MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries firmly ranks among the best mech games of all time, but at a glance, it’s also a daunting proposition for casual gamers. With the follow-up, MechWarrior 5: Clans, Piranha Games has sought to make a more accessible sequel to serve as an onboarding ramp into the BattleTech universe.
What’s the BattleTech universe anyway? Launched in 1984 by FASA Corporation, it’s become a franchise that spans the original wargame, several board games, role-playing games, collectible card games, more than 100 novels (yes, really), an animated TV series, and last but not least, video games. It doesn’t enjoy Warhammer 40K levels of popularity, but it’s a renowned franchise with a devout following.
On the surface MechWarrior 5: Clans carries over the gameplay basics from its predecessor. It has the same weighty-feeling mechs and expansive, enemy-infested battlefields, but the overall package feels more focused. The progression through different missions is mostly linear, following a new group of main characters: a ‘star’ of newly graduated mech pilots from the Clan Smoke Jaguar. In fact, the game’s biggest strength might be its compelling, thoroughly well-told story, with high-quality cutscenes serving as the cherry on top.
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Following a brief tutorial, an unexpected event pushes the Clans to the Inner Sphere. This puts Clan Smoke Jaguar on the offensive, and it’s up to Jayden and his pals to rise through the Clan’s ranks. It’s a big sci-fi odyssey packed with twists and turns — definitely more than we’d have expected from a big shooty robots game. The story does a great job as a standalone too, so you don’t need to catch up on 30 years of BattleTech lore to understand what’s going on, though we wouldn’t be surprised if you want to dive deeper into the universe after this.
The pilot interface and mech controls are very accessible too, and have been translated well to gamepads. A classic control scheme is available, and customization of weapon groups (they allow to fire many at once with one single input) can make things more complex, but the modernized controls and default weapon kits work well while you’re still getting mechanical feet wet. With both light striders and lumbering behemoths – and everything in between – available, tinkering and mixing things up is encouraged, especially when figuring out your squad build.
While MechWarrior 5: Clans is often exciting and explosive, it’s not a fast-paced action game. You’ll spend just as much time taking up strategically beneficial positions and looking for cover as you will blasting fools — especially if you’re rocking short-ranged weaponry like the shotguns and flamethrowers. Most players will naturally gravitate towards a sniper-focused build because of this, punching holes in their foes with laser railguns from half a world away. However you choose to fight, the combat feels weighty and satisfying — more simulation than arcade shooter, which is refreshing.
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In between missions, both the pilots and the mechs can be upgraded, and while it’s all fairly straightforward, I do wish there was an easier, cleaner way to navigate the numerous purchasing and equipping menus. It’s not horrible, but there was definitely a more intuitive way to do this.
Another negative (perhaps the biggest) is that performance can be quite uneven, at least on consoles. Unreal Engine 5’s infamous ‘traversal stutter’ crops up every now and then, some textures and particle effects fail to properly load. The framerate is also all over the place and the frequent slowdowns can be annoying. If you are having performance issues, I found playing in third-person mode gave a smoother experience.
Finally, traditional PvP and horde modes have found their way into the game since launch, though they’re being sold as separate DLC and lack the matchmaking functionalities we’ve come to expect from modern video games. Keep that in mind if you’re jumping into Clans hoping to find a regular online experience beyond playing the sweet campaign in co-op.
Performance issues aside, I had a great time with MechWarrior 5: Clans, and unless you’re allergic to simulation or mech games, I think you will too.
The story is strong and well-presented, and the moment-to-moment action is tense and exciting in a way that many titles developed by bigger studios fail to capture. Piranha Games isn’t stepping away from the series’ quirks and defining traits, but that doesn’t mean that its appeal should remain limited, and the dev team was well aware of that.
MechWarrior 5: Clans is out now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It’s also currently available via Xbox/PC Game Pass.
