BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception
A young cadet seeks his father's legacy amid war.
BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception is a turn-based adventure/role-playing video game released in 1988 by Westwood Associates. It was one of the first commercial ports of the BattleTech franchise, featuring its worlds, institutions, political figures, and the three-story tall BattleMechs. The game was followed by a sequel, BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Revenge, which shifted to real-time tactics gameplay.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Westwood Associates
- Publisher
- Infocom
- Director
- Brett Sperry
- Producer
- Christopher Erhardt
- Programmer
- Louis Castle; Barry Green
- Artist
- Michael Goldberg
- Joseph B. Hewitt IV
- Maurine Y. Starkey
- Composer
- Paul S. Mudra
- Series
- BattleTech
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The player controls Jason Youngblood, a cadet MechWarrior on Pacifica in the Lyran Commonwealth. While training at the Citadel, the Draconis Combine attacks, killing the Palace guard and apparently Jason's father Jeremiah. Jason escapes arrest with help from Rex Pearce, a Crescent Hawk member. Together they seek the Crescent Hawks, a special forces company founded by Jeremiah and Archon Katrina, allied with the Kell Hounds.
Gameplay
The game is split into three sections with a shared interface. The first section takes place at the Citadel, where the player completes training missions in a BattleMech and can take small arms lessons. This allows leveling up and earning C-bills. Plot events occur during gameplay, with the attack on the Citadel happening mid-training. The second section is a standard RPG: the player recruits party members, finds weapons and items, and searches Pacifica for a Star League cache hidden by Jeremiah. Map navigation uses the computer's internal clock, with random encounters against enemy 'Mechs and infantry. The player can manually target weapons in turn-based combat or use computer-controlled combat. The star port is walled, requiring 'Mechs to be parked in a Garage, leaving the party vulnerable. Random attacks are frequent and not always escapable. Enemy strength scales with the player's number of 'Mechs. C-Bill shortages can occur, especially with ammunition-using weapons or if no party member can repair 'Mechs. The final section, reached after finding the cave entrance, consists of puzzles combining luck and logic. The game data includes all pre-3050 table-top weaponry, but only a limited selection of 'Mechs appear.
Reception
Computer Gaming World noted the game deviated from typical Infocom adventures, calling it suitable for beginning to low intermediate players. Tony Watson in Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer No. 88 said enjoyment depended on the player, with fans of the FASA BattleTech universe likely enjoying it more. John ONeill in Black Gate recalled the EGA graphics as visually impressive in 1988 and the thrill of piloting a 'Mech.
Frequently Asked Questions
What platforms is BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception available on?
BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception was released for Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and MS-DOS.
Who directed BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception?
BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception was directed by Brett Sperry.
Who composed the music for BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception?
The music for BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception was composed by Paul S. Mudra.
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