The developers at MercuryStudio behind the custom mecha racing series, Break Arts, have released their third game just a few days ago on September 19, Break Arts III—this time with a combat-oriented twist. With Break Arts III, the developers have “broken through the limitations of the race” by revamping their mecha-building mechanic, which now allows for even more options and freedoms, working to turn Break Arts III into an “all-around robot competitive sports game”.

With their last installment in the Break Arts franchise being released in 2018, it is safe to say MercuryStudio took its time when revamping their franchise, and it seems to have paid off, as Steam reviews show that fan reception of the new release is very positive. Fans are loving the revamped robot building mechanics, but critical feedback is still prevalent, marking where the developers need to tighten some screws.

While racing seemed to be the primary focus of its predecessors, mech racing seems to have taken more of a back seat in Break Arts III. One fan’s Steam review describes the racing in Break Arts 2 as awkward, but rewarding once mastered. This starkly contrasts Break Arts III, where there are fewer controls to aid the player in avoiding flying straight off the track, leading you to be teleported jarringly from place to place as you struggle to maintain control over your mech. This fault can be patched by the developers with time, and luckily for MercuryStudio, their game has more saving graces than it does faults.

Fans have gone on to describe, within Steam reviews, the similarities between Break Arts III’s mecha combat system and From Software’s Armored Core series of mecha combat games. Due to Break Art’s far more in-depth robot-building system compared to that of Armored Core, fans of Armored Core may find more difficulty when trying to jump into the Break Arts series, despite their similarities. This fact, however, is often what draws fans of mech builders to games like Break Arts. A majority of the fun is in the process of building your own custom mech robot, to then fight and race against your friends with.