Mecha Ace Reviews

Beat an enemy ace in straight up combat, twice. Lost my hand. Stopped a war. CYOA awesomeness at its finest. Only for those who like reading, though.

So overall the game is a piece of garbage, because at the beginning all the way up to a point in the story your choices do matter and it can be engrossing to see your avatar develop, but soon it is all striped away because "plot." On my first play through I made sure to upgrade my pilot skill for melee combat since it sounded like it would serve a big role in the story, only for my avatar to have it all stripped away for no damn reason. Also at certain times within the game unless you have perfect stats you will always lose. This game has a lot to be desired when it comes to how choices should affect the outcome of a story.

A short but thoroughly entertaining choose-your-own-adventure about being a mecha pilot. Mecha Ace wears its Gundam/Mechwarrior influences on its sleeve. You're a mecha pilot in a war against a tyrannical empire, meeting along the way some stock characters: the hothead wingman, the starry-eyed bridge controller, the earthy chief mechanic... even the masked rival! Without spoiling the story too much, a number of plot beats common in mecha fiction also show up here. Though the game also takes a few sly digs at some of the less plausible parts of its influences. The meat of this game, the battle scenes, are [i]very[/i] well-written, and I found my heart rate going up at several points, despite this being all text. The interludes serve to flesh out your character and the world a bit, and don't overstay their welcome. I do feel like it's a little short overall - I could have done with a couple more chapters. But as it stands it is snappily paced, without any bits that feel like filler. Unlike Choice of Robots, this story does not seem to reward replayability as much - there are no branching subplots here, just variants of one narrative. On a technical note: there is a checkpoint system every couple of chapters, but it is [i]extremely[/i] buggy and I would strongly advise giving it a wide berth. I've gotten a few chapters in only to be thrown forward to my last save point, further along the story in a previous playthrough, effectively killing that run. The only reliable way to save is to exit the game. Overall, I had a ripping good time, and would definitely recommend, especially for its asking price. Wolf-Lead, out!

A relatively short story, it can be a bit convoluted to get the ending you want, so I recommend using a walkthrough, but overall I enjoyed it.

Looking into the Choice of Games system, the fact that this game isn't labeled "Choice Of" means that it was an independent story submitted by Paul Wang. Like other reviews will point out, this game seems heavily inspired by Gundam and sci-fi tropes and stories. But the depth of replayability for paths and character-dynamics means that this game had me hooked for 12 hours across two days; I wasn't sure what people meant when the reviews said, "You'll feel like you're an ace pilot even though it's an interactive novel," but... it was true. My first playthrough took me around 5 hours, and every subsequent playthrough took me about 2 hours as I skimmed and read for the changes that happened as a result of my choices. Still satisfying every time. I hope Paul Wang submits another game soon, or starts his own projects. The execution of this interactive novel was superb. PROS: - Point system for your character's stats, and it's implied that there are stats you have that are not listed in that tab. - Changeable genders for romance-able characters - Different tracks appeal to different mecha fantasies (strategic command, lone wolf ace, etc.) - Immediate gratification for choices and enough future-callbacks to make your choices feel impactful CONS: - Not a real con; lack of art and music allowed me to pull up my own references, imagination, and playlists. I believe this is the best choice for interactive novels, but opinions may vary. - One grammar mistake per chapter usually, didn't interrupt my understanding of what was happening at all. - Interactive novel problem inherent to the setup: If you choose to input your own names for things, you don't quite know how they'll be used in the story (if there's a word that the game will attach on the end for you, or if your name will be said alone, etc.) Examples would be nice, if feasible through the ChoiceScript syntax that was used to program this game. - Interface has few customization options, so if the background is too bright or too dark, you can't do anything about that. Overall, for ~ $5? A surprisingly great experience that had me replaying to explore different endings and imagine life as an interstellar pilot for a while after.

4 bucks is a taco, and I got a lot more enjoyment out of this than a taco. If CYOA stuff isn't your forte though then pass it over though, obviously.

I played this game expecting a typical mecha setting what I got was something out of Gundam. I made a rival, led my men to victory, took as few losses as possible, and when all was said and done I was proud of the choices I made if no disappointed in how a few characters reacted to them. Buy this game if you have the money to spare and or if you like something very enjoyable to pass the time with.

For those who enjoy Robotech, Gundam or Mecha Space Opera in general will love the flavor of this game. In essence a 'choose your own adventure' book, you have a multitude of ways you can let your character evolve in this purely text-based adventure. Be the honorable and dutyful melee specialist, become a chaingunning berserker who cares nothing but for the thrill of battle or turn into an idealist who would live and die just to protect the civillians. Be a tactical genius with a penchant for sniper rifles and a desire for glory that makes you consider switching sides. Or in true Gundam fashion, opt to become a madman willing to use a superweapon for your own ideology. Romance your wingman, your 'operator' or your techie. Play it safe, be inventive, be agressive or be flexible in the choices you go for. There is a lot of replayability here for a low price. For those who care not for graphics this is a must-by especially as soon as it has even a slight discount. Only downside... the game could have used alittle bit of sprucing up with a bit of artwork here and there and a more appealing interface. After all, a staple of the old fighting fantasy adventure books was fun artwork where possible.

Mecha Ace, What should I say? Is it a visual novel? No, because there're no visuals and still.. It feels like you can see it all just before you. If you know what I'm talking about, then you should get an idea about the quality of the writing. It's just perfect for this setting. Throughout the story you get a multitude of choices and that makes you really feel as if you're in control. But, it's not all gold that shines. As a matter of fact, the display is a bit too white for me. I would have liked the option to change the background color to something more suitable for my eyes.

When I first heard about Choice of Games I kinda laughed at them. "A CYOA game? Without pictures? At this age?" I must humbly say how wrong I was. I tried this game, and had so much fun with it. Try one of their game. It costs only as much as a burger, and lasts much longer.