After noting the regrettable dearth of good mech combat titles available in virtual reality (VR), Chinese developer Smellyriver have arrived to fill that particular niche with new title Code 51: Mech Arena, which is available now on PlayStation VR.
Code 51: Mecha Arena takes place in a world that has been ravaged by a devastating war. As humanity attempts to pick up the pieces, a new conflict arises, this time involving new and more powerful weapons of war – the Code 51 mechs.
The backstory concerns the devastating aftermath of a way, where survivors exploring the abandoned American military base at Area 51 find documents relating to a mysterious and powerful energy source called Code 51. This energy source allows for the creation of the mechs, but reignites the conflict that almost ended the world.
Different mecha types will be available to let pilots choose one to match their preferred fighting style, with different specialities like speed, defence or attack. The player can also choose their weapons loadout, with different weapons such as machine gun, missile launcher or railgun available to add to your mech of choice. Each weapon has its own strengths and weaknesses so careful choice could mean the different between victory and defeat.
A variety of arena settings are open for players to battle in. The Area 51 military base is one such location, as players struggle to secure the source of the information about Code 51. Pilots can also fight in the frozen wastes of Siberia, a decrepit warehouse, a chemical factory and the mysterious and overgrown ‘Relic’ map.
Pilots can engage with the story-driven single-player campaign, or practice mech combat versus an AI bot to get to grips with the controls, or test out some fancy moves ready for battle against other players in multiplayer.
Code 51: Mech Arena is out now on PlayStation VR. A version for HTC Vive and Oculus rift are expected for later in the year. VRFocus will keep you updated on its progress.