Sci-fi military RTS games (Command & Conquer especially) are one of my favorite sub-genres. Unlike probably the majority who play these, I’m more interested in the campaign than multiplayer, opting for local co-op if anything involving more than me and the AI. So it’s no surprise that I have not played a MOBA, or specifically one built as an RTS. That would include AirMech, which came out late 2012 on PC and was well received (and continues to be so on Steam). The developers, Carbon Games, saw an interesting opportunity to bring this game to VR and it was ready at launch for the Oculus Rift. The core game remains the same: quickly rolling out dozens of offensive units, maintaining defense around your HQ, and pushing onwards towards the enemy base. Along the way there are neutral bases to capture to extend your forward operating presence until you can ultimately topple the enemy’s HQ.
AirMech Command shines in at least two key areas: it’s got a cool and confident atmosphere and it’s very comfortable to play in VR. While being based on a PC game released a few years ago, it feels right at home in VR. Nothing about AirMech Command made me think it was a lazy port or update to an existing game, quite the contrary actually. I have been fortunate enough to play most Oculus Rift games, and AirMech Command is one of the most robust games available for the platform. It’s got a substantial amount of content, including support for multiplayer that also has a spectator mode.
Two areas where I thought AirMech Command could have used a boost were in the tutorial and the replay value (will elaborate soon). The tutorial gets you started, but — and this could be on me because this was my first MOBA-like experience — I felt a little lost and unprepared for battle afterwards. Some of that is practice, sure, but I did not feel like I got a good understanding of the fundamentals having left the tutorial, and I would struggle some to get going afterwards. The size of the battlefield, that new units are built at your furthest-reaching base, and just other tidbits like that came after a few rounds of play, but on the whole the tutorial could have been a little more detailed, or at least had an optional second tutorial to provide more details. Granted, the core game came out a few years ago and there are details you can read up on about each type of unit in another area of the game.
A second point of concern may also be fairly typical for MOBA-like games, but AirMech Commander is very light on story and character. The Commander units — the awesome Transformer-like mech that you use to control your forces and that can change between a flying vehicle and a bi-ped mech with the push of a button — look great, animate well, and in the menus even perform some dancing and other goofy stuff to give them personality. But, they doesn’t really have an identity beyond that and I also felt like my units were mostly fodder for war. There are missions within the game with a brief backstory, but they aren’t connected, and as a campaign-fan, I wasn’t finding much with AirMech Command to become invested in. Sure, I liked worked towards unlocking the other nine unique AirMech Commanders, each with a different look and specialty on the battlefield. I also appreciated that there were sixty skins and other cosmetic enhancements to work towards. Thirteen maps with several modes of play is nothing to sneeze at either for a launch title. But without a backstory and characters, for me, coming from the early C&C days and not being a MOBA player, I’ve noticed I have become less motivated to play. The online multiplayer community is pretty sparse too, but that isn’t my venue anyhow.
In terms of presentation quality, as mentioned earlier, AirMech Command is super comfortable to play and an instant case-in-point of how cool VR can be when done right. The battlefield is all around you and you can zoom in very close or zoom out very far, as well as rotate views 360 degrees. It’s really neat and something you just have to experience to appreciate obviously. The colorful artwork and animations do a great job of giving a toys-to-life feel to the game. On the other side of the coin is a disappointing and largely absent soundtrack though; while the main menu has a great track that I feel like any good sci-fi RTS should have (Grey Goo, C&C, etc), there is very little else to point out in a positive light when it comes to the music.
Overall though, AirMech Command is an impressive Oculus Rift title. It’s got an impressive amount of quality content, online multiplayer, and it’s a treat to play because it runs great, looks really good, and is super comfortable. If you have any interest in a RTS or MOBA on your shiny new OR, AirMech Command deserves your attention.
