BattleTech

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 396 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 241 out of 396
  2. Mixed: 58 out of 396
  3. Negative: 97 out of 396

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  1. Lexxx20
    Apr 27, 2018
    9
    A great entry to the turn-based strategy genre and a love letter to all the BattleTech fans out there.
  2. praxisseizure
    Apr 27, 2018
    10
    I have loved Tabletop BattleTech for decades. This so scratches that itch it's absurd. I don't even think it's clunky. It's really true to the BT ethos. Hard, tactical and messy. The game actually takes it easy on you compared to actual tabletop lol.

    Such a good rendition of a great game that you will remember in dreams that you stomped on someone's face and moved on the the other    I have loved Tabletop BattleTech for decades. This so scratches that itch it's absurd. I don't even think it's clunky. It's really true to the BT ethos. Hard, tactical and messy. The game actually takes it easy on you compared to actual tabletop lol.

    Such a good rendition of a great game that you will remember in dreams that you stomped on someone's face and moved on the the other doomed idiot who tried to oppose you.    … Expand
  3. Pech_SOG
    Apr 26, 2018
    10
    Incredible game. Beyond the XCOM like gameplay, it is a deep, enthralling experience. Feels like you are in that universe. Customization is deep and compelling. At 22 hours played, zero bugs and zero crashes. Playing on a Nvidia 650M i7 3630Q 16 GB and with mix of high and some low settings at 1920 1080 it runs smooth as silk. Cannot recommend this game enough. Game of the year andIncredible game. Beyond the XCOM like gameplay, it is a deep, enthralling experience. Feels like you are in that universe. Customization is deep and compelling. At 22 hours played, zero bugs and zero crashes. Playing on a Nvidia 650M i7 3630Q 16 GB and with mix of high and some low settings at 1920 1080 it runs smooth as silk. Cannot recommend this game enough. Game of the year and stands on its own as a masterpiece.… Expand
  4. atd5000
    Apr 26, 2018
    10
    If you're a fan on squad based, tactical, turn based strategy games like XCOM, Jagged Alliance, or Battle Brothers you shouldn't hesitate to pick up BattleTech. If you're used to twitchy action games or expecting something like MechWarrior Online this might not be the game for you. That said this game is a ton of fun. I can't recommend it highly enough.
  5. Sinatra
    Apr 26, 2018
    7
    I think I´ve never seen a game with so many unjust ratings as this one. Giving Battletech a rating above 8 or below 3 is, from my point of view, just unfair.

    If you read through all the 10 and 0 ratings, most of what people say is true (they just decide to ignore the rest). Is the game bad? Well, from the technical side... absolutely! The very poor performance, loading times, the    I think I´ve never seen a game with so many unjust ratings as this one. Giving Battletech a rating above 8 or below 3 is, from my point of view, just unfair.

    If you read through all the 10 and 0 ratings, most of what people say is true (they just decide to ignore the rest).

    Is the game bad? Well, from the technical side... absolutely! The very poor performance, loading times, the amount of bugs, glitches, sound errors, save game issues ... wow... this is not an early access game, it´s a full release! I have to wonder if the devs ever played their game before releasing it?
    Is the game good? Well, actually it is. Being a fan of the xcom series (but not expecting as much), I really was surprised by the strategic depth of the game. You have a ton of options outfitting your mechs. Unleashing hell on your enemies and blowing up their mechs is very satisfying.

    But let me tell you about specific issues people seem to have with game:

    The story:
    The story is not that bad, it´s the presentation that ruins it. What breaks the mood is f.e. that talking to your crew will reward you with textboxes, more textboxes and even more textboxes.... sigh...

    the graphics:
    I´ve seen worse.

    the balancing:
    this really is an issue. Here the game could have used some more tweaking before release. Most of the missions are good, but suddenly you´ll tumble into one that is either really hard or just pathetic.
    Let me tell you about my experience with my "protect the convoy missions":
    1st mission: Escort convoy to the city. City is located to the left (as are my mechs), convoy in the middle and enemies to the right. First turn, convoy turns around and drives into the enemies and dies.
    2nd mission: Escort the convoy to it´s destination. I start at the same location as the convoy, there´s a road with blockades, behind them, the goal. Convoy drives so fast, that non of my mechs could keep up with it. I managed to save one truck (from 8).
    3rd mission: Protect... and so on. Convoy starts next to the enemies and dies in the first turn.
    I guess that the missions are random gen. Some are bad, but most of them are really good.

