Mecha Knights: Nightmare

Michael
Sep 3, 2021
6 min read

Introduction

What happens when you combine mechs, zombies, and a gripping story that dives into the dark side of war? You get a game that’s as unique as it is thrilling. Created by a solo developer, this gem delivers an engaging narrative, endless customization, and fast-paced action that’ll keep you hooked for hours. If you love mechs or zombies—or both—this game is a dream come true.

Storyline

The story in my opinion is just great. It starts simple and then suddenly all hell breaks loose and the whole world is in chaos. I love how not only dialogues but also Ethan dairies add to the atmosphere and the whole story and how these dairies hint at a deeper darker stuff about the enemy and also the dark side of war. I don’t want to spoil anything but the story gets dark pretty fast and when you read Ethan dairies what these things are and from what they are probably created you get the feeling of unease for the rest of the game.

Gameplay

I must say I love zombie games and I love mech games BUT I have never, not even once thought about how cool it would be to combine both these genres together! Thankfully this solo developer did and it turned out great! And I can’t stress this enough but it is just one person with an idea that created this whole game! A few years of hard work made this a really great game that is standing out. Also the developer is active on discord where players put their ideas about what can be improved and report bugs and the developer is fixing all that and making the game even more fun to play. Like during a month of me playing the game and trying different weapons and mech parts there were already like 6 or more big patches – this shows that the developer cares about this game. The number of patches and updates and fixes is huge and really shows that the developer cares about the game he created.

And yes you heard me right! There are multiple different weapons and mech parts available! And there are a few tiers for all items so for the whole game when you find new parts you feel the progress and you clearly see how you get stronger and stronger and how bigger hordes of enemies are dying faster and faster. You want to be a fast mobile mech that shoots a ton of bullets and changes his position all the time? You can! You want to be slow but highly armored mech and just lock-on enemies and drop guided missiles and bombs on their heads? You can! You want to run around and shoot lasers? You can! You want to glide around with your boost and get close to enemies to shoot them with shotguns and dodge away and do it all over again? You can! You want to shoot enemies with a long range sniper rifles and artillery? You can! You want to run around with massive Gatling guns and shoot more bullets every second than there is stars in the sky? You can!

Any mech build you would think about is possible here. There is only no melee weapons but any type of modern and futuristic ranged weapon you can think about are here. And oh boy building your own mech to best suit your play style and destroy whole swarms of enemies feels so good here! If you love mechs this game is a heaven for you! I can see how after getting all the parts someone could just be playing this for more than 100 hours just to test different weapons and mech parts. Like I was not even able to test half of everything that this game has because I created a build that I feel in love with and I refuse to change it now as the build I made for myself is perfect for my play style. And the different builds you can make will be the key of how different your gameplay will be. There is a lot of customization and by a lot I mean more than 400 parts and weapons and modules and with new patches the developer is adding even more. Oh and there are also all the different patterns and colors to paint your whole mech in full or to paint each part separately. And you even have an option to make your mech pick a pose and background for a screenshot!

You were thinking that is all right? But no! You also find money and with them you can buy upgrades for your mech that will increase your HP or energy or move speed or make all weapons better in a few different ways or give you more module slots etc. But wait, there’s more! You can also upgrade your battlegroup to make allied mechs and army vehicles stronger thus making some missions easier.

And what about different missions? Well there are 20 story missions and they all feel great and unique as they not only follow the story but also introduce new mechanics and new enemies. I don’t want to spoil anything but the story missions are very good and they force you to adapt to the situation on the fly. New missions can introduce new objectives and ways for you to win or lose – like forcing you to protect someone or destroy key targets before they will get too close etc. Some missions even have bosses. And after you are done with all 20 story missions you can still find new parts and test new builds in 5 raids that are basically maps where you get swarmed by enemies wave after wave and you have to survive as long as you can and call for extraction when you get to a wave that is too much for you as you have to evacuate to keep everything you did find during that raid because dying means you lose everything you found. So you have to know your own limits and skill level and limits of the mech that you did build.

Graphics and Sound

I find graphics to my liking as both mechs and allied vehicles and different mech weapons and parts look good. Different types of enemies also look good and have internal logic behind them thus making them all different in some way but also similar to each other in general concept. I like how the way new enemies look makes you think that there is some kind of a hivemind behind them that evolves them to better fight against you while also maybe just maybe it is just randomly mutating them to make them be used for many different purposes.

I think trees could use some more work but other than that I find the whole game looking good. I also don’t expect an AAA level graphics from a single indie game developer and in the end there is not that much time to look at the trees when you have hordes of enemies to kill. As long as the mech and monsters and explosions look good I’m a happy guy!

I also like the voice acting of our main hero and his friends. And I think the general sounds of enemies are great as they make them both creepy and dangerous at the same time. All the weapons I was using be it different types of guns or explosive weapons had good sounds making it very satisfying to shoot them. All in all I think the sound design of this game is solid and it enhances the game atmosphere. I never not even once was thinking that someone speaking or some sound didn’t fit what I have seen and experienced on the screen. A solid sound design that makes you feel powerful but also makes enemies sound creepy and dangerous.

Pros

Engaging Storyline: A dark, immersive narrative with well-written dialogue and atmospheric diary entries.
Unique Genre Blend: Combines mechs and zombies in a fresh, exciting way.
Extensive Customization: Over 400 parts, weapons, and modules to tailor your mech to your playstyle.
Active Development: Regular updates, patches, and developer interaction with the community.
Satisfying Progression: Clear upgrades in power as you unlock better weapons, parts, and mech enhancements.
Diverse Gameplay: Varied mission objectives, raid survival modes, and unique story missions.
Replayability: Endless build possibilities and additional challenges post-story.
Solid Sound Design: Weapons feel powerful, enemies sound creepy, and voice acting adds personality.
Decent Graphics: Mechs, enemies, and explosions are visually appealing for an indie game.

Cons

No Melee Weapons: All combat is ranged, which might limit some players’ preferred playstyles.
Occasionally Weak Visuals: Environmental elements like trees could use more detail.
Steep Learning Curve: Complex customization options may overwhelm newcomers.
High Stakes in Raids: Losing everything you collect upon death can be punishing.
Indie-Level Polish: While great for a solo project, it doesn’t have the graphical finesse of AAA games.

Conclusion

This game masterfully combines mechs and zombies with a gripping story, endless customization, and satisfying gameplay. While it has a few rough edges, the passion and effort of its solo developer shine through. A must-play for mech and zombie fans alike!

Rating: 8/10