Mechquest Review – Another Game by Artix
By Mohammad Abubakr, OnRPG Journalist
I normally do not play browser-based games but I was drawn to Mechquest. One of the main reasons was because when I was a kid, my friends and I used to play Adventure Quest. After Artix developed and published Mechquest, I just could not leave it without trying it out. Mechquest is a browser based game. If you have played any of the other games by Artix Entertainment, you should be familiar with Mechquest. This game, like all of Artix Entertainment’s games, is browser based. This means you do not need to download anything! All you need is the latest version of Adobe Flash installed into your web browser, which most computers already have.
What is this game about?
Mechquest is a game about? You guessed it, mechs. Mechs are gigantic robots, which are controlled by their pilot. While playing Mechquest you can customize, train, and fight from inside your mech. The story behind Mechquest is not very complex. The game is set 5,000 years before Artix’s Adventure Quest. Normally when you think about advanced machinery you imagine the future. Artix however has taken a different approach and based it 5,000 years before the time of the knights and mages. While playing the game you take on the role as a mech pilot who is on their way to G.E.A.R.S University.
Customization
At the beginning of the game you create your character and mech. There are not many options to choose from. You can choose between some hairstyles, the colour of your hair, and your skin colour. Just the basic stuff. When designing your mech, you are able to only change its colour.
Creating a character and mech
After you have earned some credits, you are able to customize your character further! You can buy completely new mechs which feature unique designs and colours. You can even customize all your weapons and add them to any mech! One thing about customizing your character and equipping new weapons that I find really annoying is that you have to do this every time you login! Yes, that’s right. When you logout and come back later all your equipment and mechs go back to your inventory. This gets really annoying because you have to do this every time, and if you forget and go into battle you don’t stand a chance. This problem can be solved, but it is not free. I will explain how further down in this article.
Combat
The combat is different from most MMOs. When playing an MMO, you often expect to just target a mob, and repeatedly hit your skill hotkeys until it is dead. This is not the case for Mechquest. Mechquest features a turn based fighting system. When fighting an enemy, you are given a list of all your equipped attacks. Just click one, and watch your character attack. After reading the above paragraph, you are probably thinking “Wow, the combat sucks.” This is not the case though. When fighting in Mechquest some of your attacks have cool downs. Cooldowns basically mean you are required to wait a couple of turns before you are allowed to use that attack again.
Keeping in mind how long each weapon or attack requires you to wait before you can use it again, players must consider what weapons they equip and what order to use them in. If done correctly you can (most of the time) keep fighting without having to wait. If all your weapons are still cooling down, you may click the skip button to skip your turn. This game is not aimed towards the more mature players, so the combat is not very complex.
Attacking a Rebel Trooper
Combat is not always in your mech, though. Some missions will allow you to fight on foot. You fight head to head with enemies using your light saber!
How do I get rich and become a high level?
Like most MMOs, you will have to fight against enemies or do quests to level up and gain credits. Credits are the in game currency used to buy stuff, like mechs or weapons. After each battle you are met with a screen which displays how much EXP and how many credits you have earned. You can also do some missions, which mostly involve you taking some enemies down. You can recognize NPCs with missions available as they will have an ! over their head.
Screen displaying EXP and Credits earned
The game is free, how does Artix make money?
Like many MMOs, Mechquest allows its players to upgrade to a full membership. These full members, also referred to as Star Captains have access to more weapons, mechs, missions, and like I hinted earlier they can save their equipment set ups. Unlike most games, Mechquest only charges a onetime fee. If you were a full member on any of their other games, like Adventure Quest or Dragonfable you are eligible to upgrade to Star Captain for free!
Conclusion
It might just be that my tastes toward MMOs have changed, but I did not quite enjoy playing Mechquest. I had a lot of fun with Adventure Quest, so I was expecting to experience the same with Mechquest. I am pretty sure I would not enjoy AQ at this time, either. If you enjoy playing simple browser based games or are not allowed to download any games, you should give this game a go. If you are more into 3D MMOs, I do not think you will enjoy this game a lot.
The Good:
– Nice graphics
– No download required
– All computers can run it
– Easy to get into
– Funny dialogues
The Bad:
– Very simple gameplay (Could be a good thing for some.)
– Not online, you cannot see your friends running around
– A lot of the cool looking mechs and weapons are locked to Star Captains (not a major flaw, as Artix needs income)
– Some missions are locked for free players.
– A free player cannot save equips.
– No fullscreen