    Tutorial:
    Really? No one here had an issue with that? I watched two tutorials on youtube on how the mechs and tactics work, as the game does barely explain the depths of the combat.

    What is Battletech?
    I have no clue, what it is supposed to be. But I thought it was funny to read reviews with a rating of 0, because it was nothing like battletech and others with 10 because it is exactly like batlletech. Ok... I guess...

    Overall rating:
    It´s a really good turn based strategy game, with a lot of depth, but it suffers from so many technical issues. If you have not yet played Battletech, then wait for A LOT of patches, before playing it.    … Expand
  6. AlbinoDragon
    Apr 25, 2018
    8
    I've been watching out for this one for years and it doesn't disappoint. Like other HBS titles, it's a beautiful game with an interesting narrative that is exactly what you would expect from a BattleTech experience.
  7. Cybersaber
    Apr 25, 2018
    10
    Long over due masterpiece.
    This game manages to capture the spirit of the board game, the RPG , and the previous video games.
    As a kid I saved and saved and did every single extra chore I could to get the box set of Battletech, so I have my rose colored neurohelmet on. The core gameplay is great. It feels like the classic boardgames rules. The controls/ui are not explained well, but    Long over due masterpiece.
    This game manages to capture the spirit of the board game, the RPG , and the previous video games.
    As a kid I saved and saved and did every single extra chore I could to get the box set of Battletech, so I have my rose colored neurohelmet on. The core gameplay is great. It feels like the classic boardgames rules. The controls/ui are not explained well, but are highly informative once you figure it out. Graphics are highly detailed and played well on my potato GTX760. The sound is fantastic. The explosions, the gun fire, all sound great. The music can make the battles very tense.
    The story is quiet good and fits into the universe well.
    The fact this is 40 bucks on launch and has a ton of content means its a must buy for fans. If you are not familiar with the universe or the game you might have some trouble adjusting.
    As a nod to the RPG you get to talk between missions to your lance. The dialog when your mechs roll into battle is like the old MechCommander games. The cinematic battles are exciting like the old Mechwarrior games. I would recommend it to any fan of the universe.    … Expand
  8. Anreww
    Apr 25, 2018
    5
    When the game works, and it does, sometimes - it's a thrill, with visceral combat full of interesting tactical options and small (5-10) but fairly varied roster of mission types & maps. Weapons have a weight to them and it's incredibly satisfying to bring an enemy mech down. The mercenary tactial/command portion (which you need to get through an hour or two of middling intro gameplay andWhen the game works, and it does, sometimes - it's a thrill, with visceral combat full of interesting tactical options and small (5-10) but fairly varied roster of mission types & maps. Weapons have a weight to them and it's incredibly satisfying to bring an enemy mech down. The mercenary tactial/command portion (which you need to get through an hour or two of middling intro gameplay and story exposition to reach) is great, with much more depth than is explained by the tutorials. Watching your c-bills drain and deciding whether to jump in to a contract and risk losing a pilot or wait until repairs are done and field a stronger lance give some gravity to your command decisions as bankruptcy can be just around the corner.

    When it doesn't work, though - you'll find:
    - GPU-melting bad optimization which has already destroyed people's graphic cards - a unity game is running GTX1080s at 100% load?
    - progress wiped by corrupted saves
    - strange graphical glitches (screen-wide motion blur when selecting a specific mech, weapons and mechs clipping through the environment, screen going dark/bright )
    - LONG load times (regardless of pc spec)
    - odd unit behaviour (walking backwards to a point and then abrubtly swivelling instead of turning while walking, melee attacks not actually connecting)

