thin Olympic sprinter – into the “star of the show”, letting it Usain Bolt across the map earlier than blasting the arms off some poor bugger. Meanwhile, mortars carry some further area-of-effect choices to the desk, whereas Inferno Missiles allow you to deal beneficial warmth injury from a distance.
There’s a deal with for lore buffs, too. A brand new Flashpoint operation options the Wolf’s Dragoons, a sorta-good-guy mercenary band who present up in BattleTech media every now and then.
BattleTech: Heavy Metal is offered as a part of the BattleTech Season Pass, or individually on Steam and GOG for £15.49/€19.99/$19.99.
