There’s something about the tales of King Arthur that have captivated humanity since their first telling. Be it the legendary destiny of young Arthur pulling the sword from the stone, the tragic accident that ended the peace between Arthur and Mordred, or the quest for the Holy Grail undergone by Galahad. There are countless variations of these tales, each as interesting as the last. Kings, Kingdoms, Knights, and Sorcery are just too cool to pass up.
So, sending the Knights of the Round Table to space to fight with giant robots is an obvious “HELL YES” from me.
GALAHAD 3093, by developer/publisher Simutronics Corp., is an arena shooter in which you pilot one of many different kinds of mechs and blast away at opponents while trying to complete objectives. For most game modes, these objectives consist of two very simple tasks: blow up your enemies, and don’t get blown up by your enemies. As you march across the diverse and alien landscapes that make up the many maps of the game, you can freely swap between a first-person mode for a more tactical feel, as well as more precision, or a third person view for a better grasp of the field around you. Dashing into and out of the fray is made satisfying with two methods of increasing your speed: each mech comes equipped with a thruster to make movement more expedited, but your reserves will run out over time, leading you to play carefully around its gradual refueling. On the other hand, sometimes you just need to get the heck outta dodge, and that’s when you’ll choose to perform a massive leap through the air. This jump can cover impressive vertical and horizontal distance, and it can be fine-tuned as you fly with an adjustable air-brake and usage of your trusty thrusters. This powerful jump can be a tool for surveillance, point-capping, abruptly entering combat to disrupt your opponents, and “tactical retreats.” Although these hyper hops take a while to charge up, there are plenty of hot spots across the map that can increase the speed of recharge or even completely recharge it in an instant.
Of course, movement isn’t why you’re reading this article. It’s been three paragraphs already, let’s get to the GUNS! Any mech can come equipped with two primaries, two secondaries, and a unique tool. You can equip two of the same types of attachments, or you can choose to mix-and-match however you’d like to become the towering Swiss army knife of guns that would make the Doomslayer proud. Each weapon is simple to use, requiring you to either hold the button to continue firing or to hold the button to charge a shot before releasing it. All ammo is infinite, so feel free to prescribe to the model of “Spray and Pray.” Secondaries are slightly more complex than Primaries, consisting of defensive options, offensive options, and long-range offensive options. Some are automatic, locking onto a nearby target and blasting away while you focus your fire elsewhere. Others are small defensive guns and missiles designed to keep you from getting hit by explosives. And, of course, we have a selection of close-range and long-range explosives to keep your inner demolitionist happy. All of this is without mentioning your deployables: from placing down respawn points for your teammates, turrets to dissuade enemy advances with lead, and even drones built to repair yourself and your teammates, or perhaps to have a solid conversation with your opponents about why it’s bullets should be killing them. These small companions and tactical support items recharge at a relatively frequent rate and can stock more than one while you wait, meaning you won’t have to wait until your resupply arrives from the local drone store before redeploying and healing up.
Each mech is only as good as its pilot, and by that I don’t just mean the other players: each mech can be piloted by one of 6 different pilots, each with different passive and active abilities. Interested in ending fights in a blaze of glory? The half-man half-machine King Arthur will allow you to rain down orbital strikes within small areas. Prefer to take the silent approach? Log in to the newly-cybernetic Morgan La Faye and go completely invisible to sneak behind your opponents. Feel like keeping your friends from turning into scrap? Queen Gueneviere has your back with a deployable shield to keep the others safe. Planning on burning up the battlefield? Sir Kay is a hothead who can leave behind a trail of fire, disrupting enemy formations and damaging anyone foolish enough to wonder if their tanks are fireproof. And let’s not forget Lady Nimueh, who has decided to leave her lake and sword behind in favor of buffing movement and maneuverability, Izzy, who specializes in conquering enemy points and deployables, and the bloodthirsty Mordred, who can teleport behind opponents to blast them apart. Every character’s personality shines through their dialogue, design, and abilities, and learning Arthurian legend has never been more fun.
Let’s not forget to acknowledge the design of each map: from a frostbitten tundra with unique icy caverns and shortcuts through icicle pillars, to a sand swept outpost complete with fortified bases and lurking sand worms, and even more woodland planets complete with massive energy silos to climb and capture while avoiding the occasional energy disruption, every different arena feels distinct and beautiful. Every single map has unique terrain hazards from the obvious, like voracious worms with an appetite for canned goods such as yourself, to the more strategic, such as ice physics that are slippery but not catastrophic. Each map is massive and a joy to launch across, but don’t forget to take a moment to enjoy the scenery… then get back to slaying ne’er-do-wells and rapscallions with your holy grenades and massive shotguns.
There are some elements of the game that take a little bit of time to get used to, (the lack of a melee option feels like a glaring omission and charging up shotgun blasts has a learning curve), but just a few rounds of robot-destroying mayhem will be enough to bring a smile to your face. The game has built in voice chat for communicating strategy with your team and trading insults and banter with your enemies, as well as a system of adjustable emotes to display from your mecha. Overall, GALAHAD 3093 is a very satisfying game to sink your teeth into, and I’ll be happy to eat as much lead as necessary to sip from this holy grail of an arena shooter.
Hail to the King, Baby!
GALAHAD 3093 is free-to-play and available for PC via Steam Early Access.
Related: Reviews by Aaron Grossmann
Gaming is a passion that I, like many other people, hold near and dear to my heart. As an aspiring Game Writer and general Storyteller, I enjoy looking into the vast worlds and deep stories of every game I can. Then again, sometimes bad guys just need a good pummeling, and I am more than happy to provide!
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