    Verdict:
    Wait for a patch - there is a great mech game under the hood but not worth buying yet.    … Expand
  9. Tusen
    Apr 25, 2018
    0
    One of the most disgusting and insulting experiences I have ever had the misfortune to play. Not only is the game a buggy mess, prone to making it completely unplayable, but it is the ultimate insult to Battletech fans. It butchers what few rules it uses from the tabletop, and changes the experience to be nearly unrecognisable from tactical Battletech while completely ignoring the popularOne of the most disgusting and insulting experiences I have ever had the misfortune to play. Not only is the game a buggy mess, prone to making it completely unplayable, but it is the ultimate insult to Battletech fans. It butchers what few rules it uses from the tabletop, and changes the experience to be nearly unrecognisable from tactical Battletech while completely ignoring the popular strategic elements. Even if judged on its own merits, without its ties to the Battletech franchise, it is a horrendously repetitive and boring game lacking in replayability and customisation chances.… Expand
  10. glebiuskv
    Apr 25, 2018
    5
    Average game.
    * Boring fight system.
    * Average graphics
    * Average atmosphere (honestly it is good, but spoiled by long-no-action game-play)
  11. Aphex242
    Apr 25, 2018
    10
    By far the best adaptation of the tabletop game to PC. Period. It does feel a little slow at times - but man when you compare it to the glacial speed of tabletop?

    So yeah, it could use a little tightening. Paradox servers were being stupid on launch day so not able to log in. Otherwise an A++++ experience.
  12. AstroCat
    Apr 25, 2018
    7
    I had issues with my account/call sign but support was able to resolve the issue.

    So far some of the VO work is weak and the character customization is very limited, but I'm getting into the story and I've been enjoying the combat and depth of the systems. So I've reached a thumbs "middle" for now and for the sake of wishful optimism I'll mark it recommended, with an asterisk next to    I had issues with my account/call sign but support was able to resolve the issue.

    So far some of the VO work is weak and the character customization is very limited, but I'm getting into the story and I've been enjoying the combat and depth of the systems.

    So I've reached a thumbs "middle" for now and for the sake of wishful optimism I'll mark it recommended, with an asterisk next to it for the issues.

    I can see this gaming growing from my "7" to and "8" or "9" with some patches. I'll re-review as the game evolves.    … Expand
  13. Blocco
    Apr 25, 2018
    9
    TL;DR: Recommended if you like tactics games, doubly so if you have any interest in the Battletech/Mechwarrior games of old. This game is very good. A bit rough around the edges regarding the graphics/animation (like Shadowrun Returns before it) but it feels very much like a mix between Mechcommander, Battle Brothers and X-Com. The tactical layer is way more nuanced that it appears atTL;DR: Recommended if you like tactics games, doubly so if you have any interest in the Battletech/Mechwarrior games of old. This game is very good. A bit rough around the edges regarding the graphics/animation (like Shadowrun Returns before it) but it feels very much like a mix between Mechcommander, Battle Brothers and X-Com. The tactical layer is way more nuanced that it appears at first, the Strategic one is rich in character and allows you a nice level of customization for your Mechs and Pilots; plus I'm a sucker for FTL/BB style events.… Expand
  14. ScienceAdvisor
    Apr 25, 2018
    3
    Terrible optimization to the point where you will be wondering what kind of cryptominer is running both your CPU *and* GPU constantly, regardless of how little is actually going on. Poor balancing of gameplay, where SRM (short range missile) spamming is the way to go, even against heavy mechs, due to the ridiculously over-powered RNG critical strike system that was used of the normal ruleTerrible optimization to the point where you will be wondering what kind of cryptominer is running both your CPU *and* GPU constantly, regardless of how little is actually going on. Poor balancing of gameplay, where SRM (short range missile) spamming is the way to go, even against heavy mechs, due to the ridiculously over-powered RNG critical strike system that was used of the normal rule set. Finally, a broken save system that can, and probably will, wipe your progress. This forces you to sit through the tedium starting over without the ability to speed things up, or skip story elements, yet was deemed release worthy. Clearly without any kind of testing, or care.

