Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to be part of a Mecha BREAK preview event, where I got to check out the free-to-play mech multiplayer's three modes and its 13 mechs or "Strikers."
While at this event, I was also able to speak with Kris Kwok CEO of Amazing Seasun Games and Executive Producer of Mecha BREAK about Xbox exclusivity and whether or not the game can be played on gaming handhelds such as Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally.
During my interview, I learned that the developers experienced some challenges while optimizing for Xbox Series S and controller.
Timed Xbox exclusivity and the challenges of bringing Mecha BREAK to Series S
Mecha BREAK is coming to PC and is also a timed exclusive for Xbox. It will come to PlayStation 5 (PS5) sometime later down the road.
When I asked Kwok why the team decided to do timed exclusivity with Xbox over PlayStation, he stated, "Because they are more aggressive than Sony." After a laugh, he clarified that he believed it was a mutually beneficial arrangement with Microsoft since mech games are already saturated in the Japanese market. As such, bringing a mech game exclusively to the Western market via Xbox was less risky.
I also asked if Mecha BREAK was coming to Xbox Game Pass, and Kwok replied with a ready affirmative. So, that's something subscribers can look forward to.
Obviously if it works on Series S, then it definitely will work on the Steam Deck in terms of specs.
At one point, I asked if there were any challenges optimizing Mecha BREAK for Xbox Series S. Kwok immediately became animated and explained that the console's limited RAM proved to be a tricky aspect for optimization.
He specifically pointed to Mashmak mode's (PvPvE) massive 256km map (16km by 16km) and said that it was almost impossible to optimize for a while and produced the "biggest technological hurdle".
Mecha BREAK and gaming handhelds like Steam Deck
While Mecha BREAK isn't currently Steam Deck verified, the internal version of the game was tested on Steam Deck.
When I asked if any consideration was given to optimizing Mecha BREAK for gaming handhelds like Steam Deck and ROG Ally, Kwok smiled and said, "Obviously if it works on Series S, then it definitely will work on the Steam Deck in terms of specs." He went on to explain that the internal version of Mecha BREAK was tested on Steam Deck.
So, rejoice, PC gaming handheld fans, you should be able to play this free-to-play multiplayer on your device when the game launches for Xbox and PC sometime in Spring 2025.
Kwok also explained that another Xbox and handheld challenge was mapping keys to a controller from the keyboard. Apparently, the team has noticed that players in different areas of the world have different preferred controls, "so it took us a lot of time to get it right."
I specifically wanted to see what the game felt like on both the keyboard and a controller, so I changed to using an Xbox controller at one point during my preview. My Striker felt very responsive, but if these controls stay as they are for launch, then I recommend remapping boosters and thrusters to the trigger buttons rather than keeping them on A and B.
I personally found it less convenient to rotate the camera and boost with the default controls.
Check out this awesome free mech game when it comes to Xbox and PC
To say Mecha BREAK is going to be big feels like an understatement. The latest open beta took place last Sunday and managed to pull in a 317,522 peak concurrent players, making it the fourth-highest played game on Steam for that day. It's also currently the 8th most wishlisted title on Steam, which shows you just how many people are eager for this game to launch.
If you're into mechs and want a fun multiplayer experience that doesn't cost any money to play then you really ought to check out Mecha BREAK when it launches sometime this Spring on Xbox Series X|S and PC.
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