M.E.R.C. has a lot of potential already, but there are still a number of problems that need ironing out before release. You act as the operator of a mercenary company doing the dirty work for a handful of corporate overlords. The story leans on some slightly goofy narrative tropes to get going, but all that takes a back seat to the work you are doing.
At this stage in development, players have access to the game’s first major story chapter. It’s a rain-soaked slum with some nice particle and lighting effects. Anti-establishment slogans are sprayed onto tin walls, empty shops still have their signs lit up. There’s a gritty sci-fi aesthetic that’s captured nicely. There are a handful of main story missions to complete, along with a steady stream of side missions. These come in a variety of flavors that mostly boil down to killing or capturing someone. Your various bosses are in a power struggle, something M.E.R.C. illustrates with a reputation system. Unfortunately, the consequences for angering or appeasing any given overlord are not currently apparent. If I do enough missions for the bank, do I lose missions from the bio-tech guys? If there are consequences like that, they aren’t touched on directly.
______________________________
“For every soldier you’re healing or transporting or equipping, you need to pony up extra cash on a strict weekly basis.”
Your soldiers can be upgraded with talents and gear for more efficient killing techniques. The talents are implemented beautifully, with each move feeling worth the time and effort to execute it. The gear is a slightly different story. I had to swap back and forth between two disconnected menus, memorizing who had what before going back and making a purchase. This increased the chance of a redundant purchase happening. You wouldn’t think this would be a big deal, but running a mercenary company comes with operating costs. For every soldier you’re healing or transporting or equipping, you need to pony up extra cash on a strict weekly basis. The system is kind enough to offer loans (at a steep interest rate of course), but it’s pretty easy to get in over your head, financially.
One of the problems associated with an alpha release is placeholder assets. In this case it’s the music. I understand the game is pretty green. I’m sure the devs have a lot to complete before they get to this, but man oh man that music gets old quick. It took about 10 minutes of playing before I’d heard every track twice. I think there might be three of them? Don’t get me wrong. The music they have is great. There just isn’t a lot of it. I’m really looking forward to how that aspect of the game expands.
If you’re one of those people who learns by being shot in the head multiple times, good news! M.E.R.C. is very forgiving. On the upside, dead soldiers are actually just hurt. A broken leg, a mild concussion, a fractured wrist. Little things like that. The bad news is that you have to hang out for several game days to wait for them to heal. This was a real problem for me at first. I had no backup team ready. So I was forced to watch as sidequests disappeared and potential new hires found work elsewhere. There’s a special sort of exhausted frustration that settles over you when a team you just spent a week healing and upgrading gets blinked out one mission later.
______________________________
“Choosing between healing, new units and gear is life-or-death every time.”
Managing money is currently the hardest part of the game. Choosing between healing, new units and gear is life-or-death every time. You buy two guns you didn’t need? Someone dies the next mission. Now you have to waste a week getting them on their feet. Uh-oh! Debt collectors are here. You didn’t spend too much money did you? I sure hope not. So while you’re paying off the loan sharks, no new weapons are coming in. That means your backup squad is going out there with garbage armor and pea shooters. And now they’re dead. Good thing the hospital is cheap, right?
My advice is to save often, and don’t be afraid to reload just as frequently. The choices you make are impactful enough that it’s totally worth a little backtracking to avoid two weeks in the red. Thankfully, M.E.R.C. spits out a lot of low-level jobs you can breeze through for extra cash. Of course, this feeds into the pacing problem. You feel like you’re wasting time chewing through low-risk assignments just so the next real job doesn’t wipe your team out. You do a lot of traveling during missions, as well. This creates a contrast between the fast-paced combat and the monotonous exploration. Battles can be won or lost in seconds. Once they’re finished, you may be wandering for a bit before you figure out where you’re going.
M.E.R.C. needs some time in the oven, true. But what’s present is well-polished. The graphics and sound design are already looking great. The concept is a compelling one that shines through even at this stage. I’m confident that the devs will be able to iron out the pacing and balance issues by the time this game is properly released. In the meantime, M.E.R.C. has a lot of potential for fans of the genre. This game is going places, even if it isn’t quite there yet.
*** PC code provided by the pulisher ***
