The Wazners return. For the first time since 2010’s Front Mission: Evolved, Square Enix is bringing back the tactical turn-based mech classics, Front Mission and Front Mission 2. The remasters were announced during February 2022 Nintendo Direct, and the brief teaser unveils a classic tactical game with a modern look. The remaster of Front Mission has been titled Front Mission 1st: Remake and is being made by Forever Entertainment.
The announcement came as a big highlight during the February 2022 Nintendo Direct that debuted on February 9th, 2022. The brief trailer begins with a brief pre-rendered scene, showing a devastated battlefield, and Wanzer preparing to battle a larger foe. The trailer also glimpses at the overall look and feel of the remaster, featuring the familiar tactical gameplay that longtime fans have come to know. The trailer shows planning, organizing, and enemy encounters. Players plan their r way through the battlefield, engaging other enemy wanzers. Returning is the unique dynamics to the combat, which is the targeting of specific Wanzer parts. In battle, players can destroy specific parts of an enemy Wanzer, furthering the tactical options that can mean victory or defeat. A deep customization set allows players to change weapons, body parts, and colors. The classic story of camaraderie and war is told amongst a large assortment of memorable characters. The trailer ends, announcing Front Mission 1st: Remake will arrive on Nintendo Switch this coming Summer 2022, while Front Mission 2 is also being remastered to be released at a future date.
Front Mission was first released in the mid-1990s on the original PlayStation, most popularly referred to as the PSOne. The game received stellar acclaim for its engrossing story and riveting turn-based gameplay, unique and distinct for its time amongst other JRPGS. There would be multiple installments of the series through the years, With many remaining exclusive to Japan. An updated port was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007, but Front Mission would remain obscure until 2010’s Front Missions Evolved which attempted to take the series into a third-person shooter to appeal to a larger audience. Regrettably, despite a solid campaign and production values, the game was unsuccessful. A similar attempt was made with 2019’s Left Alive, a spinoff of the franchise featuring Wanzers. History repeated itself and Left Alive was a critical letdown for various graphical and gameplay faults.
Front Mission 1st: Remake finds itself In an intriguing time for Nintendo Switch and strategy games. It’s been a long while since Front Mission made an impression on players, but it seems that despite the lesser received receptions of recent spinoffs, there is a strong fondness for the original. Front Mission made a strong inspiration for several indie games as well. Phantom Brigade began as a game as an answer to Front Mission which was evolved and devolved for the past five years, while Kriegsfront Tactics is a Front Mission inspire tactical game set within an alternate 1970s with a massive conflict brewing in Southeast Asia. How Kriegsfront Tactics, Phantom Brigade, and other games developed in the wake of this news should be interesting. Make no mistake. It’s a great time to be a fan of mech-based tactical turn-based games.
You can check out the trailer from Nintendo below! Front Mission 1st: Remake launches Summer 2022.