    Warning: A lot of new Steam users trolling negative reviews, and posting fake claims of brigading behaviour have been detected and reported to Steam. So when you see someone claiming something without any supporting evidence, just cursor over their name and see if they
    have to hide their profile, to show their account is brand new. Even when marked private, Steam Level 0 will still show, and you will know the shilling is real.    … Expand
  15. eat5
    Apr 25, 2018
    0
    Horrible Graphics on highest settings, Mind Numblingly Horrible Story with way to many Cut scenes, hardly no Game play Mostly Flash animations, Paradox account Failure. Could not Recover Password to play Multiplayer, which might be better with out storytelling..... Unity Engine, Crappiest Game Engine ever........
  16. Graftanker98
    Apr 25, 2018
    10
    I have waited decades for a game like this. The Battletech universe is only rivaled by the Warhammer 40k franchise, and this game does complete justice to the universe. The rich strategic gameplay is the first thing that was noticed. This game is only for fans of games like XCOM in which each unit takes turns in its actions.
    I was surprised at how large the story is. Originally I thought    I have waited decades for a game like this. The Battletech universe is only rivaled by the Warhammer 40k franchise, and this game does complete justice to the universe. The rich strategic gameplay is the first thing that was noticed. This game is only for fans of games like XCOM in which each unit takes turns in its actions.
    I was surprised at how large the story is. Originally I thought it would be a side issue, but the story is intergrated very well in the game, and reminds me of the old Front Mission 3 game on PS1 in some aspects. Great game, can't wait for the DLC and second game.    … Expand
  17. tutike2000
    Apr 25, 2018
    5
    There is a lot of potential here, just needs a layer of polish.
    Battles are *incredibly* slow, even if you turn down all special animations.
    Whenever an action happens, it seems to not lock out your UI for the correct amount of time: you either see the entire animation happen, and then wait 2-3 seconds for no reason until you get control back, or the animation starts, then doesn't have    There is a lot of potential here, just needs a layer of polish.
    Battles are *incredibly* slow, even if you turn down all special animations.
    Whenever an action happens, it seems to not lock out your UI for the correct amount of time: you either see the entire animation happen, and then wait 2-3 seconds for no reason until you get control back, or the animation starts, then doesn't have time to complete and it just skips the last bit.
    (If you're familiar with XCOM and the 'Stop Wasting My Time' mod, this is exactly the same problem, only much worse)
    When a special camera is used, you often find that your view is obstructed by terrain, other mechs, building, etc, or simply not framed properly, with the effects of your enemy's shots being off-screen (so it won't show how much damage you've taken).
    Another problem is the EXTREMELY long loading times. If you've ever played Kerbal Space Program, you'll be familiar with how Battletech handles scene changes when out of combat. You click on something, the screen goes black for 4 or more seconds, then you get your UI back.
    Some missions require escorting allied vehicles. They move very, very slowly. One at a time. The game doesn't let you fast-fowrard.

    All of these types of artificial slowdowns take a huge amount of time when you add them together, making a pretty good game into only slightly above average.

    Then there's the UI:
    Hello, this is 2018. My mouse has a right mouse button as well as a left. Perhaps you can do something with that right mouse button, such as cancel a planned order? Instead I need to hit ESC or one of the other orders in order to cancel a move.
    Scrapping a mech is an option... but why not let the user know that they could sell it for more money? All I need is a "get rid of mech" option, give me the max money I can get out of it. Or at least mention that scrapping a mech gets you less money than selling it?
    When preparing for a mission, I constantly get reminded that my mech is 0.01 tonnes underweight. Yeah. I know. Stop pestering me about it.
    When exiting a mission, I constantly get reminded that I can't use my mechs until I repair them again (even though they took 0 structural damage, and are instanly available again)
    When moving your ship between systems, there's lots of unskippable video. I realize it's 'cool', but I don't want to see a jump anymore.

    When outfitting your mech, you need to create a kind of 'shopping list' of changes, and then your mechanic will proceed with those changes. If 90% way through designing your refit you realize you'd like to add another laser, you need to *cancel the entire refit* (5s loading time), go to the shop (5-10s loading time), buy a laser, go back to the refit screen (5-10s loading time), *re-do your entire refit from the top*, and then add the laser. They could have just added store items to the refit screen, and have them add to the cost of the refit, but no...

    Also, if you cancel a refit order - even seconds after you made it, you lose 50% of the money it cost to place. WTH, the game is paused, let me cancel refit orders if they're not started yet.

