Prepare for carnage as MechWarrior 5 deploys on Xbox, Steam and GoG

In gaming, there are few better feelings than when you have access to a powerful arsenal of weaponry when you step out onto the battlefield.

It’s something altogether more satisfying and meaningful, though, when you become the weapon itself.

In MechWarrior 5, you aren’t just running around each stage armed with a selection of guns and gadgets – you’re stepping inside an enormous Mech and using it to wreak havoc on your enemies.

And now the game, previously an Epic Store exclusive, is set to launch on Xbox, Steam and GoG on May 27, you’ve got even more ways to experience one of the most satisfying war experiences around.

There’s something primally satisfying about climbing into one of these massive rigs. It’s more than simply another tool that you’ll be using to carry out your next mission objective. It’s an extension of you.

At the start of the game you’ll only have a couple of Mechs available to you. You play as a rookie MechWarrior who’s thrust into the deep end when his entire unit, including his father, were killed in a surprise attack. As such, the devastation caused to your team of mercenaries means you start off with two mechs: the sturdy Centurion and the speedy Javelin.

As you progress through the campaign the number of Mechs available increases greatly, as does the selection of weapons you can apply to them. Before too long players are almost spoiled for choice, as the customization options continue to grow.

Over time your Mech becomes a reflection of the type of player you are. From the Mech you choose to the cannons you mount, you transform your Mech into a humanized representation of yourself.

Power like this needs to be mastered, of course. A brief tutorial at the start of the campaign gives you the basics you need to know so you can begin your adventure. Because this is a game all about you becoming your own weapon, the controls can be as complex or as simple as you want. If you’re a keyboard and mouse player, that’s great. Prefer to use a controller? Go for it.

It takes no time at all to master your Mech’s movement and get used to the idea of the legs and the torso being two separate entities. Before long you’re running in one direction, firing in the other, and then using your jump jets to leap over huge obstacles with ease. Good luck doing that in a tank.

“Over time your Mech becomes a reflection of the type of player you are. From the Mech you choose to the cannons you mount, you transform your Mech into a humanized representation of yourself.”

The more you master your Mech, the more it feels like a part of you. When you’re using your homing missiles to target and bring down distant mid-air enemies, that wasn’t your Mech doing that, it was you. When you’re destroying the buildings and landscapes around you as huge battles wage on around you, you did that.

You’ve still got time before the game launches on Xbox, Steam and GoG, so head to the MechWarrior 5 website and learn more about what it means to be your own weapon of war. You’ve got time to find out more about the game’s plot, the sheer number of customization options and the four-player co-op support.

You’ve got plenty of time to check out the MechWarrior communities on Facebook and Discord and get chatting to like-minded combatants, all eager to get on the battlefield and become one with their Mech.

Most of all, you’ve got time to think about how you’re going to customize your own Mech and its weaponry to end up with something that matches your own personal combat style.

Will you go for a speedy, agile Mech that will let you hop in and out of danger zones, making it difficult for enemies to land a hit on you?

Or will you opt for a more powerful beast of a Mech that devastates everything in its path? Sure, it may not be able to avoid every attack, but given how much damage it can take and how much it can dish out, does it need to?

These are all things you’ve got time to consider before the game launches on Xbox, Steam and GoG on May 27. Until then, think about what it’s going to be like when you finally get to your Mech, take a deep breath, clear your head and step inside.