Summary
- Sci-fi media poses thought-provoking questions on the future of humanity.
- Giant robots in sci-fi provide a platform for both spectacle and deeper storytelling.
- Transforming mechas in games like Xenoblade Chronicles X offer unique gameplay experiences.
Sci-fi media is often some of the most poignant and thought-provoking media available today, showing how humanity might change - and how it might stay the same - once people have surpassed the boundaries of technology, space, time, or some combination of the three. Sci-fi media is also the best vehicle for having giant robots smash each other to pieces, whether as part of some overblown corporate espionage, an intergalactic turf-war, a battle for precious resources, or again - some combination of the three.
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It's facetious to say that things with spectacle can't be deep, however, and there are plenty of big, flashy mech games that have plenty going on beyond the surface level. Mechs themselves can often be 'more than what meets the eye', so to speak, and oftentimes it's these stories that draw people in with flash and spectacle that can have the most to say. However, beneath the surface of Mechs from these games, there are often more mechs. Players interested in games with transforming mecha should keep an eye on these titles.
6 Transformers: Galactic Trials
A Well-Received Transformers Title
Transformers: Galactic Trials
- Released
- October 11, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- 3DClouds
- Platform(s)
- PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
Racing and combat are the two pillars holding up this arcade-styled game that's filled with the kind of vibrant cartoony flair that has made the Transformers franchise so popular for so many people over the years. All of the wit, humor, and stark differences between robots that have made the TV series and explosion-filled movies so popular are here in a refined and genuinely compelling package, perfect for new and old fans of the series.
Filled with opportunities to customize several iconic Autobots and Decepticons, and then battle it out in both a racing and combat mode, this is a game that reflects its core content perfectly, transforming seamlessly between two genres, and giving mecha fans punchy, high-intensity combat that is hard to top.
5 Strike Suit Zero
Experience Space Combat In An Entirely Unique Way
Strike Suit Zero
- Released
- January 23, 2013
- ESRB
- E 10+ // Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Born Ready Games
Spaceships are really cool. Mecha are also really cool. Through simple mathematics, it's clear to see that Strike Suit Zero, which lets players take control of ships that transform into mecha, might just be one of the coolest games to ever exist. It helps that the combat on display here is incredibly smooth and expansive - fans of titles like Armored Core 6 will enjoy this, as long as they can wrap their head around the differences that come with zero-gravity fighting.
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Games that manage to get space combat feeling smooth and easy are few and far between, but Strike Suit Zero gets the job done while also showcasing some of the sleekest transforming mecha designs players can find today.
4 AirMech
Showing That Strategy Titles Have Transforming Mech Too
AirMech
- Released
- February 15, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E 10+ // Mild Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Carbon Games
- Genre(s)
- Action, Indie, Strategy, Free To Play
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
RTS games have been foundational to the gaming industry for decades now, being a genre that's greatly broadened as more people become enamored by the tactical appeal of organizing huge armies and holding points, all the while using more and more ingenious strategies to get one over their enemies. It's a genre that asks much of its players, but the enduring popularity of a game like Airmech shows that the complexity of an RTS is rivaled only by its addictiveness.
AirMech, in particular, has a unique draw in that many of its airborne units can descend below and become grounded mecha, capable of dishing out huge amounts of damage on either side. These key units often decide the tide of battle in AirMech, and utilizing them properly can make the difference between life and death.
3 Custom Robo
An Obscure Mecha Series
Custom Robo
- Released
- March 4, 2004
- Platform(s)
- GameCube
Tucked away in a handful of older consoles and just begging for an updated sequel, Custom Robo is a series where players can incrementally transform their mecha as they continue across a variety of arena-based battles. The story mode has a great progression system that helps players navigate the game's world and earn some incredible parts they can use to customize their mechs after every battle.
The series is more of a fighting game than anything else, but the story mode helps put it in a JRPG context that fans of the genre will doubtlessly enjoy. Exploring the mini map, finding and collecting new parts for the player's mecha, and personalizing the bot used for the bulk of the game's combat all help tie this title together as one of the best transforming mecha games around.
2 MechRunner
A Uniquely Built On-The-Rails Shooter
- Released: December 4, 2015
- Developer: Spark Plug Games, LLC
- Platforms: PC
This game is a unique package, putting together a few different gaming paradigms that don't often go together. There's the transforming mecha section, letting players swap between colossal humanoid robots and powerful tanks, and there's the fact that this game is an endless runner, like Temple Run and the like. Tying all this together are the arcade-esque mechanics of an on-the-rails shooter, where foes will always be coming down one of a few lanes.
The controls are a little clunky, but the design of the mechs is incredibly unique, and if players can just dig through the slightly janky surface, there's a great - if somewhat unorthodox - transforming mecha game hiding below.
1 Xenoblade Chronicles X
An Exceptional JRPG
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
- Released
- March 20, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen // Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Monolith Soft
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
Skells are some of the most fascinating and unique additions not just to the Xenoblade Chronicles formula, but also to the JRPG genre as a whole. These modular mecha are all freely able to transform between humanoid-style fighters and imposing vehicles.
The sci-fi fantasy aesthetic of Xenoblade Chronicles X is manifested in these often heavenly-looking transforming mecha that can help make or break late-game combat, often being tweaked and altered to the players' taste beforehand.
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