It's hard to get a mech game wrong.

There's something about stomping around firing a barrage of missiles and bullets at smaller targets and watching them explode that's extremely satisfying. HAWKEN REBORN manages to do this pretty well. It's much faster than the average mech game and functions more like an FPS but with a mech theme, so it may not be to everyone's taste. If you're looking for a fun arcade-like experience, I think this game may have potential.

However, it also has issues. Some of which can be put down to Early Access, fair enough. But not all of them. I think the most glaring one for me is the economy. Micro-transactions already being implemented when there's barely a few hours worth of content is an immediate red flag. And the roots run deep too. Materials for mech upgrades are scarce, rarely dropped by enemies and are instead located in material deposits dotted around the map. I spent nearly half an hour in Patrol, and had a decent time shooting things, but came away with a few hundred materials. Even crafting a basic MKI weapon costs more than that...

But don't worry! You can top up your materials using premium currency!

Then there's the lack of PvP and, currently, lack of co-op too. The gameplay on offer is nothing groundbreaking but it's screaming for other players to be added to the mix. Though I'm sure such an update would add a plethora of skins and cosmetic options to the already egregious storefront and monetisation options. The AI isn't bad per se but I also found the wave-like appearance of enemies got old fast. Patrol was so much better than the missions because what should've been linear, crafted experiences devolved into "Go here, shoot things, wait for next objective". There was no horde of enemies to mow down or destructible environments to smash, instead there's just a steady trickle that barely leave a scratch.

I'm conflicted because this game simply doesn't do anything that would make me recommend it over the countless other options out there. Nothing on offer feels worthy of your time, especially if the devs consider this to be a live-service/F2P type game. I enjoyed the previous HAWKEN and remember it fondly but this reanimated, remonetized corpse just isn't the same. Maybe worth keeping an eye on, but I can't see the root problems being fixed anytime soon.

It's hard to get a mech game wrong.

It's hard to get a mech game wrong. There's something about stomping around firing a barrage of missiles and bullets at smaller targets and watching them explode that's extremely satisfying. HAWKEN REBORN manages to do this pretty well. It's much faster than the average mech game and functions more like an FPS but with a mech theme, so it may not be to everyone's taste. If you're looking for a fun arcade-like experience, I think this game may have potential. [b]However[/b], it also has issues. Some of which can be put down to Early Access, fair enough. But not all of them. I think the most glaring one for me is the economy. Micro-transactions already being implemented when there's barely a few hours worth of content is an immediate red flag. And the roots run deep too. Materials for mech upgrades are scarce, rarely dropped by enemies and are instead located in material deposits dotted around the map. I spent nearly half an hour in Patrol, and had a decent time shooting things, but came away with a few hundred materials. Even crafting a basic MKI weapon costs more than that... But don't worry! You can top up your materials using premium currency! Then there's the lack of PvP and, currently, lack of co-op too. The gameplay on offer is nothing groundbreaking but it's screaming for other players to be added to the mix. Though I'm sure such an update would add a plethora of skins and cosmetic options to the already egregious storefront and monetisation options. The AI isn't bad per se but I also found the wave-like appearance of enemies got old fast. Patrol was so much better than the missions because what should've been linear, crafted experiences devolved into "Go here, shoot things, wait for next objective". There was no horde of enemies to mow down or destructible environments to smash, instead there's just a steady trickle that barely leave a scratch. I'm conflicted because this game simply doesn't do anything that would make me recommend it over the countless other options out there. Nothing on offer feels worthy of your time, especially if the devs consider this to be a live-service/F2P type game. I enjoyed the previous HAWKEN and remember it fondly but this reanimated, remonetized corpse just isn't the same. Maybe worth keeping an eye on, but I can't see the root problems being fixed anytime soon. It's hard to get a mech game wrong.