    Also, there's a queue of refit work - meaning only one mech can be worked on at any given time. However if you schedule any work for your mechs they are unavailable for combat even if they're not being worked on - WTH ?    … Expand
  18. stonegolem
    Apr 25, 2018
    3
    As a 39 years old game developer, turn based strategy lover and a Battletech fan, I'm extremely dissapointed.

    User interface, camera controls and interactions are very similar to the late 90's first 3d rts games where you can't control the camera as it should be. Game graphics are really outdated and it's very apparent that the game was developed by the "dream game engine" Unity. It    As a 39 years old game developer, turn based strategy lover and a Battletech fan, I'm extremely dissapointed.

    User interface, camera controls and interactions are very similar to the late 90's first 3d rts games where you can't control the camera as it should be. Game graphics are really outdated and it's very apparent that the game was developed by the "dream game engine" Unity. It just looks and feels wrong.

    The idea was great and most of the tactical game mechanics are very good. However the application was terrible. Battletech universe deserved to have a professionally developed turn based strategy game instead of a college students weekend project.

    If you really want to see what is wrong with this game, then go and play XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) and compare the user interface, camera and player controls and the visual atmosphere of that game with this one. Sure, they had a better budget for the development of XCOM, however it shouldn't be an excuse for delivering a 48 hours gamejam quality "product" to us.

    I am sad.    … Expand
  19. shadowpoker
    Apr 25, 2018
    7
    I have been a long time fan of both the Battletech board game (since slightly before Maximum Tech) and the MechWarrior rpg. I also played quite a few of the computer games and really enjoyed MechWarrior II and III and quite enjoyed the MechCommander games. I tell this to give a general feeling about what kind of player I am.
    I enjoyed the game, but not as much as I wanted to. As you    I have been a long time fan of both the Battletech board game (since slightly before Maximum Tech) and the MechWarrior rpg. I also played quite a few of the computer games and really enjoyed MechWarrior II and III and quite enjoyed the MechCommander games. I tell this to give a general feeling about what kind of player I am.
    I enjoyed the game, but not as much as I wanted to. As you create a Battletech game I think you could go in two different direction, you could try to get close to the original board game or try to make it more like a computer game (as MechCommander did). For me, the new Battletech game did not find a good spot in-between. I get a slight irritation from how much is not as the board game and I always compare it to the board game because it not enough of a computer game on it's own. Still I enjoy it and would enjoy it so much more if I could play the campaign in Coop.
    Sadly, The Mech design is not advanced enough to give me a thrill, the game interface is not informative enough to give me the information I want and the game play is too much of a board game to make me accept this as a computer game adaptation.    … Expand
  20. Kaunmann
    Apr 24, 2018
    10
    Atmospheric and immerse deep strategy game! No bugs. Best Battletech expierience!GJ!
  21. wiski
    Apr 24, 2018
    9
    I've been loving the game so far, have about 7.5 hours in, plus the time I played in the Beta and the 30+ hours I watched streamed by other people in the weeks before release. This is the game I've been waiting for since MechCommander came out and I was disappointed it was an RTS instead of Turn-based, as I wanted a PC version of the tabletop game.

    This isn't exactly the tabletop rules,    I've been loving the game so far, have about 7.5 hours in, plus the time I played in the Beta and the 30+ hours I watched streamed by other people in the weeks before release. This is the game I've been waiting for since MechCommander came out and I was disappointed it was an RTS instead of Turn-based, as I wanted a PC version of the tabletop game.

    This isn't exactly the tabletop rules, but it's a really good interpretation of it. I have also had zero crashes in my time played, so I cannot comment on that issue for the people that are having it.

    I backed this game when it was on Kickstarter and am more than thrilled with what HBS has produced.    … Expand
  22. socokid
    Apr 24, 2018
    9
    There are currently two reviews from "different" people with the same exact review text (Gave it a 10). Most of the low scores are from new people that have only voted on this game with very similar complaints. This is why I don't usually take the user review scores very seriously.

    If you like turned based strategy games, this is a very fun game. I just wanted to give it my honest score    There are currently two reviews from "different" people with the same exact review text (Gave it a 10). Most of the low scores are from new people that have only voted on this game with very similar complaints. This is why I don't usually take the user review scores very seriously.

