AirMech Wastelands

AirMech Wastelands makes the player do two jobs at once: build a base like a strategy game and fly a transforming mech into the fight. By our assessment, that mix is its main strength, because it keeps the action moving while still asking for map control and timing. The cost is that the multitasking can be demanding, and the game is at its best when the player is comfortable switching between command view and direct combat. In practice it has the feel of a fast RTS with a pilot’s seat bolted onto it, so the rhythm is busier than in either a pure strategy game or a straight brawler. Compared with other mech games, AirMech Wastelands is unusual in how much it leans on territory control and base pressure. That makes it more distinctive than broad, generic action fare, but also less relaxed than a simple fight-and-forget game. The real ceiling is how well a player can keep both the battlefield and the machine under control at the same time.