FRONT MISSION 1st: Remake Reviews
For a 27-year-old game with only minor changes this is still an enjoyably taxing tactical role-player but it's new games this series needs, not more remakes.
Solid and definitely have an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.
Graphically Front Mission: 1st Remake looks phenomenal on the Series X, small touches like working windshield wipers on vehicles and things really help to immerse players in the game and its world. The remake presents the game in a different camera angle from the original but allows players to choose how they want to play. This is also true of the soundtrack in game as the original and a remastered and remixed version is available as well. While I enjoyed the story of Front Mission: 1st Remake, the combat made the game feel like a chore. In fact, it felt like for everyone good thing I found with the game, I would end up with two negatives. I had issues with the camera control in the heat of battle, the overall difficulty on default is a tad hard (but there is a difficulty selection if you want to play on easy), missing more attacks than I hit even in melee and all these things just led to a poor experience. I think Id love to play a new Front Mission game, one that isn’t a remake and is charting its own path forward; hopefully we can see that one day.
Unless you're a die-hard fan of the original or the TRPG genre in general, you're probably safe to give this one a miss or just lower the difficulty of the combat to enjoy the story. Despite the strengths of the setting and the characters, the gameplay becomes more frustrating than fun and won't keep most players engaged past the first few hours. It's a shame because there is a brilliance to telling the same story from two opposing points of view, but that gets buried beneath poorly implemented mechanics. Unfortunately, modern visuals and sound can't salvage gameplay here that feels too random to be satisfying.
A pioneering game of Square's vaunted library of strategy RPGs gets a worthy update that keeps Front Mission's anti-war spirit alive.
Forever Entertainment's modern crack at a classic strategy RPG has its highs and lows, but I walk away from it feeling stoked for the Wanzer warfare remakes to come.
Front Mission: 1st Remake has everything that a fan of the series would want with improvements to both the visuals and UI. The game is approachable and the difficulty can be toned down if needed. Hopefully this game will sell well enough that we will see more of the Front Mission games come to the west.
Is Front Mission 1st: Remake as good as Advance Wars? Well no, but it is still a lovingly crafted remake and a decent strategy game with a compelling narrative and fun mech customisation. I just wish Forever Entertainment had spent more time modernising and refining the gameplay experience, rather than just the presentation.
Front Mission 1st would have benefitted from a full remake to address a lot of quibbles that are holdovers from the era it is originally from; however, even as-is, warts and all, the premise and core loop remain fun enough that series and genre enthusiasts, at least, will get a fair bit out of it.
It's a pity that Square Enix and Forever Entertainment had both settled for a (too) faithful remake of a game that was fascinating and difficult but also unbalanced and often unfair. Little things like new menus, new tutorials and a slew of QOL options could have made this a much better game overall. The way it is now, it's only recommended to hardcore long-time fans.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Forever Entertainment has proven they are effective at remaking old titles with new visuals while keeping the gameplay as faithful as possible. While Front Mission 1st is a worthy alternative to the old version, maybe an HD-2D reimagining with snappier battles would have been better. Time will tell how their efforts will pay off on the more ambitious upcoming entries in the Front Mission series.
This is an interesting anti-war story with two extensive campaigns told from two different perspectives, and with extensive options for customizing mechs and additional gameplay options. The game has impressive modern graphics, sound, and music. However, there are some problems: the length of the game can lead to monotony, and the only way to avoid this is by playing in small doses. The battles can occasionally feel too random, especially at the beginning of the main campaign. The controls could also be better.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
As a long-time fan of the series, I'm delighted that FRONT MISSION 1st: Remake is available for Switch as it's great fun and looks superb to boot. With that being said, it's definitely not for everyone and I can easily see modern gamers being perplexed by this SRPG classic.
Unless you're a die-hard fan of the original, it might be best to skip this in favor of a good SRPG.
I definitely recommend this to fans of old-style SRPGS, but with the high MSRP and some minor freezes here and there, I do feel it may be best to get it on sale or wait for a bit more patching before giving it a spin.
Front Mission 1st Remake is a good way to experience a tactical RPG classic originally developed by Squaresoft on SNES. Though there are elements that could have been better when it comes to properly conveying information, the rich mecha customization and the bigger focus on combat amidst a straightforward war story are some appealing points for adventuring into the game.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Front Mission 1st: Remake seems to mark a possible resurgence for the strategy mech RPG in the West, and while I'd like to have seen a little more done with the concept of a remake here, I still enjoyed my time spent with one of the two campaigns for this review. It's not perfect by any stretch, but it was nice to revisit the original game again.
Front Mission 1st: Remake is the long awaited chance for fans to experience the game that established the iconic franchise. At the same time, it will allow a new generation to be introduced to one of the most iconic mecha titles.
For those who are huge fans of Front Mission titles or turn-based games. Then I think this is most definitely something you should add to your list. However, if you are on the fence then it might be worth waiting for a price drop.
While fans of this strategy RPG “classic” are likely to be excited to see it again, the uninitiated may find it slow