Heavy Gear Assault stomps onto Steam Early Access

Heavy Gear Assault [official site], a multiplayer shoot-o-sim adaptation of the mechtastic wargame/loreworld/doodad, has arrived on Steam Early Access. You might remember Heavy Gear from the games Activision made in the '90s after losing the MechWarrior license. In a similar memory-jogging vein, Heavy Gear Assault is made by MekTek, the folks behind that expanded free release of MechWarrior 4 a few years back. Heavy Gear isn't a renamed MechWarrior, mind, not least of all because its battlebots are smaller and scrappier. Also, they can wear rollerskates, which I think is a wonderful treat for the robots. Maybe the winners get to go to the rollerdisco.

Heavy Gear Assault has been in early access since 2015 but now it's on Steam Early Access, which means: 1) it's on Steam, duh; 2) development has progressed enough for MekTek to bring the game to a wider audience.

At the moment, Heavy Gear Assault has its core elements of mechs fighting through lobbies and matchmaking and whatnot, along a Gear Bay to customise your fightbots. Still to come are more maps, more mechs, more weapons, more equipment, more features, a dash of singleplayer and co-op PvE, and a whole heap of polish.

If you want in now, you can pick Heavy Gear Assault up for £25.49/31,44€/$33.99 on Steam (with a launch discount ending in a few hours). If you'd rather wait until it's done, hey, that's expected to be in December.