Mecha Break has been attracting plenty of players since its global release on July 1 (July 2 in some regions), and it offers plenty of value for free-to-play players.
However, it's one thing for a game to be available for free to all, and another for it to be fair for its player base. It's quite obvious that those willing to spend real-life money will have certain advantages. In case of Mecha Break, the push you get from unlocking your wallet is very minimal in the current build, and here's why I believe it's pretty fair to those who don't want to be involved in microtransactions.
What makes Mecha Break free-to-play friendly?
Every free-to-play game needs to tick certain boxes if we don't want to deem them as pay-to-win.
- Lack of paywalls to clear crucial content.
- Making free-to-play players wait longer to complete an in-game achievement.
- Selling items in exchange for real-life money that can directly contribute to wins.
- Including items in loot boxes that can have a direct impact on matches and potential wins.
In the case of Mecha Break, Strikers play the most significant roles when it comes to gameplay. At launch, there are 15 Strikers, and 12 are available for free. You can switch between these 12 mechs at ease. Out of the three locked strikers, only Inferno is top-tier, and you can use Stego instead if you want to play an Ultra-Heavy Attacker.
All three locked Strikers can be unlocked for 15,000 Mission Tokens each. Mission Tokens are the standard currency inside Mecha Break that you earn after every match. You also get this resource by completing different in-game objectives. On average, you get to earn around 100 Mission Tokens per match (this doesn't take into account daily/seasonal objectives, so your net income will be more).
Yes, you can spend a one-time amount and get a special contract that offers certain privileges. It unlocks Inferno immediately, and you'll always earn double Mission Tokens, along with a host of other rewards. However, do I feel that the difference is ground-breaking? The answer, right now, is no. Yes, Inferno is an excellent Striker out of the three locked ones, but there are enough good, and perhaps better, alternatives available to all for free. If you want, you can always unlock Inferno with your Mission Tokens.
There is are premium currency in Mecha Break called Corite. You can buy them with real-life money, and they can be used in the user market to get various items. Out of everything you can get with Corite, there are Mods. Yes, these mods do have in-game effects when fitted with your mechs. However, there's also something worth noting about these mods: they can only be used in the Mashmak mode. This mode is close to what Extraction in other games feels like.
The Mashmak mode is a PvPvE mode, and yes, there are faults with its design. I feel that Mashmak being fully Co-op and PvE will have provided more fun, as we have the PvP modes for competitive gameplay. But you can't pay your way to better results in the PvP modes because your mods aren't allowed over there.
To wrap up, you have great Strikers available for free from the very start. My favorite is Tricera, and it's arguably one of the three best mechs in the current meta (the best Defender as well). Mods are the only item you can purchase with real money, but they're only available in Operation Storm (the Mashmak mode). You can also farm mods from this section, but that's a grindier process.
I fail to understand how exactly the game is pay-to-win in its current iteration. Yes, the in-game economy has loads of issues if you're a fan of cosmetic customizations. Skins cost way too much, and players should have an easier way to customize the looks of their Strikers. But these customizations and skins have no direct correlation with how many wins you can get or how easily you can rank up in the PvP modes.
That could change in the near future if the developers follow a different path. For now, you can easily enjoy Mecha Break without spending any money. The frequency of your ranking up will depend entirely on how well you can drive and manage your Strikers and master the roles.
The post Why Mecha Break isn’t pay-to-win, for now appeared first on Destructoid.
