[app url=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/walking-war-robots/id806077016″]
Mobile multiplayer action gaming can be a thing of misery. Overhyped, underwhelming games built on shaky netcode and nonsensical matchmaking, most of the time we’re left disappointed and annoyed. Walking War Robots does well to buck that trend, and while it’s not perfect it is definitely a big plundering mech stomp in the right direction.
Should we trouble with you with the details of the backstory? Ok, well it’s your traditional “world gone mad” post-apocalyptic scenario, complete with obligatory faction wars to take control of what’s left. A dystopian future, where hulking mechs take to the streets to battle for domination. So, a largely forgettable narrative then. Still, we’re not here for the story; we’re here to blow things up. And in that regard, Walking War Robots delivers. Based on small mech squads lining up for online team-based battle, things quickly get heated in a flurry of bullets.
The dev team at Pixonic have done their homework – fans of the classic Mechwarrior franchise will feel right at home here, with impressively rendered battle robots and a direct focus on frantic multiplayer skirmishes. It’s a really polished blaster too, with high quality texturing, thunderous sound effects and nicely animated character models which move with purpose. The menu system makes easy work of guiding you through the mech customization process, upgrades, server connections and so on. Within minutes you’re hooked up to an online game and tearing through opposing mech squads with your heavy metal death machine.
The matches are relatively simple but satisfying, and – most importantly for multiplayer action gaming – run smoothly without latency issues, assuming your data connection is up to the task. The generally smooth frame rate can be at least party attributed to the nature of mech war: it’s a slow, lurching affair. Unlike the agile rampage of shooters like Call Of Duty, Walking War Robots plods along, your mech dishing out devastation as it stomps into the fray.
While this is fitting of the subject matter, things do sometimes feel a little sluggish. Besides its lethargic pacing, the target lock-on system is also a bit fidgety – both at range and up close. beyond that, the battle arenas, as vast as they are, could do with more complex architecture. But that’s just nitpicking; overall Walking War Robots is a lot more entertaining than much of the competition. For a free-to-play game, Pixonic has been quite restrained in their attempts to handicap the game with pay walls, so you can get a lot of mech war goodness without paying a cent. Even with a few niggles, Walking War Robots still provides hours of intense, full-throttle robot chaos, with no compulsory price tag to stop the party.
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.