Ever since Slay the Spire revolutionized the roguelike deckbuilding genre, there have been numerous attempts at capturing its illustrious magic. Many, including the game’s very own sequel, have largely succeeded in these efforts, while others have given fans similar experiences that, while not quite hitting the mark, are nevertheless still enjoyable. However, ultimately, what fans want are games akin to Slay the Spire that offer something as novel and as groundbreaking as its combination of mechanics did all those years ago.

Fortunately, the latest roguelike deckbuilder to hit the market appears to be doing just that with its unique blend of Slay the Spire-esque deckbuilding mechanics, Pacific Rim-esque mechs, and even a dash of Greek mythology. While the combo may sound a tad bizarre on paper, in reality it is shaping up to be something amazing that offers an experience that the many games like Slay the Spire have largely failed to.

Slay The Spire Meets Pacific Rim Is A Surprisingly Fun Combo

It has always confounded me that, while there are plenty of films like Pacific Rim, there are so few games that truly encapsulate its rather impressive sense of scale and adaptation of the immensely popular mecha genre. Of course, to an extent, the mecha genre has begun infiltrating the realm of video games more and more, but there are still far too few games that properly utilize the hulking robot suits in a meaningful way. Fortunately, Mechborn, the sophomore title from developer Turtle Juice, appears to be rectifying that in a rather impressive way.

Mechborn isn’t just a deckbuilder with a coat of mech-themed paint splashed over it; rather, Turtle Juice has ingeniously designed every mechanic around the core theme, tying one’s deck of cards to each part of the mech suit itself, and the synergies and abilities around the people that pilot them. It has also rethought the entire approach to deckbuilding and even the way one’s hand functions, as its unique conveyor belt approach ensures that the player will always have seven cards in hand and must carefully think about the positioning of said cards in their hand.

It’s all incredibly clever, backed by a gorgeous art direction that merges the Pacific Rim-esque mechs with Greek mythology to deliver what very well could end up being one of the best roguelike deckbuilders, or, at the very least, offer a genre-defining experience much in the same way Slay the Spire did. Considering it is being developed by a team of just 23 people, Mechborn really is shaping up to be an incredibly impressive deckbuilding game like no other.

Mech-Based Deckbuilding Could Be A Lot Of Fun

As aforementioned, the highlight of Mechborn is its marrying of Slay the Spire-esque deckbuilding mechanics with the mech theme. There are three different mechs available in the game, with each one having three distinct armor sets. These armor sets don’t just alter the look of the mech, but also the cards in your deck, as changing the mech’s head for a different one will add a whole new set of starting cards for you to experiment with. As each mech has four different parts, the potential for build variety is immense, even from the get-go.

On top of that, pilots bring in their own unique abilities. For example, some can change the positioning of cards in your hand, which will greatly affect their overall effectiveness. An attack-based card may benefit from being closer to the end of your hand rather than the start, or a support ability might need to be moved around to be used. It adds a whole extra dimension of strategy to an already strategy-focused title, and further deepens the deckbuilding foundations Mechborn is building upon.

There’s a lot more to Mechborn that players can discover for themselves when it launches on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2 in Q1 2027. I sincerely hope it manages to deliver on the incredibly impressive potential it promises, as not only is the world in need of more games like Slay the Spire, but it could also do with a lot more mech-focused games as well.

Systems

Released

January 23, 2019

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Tobacco Reference

Developer(s)

Mega Crit

Publisher(s)

Humble Bundle

Engine

libGDX

Steam Deck Compatibility

Verified