Front Mission Evolved

Lore & Background

Front Mission Evolved is a story reboot of the Front Mission series, set in 2171 after the timeline of older titles. The world's superpowers have built orbital elevators to expand into space, leading to a Cold War-style atmosphere. Tensions rise when one elevator, Percival, is attacked and destroyed by unknown assailants. The story follows USN engineer Dylan Ramsey, who tests a prototype wanzer on Long Island and becomes embroiled in the conflict after his father is seemingly killed during the attack on New York City. He is recruited into the USN Army as war looms with the Oceania Cooperative Union.

Gameplay differs from earlier Front Mission titles by being a real-time third-person shooter on full 3D maps. Players control Wanzers (Wanderung Panzer) and can customize parts, auxiliary backpacks, and weapons based on military ranking in multiplayer. The single-player campaign features linear progression with cutscenes, missions, and intermissions for wanzer setup, plus an Act Select feature to replay missions. New features include hover and anti-missile backpacks, Gunship Mode (a rail shooter segment), and the E.D.G.E. ability that slows time. Infantry Mode, returning from Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard, allows on-foot combat. Multiplayer offers PvP modes and a PvE mode called Last Stand.

Reader's Guide

Front Mission Evolved received mixed reviews, with an aggregate score of 58 out of 100 on Metacritic. Critics found the gameplay unpolished and the story generic. IGN scored it 6.0/10, calling it uninspired and noting that missions often felt like frustrating filler, with the wanzer customization undermined by forced loadouts. GameSpot scored it 5.5/10, describing the campaign as predictable and abbreviated, with combat that becomes mind-numbing due to repetitiveness and boss battles that drag on due to overpowered enemies and abundant health pickups. The on-foot segments were panned as sub-par third-person shooting lacking a cover system. Despite attempting to appeal to a new audience, the game was seen as unlikely to win new fans for the franchise. Its significance lies in being a radical departure from the series' tactical roots, but it failed to achieve critical success, remaining a niche entry for hardcore mech enthusiasts.

Did You Know?

• The game's music was composed by Garry Schyman, the first non-Japanese composer for a major Square Enix series.
• The game introduces the E.D.G.E. ability, which slows down time to help players react to enemy attacks.