    If you like turned based strategy games, this is a very fun game. I just wanted to give it my honest score and leave, but I had to post when I saw how terrible some of the other user reviews were. Goodness..    … Expand
  23. topenhargen
    Apr 24, 2018
    1
    Terrible game from a mismanaged company that has disdain for their customers. The system requirements are way too high for what is rendered, the campaign is contrived and artificial, and performance is terrible.
    I expected nothing less from a Harebrained and Paradox
  24. eblackthorn
    Apr 24, 2018
    10
    This game perfectly scratches the itch that mech commander left. I like the cut scene art, the stories and the look of the mechs. The load times can lag a bit but over all I am very happy with it so far.
  25. SouzGMK
    Apr 24, 2018
    2
    I'm torn with this game.

    There is a lot of potential here. The tactical gameplay is solid, and it stays true to the BATTLETECH universe. The company management component works well, and gives the campaign mode a good amount of depth. However, the battles are TORTURE to play as each move is incredibly slow to resolve, with lots of unneeded pauses throughout. Everything feels very    I'm torn with this game.

    There is a lot of potential here. The tactical gameplay is solid, and it stays true to the BATTLETECH universe. The company management component works well, and gives the campaign mode a good amount of depth.

    However, the battles are TORTURE to play as each move is incredibly slow to resolve, with lots of unneeded pauses throughout. Everything feels very drawn-out, and it makes the whole experience a lot less fun.

    Presentation and story are also underwhelming. Nothing especially bad, just really bland. It's like if Ed Sheeran wrote a game about mechs.    … Expand
  26. timanfaya
    Apr 24, 2018
    9
    Best game of the year. If you like Xcom 2 or Divinity Original Sin 2 you will LOVE this
  27. bretdet
    Apr 24, 2018
    10
    Game is excellent! Only negative reviews here are people complaining about it crashing and not loading. Never experienced any of those problems and the game is amazing to play!
  28. Electrofried
    Apr 24, 2018
    2
    This game is like an early access prototype, the cut scenes and art, while nice enough were something I would expect to see in a late 90's game. The UI is horrible, the game is riddled with major bugs. I wanted to enjoy this, I tried, but the game was just lacking in so many areas it felt like it was half done. There is no difficulty setting, little to no replayability. No multiplayerThis game is like an early access prototype, the cut scenes and art, while nice enough were something I would expect to see in a late 90's game. The UI is horrible, the game is riddled with major bugs. I wanted to enjoy this, I tried, but the game was just lacking in so many areas it felt like it was half done. There is no difficulty setting, little to no replayability. No multiplayer features that incentivise multiplayer play.

    Perhaps in six months after patches are released and some (free?) DLC added this might be worth looking at picking up on a half price sale, but for now I would take the wait and see approach unless you are a die hard battletech fan.    … Expand
  29. Overwatchkido
    Apr 24, 2018
    0
    I've had nothing but graphical glitches and bugs crashing me anytime I try to play. I gave it a few hours and only got 30 minutes into the game, of which it was mostly boring. Battletech has promise but doesn't deliver.
  30. Erlioth
    Apr 24, 2018
    10
    Of course in the far future there are gender neutral pronouns, because everyone will just get over themselves and conform. Thats what humanity does
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Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best PC Game of 2018
30
#30 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
14
#14 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 62 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 62
  3. Negative: 0 out of 62
  1. RPG Fan
    Mar 5, 2020
    84
    BattleTech is a special kind of experience that doesn't come around too often. As much as it demands from you, it offers equal or greater reward in return. As I said before, this property is very dear to my heart, so it brings me joy to see this game achieve what it sets out to accomplish with so much success.
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 13, 2018
    80
    Return to the future to tin monster wars has its flaws, but even so Battletech grabs your attention and does not let go. Lovers of robotic battles will be definitely intrigued. [Issue#286]
  3. CD-Action
    Jul 6, 2018
    80
    MechCommanders’ beautiful dream finally came true in a form of a couple dozen hours of excellent tactical gameplay underpinned by good visuals and superb music. [06/2018, p.46]
See all critic reviews »