Retro Review: Front Mission (Super Famicom)

OK then, I finished Front Mission 3. What game did I play next? Something even more obscure and gaming-hipster-weeb, the first game in the series, Front Mission. Another strategic game with big robots. A game made during the golden age of Japanese Role Playing Games, but one not to get an English version until it got remade for a later platform. Here we see two superpowers, the OCU and USN (1) slug it out over a scrap of nothing called Huffman Island, but is it any good? Well, I'll get to that, but first, I wanna talk about how I played it. While Front Mission received a remastered version on the Nintendo DS, here I used an original cartridge on the Retrofreak emulation console. This provokes a certain degree of "Vinyl versus Spotify" style argument amongst purists, as this is mechanically different from the original hardware, even with the original cart. 16 bit emulation is however a mature technology at this point, and devices such as this allow HDMI output, which is more convenient. I also used the Retrofreaks ability to apply fan-made translation patches, without which the game is somewhat unplayable.

Moving on.....

On first impression, the original game is much more consistent visually than FM3, if inevitably more primitive. FM doesn't have the burden of awkward 3D, and by the standards of the time, certainly holds its own. Its a later generation Famicom release, so the developers knew what they were doing, but also because the game is going against so many JRPG conventions. At the risk of making a sweeping generalisation, games of this ilk, especially those by Squaresoft, tended towards bright colours, and frequently cutesy character designs. Of course, cutscenes and close-up character portraits may have been completely different, but that was the default. Even the seemingly immortal Super Robot Wars series did and does favour a super deformed look for its mecha. This probably owes as much to technical limitations as artistic choice TBH, and this is by no means a failing, but genre convention was there. Here's a screen grab of the highly regarded Final Fantasy VI(2).

 

Notice how the baddie is a nice big-if-static sprite, where as the heroes are in totally different style, and the menu takes up much of the screen space. Now here's what today's review subject looks like.

 

See what I mean? FF6 is a classic for a reason, but, Front Mission is by comparison a darker, grittier, and more visually detailed game. At least in areas which it prioritises. Mecha designs are basically gorgeous, with pleasing animations, and lengthy customisation potential. It's not a big thing these days, but back then? Having equipment visibly change on a sprite was a rare, even if Front Mission seems to like its robots carrying a pair of guns as big as they are(3). Mind you, FM also boils down interactions outside of combat into a series of menus, and you'll see the same town a lot. A lot, a lot. There's no overworld to explore, no random encounters, no side quests, and the closest thing to a diversion is the colosseum, which offers simplified battles where you can bet on yourself. So, if you're not sold on the battles, there's only so much else here. The general interface does also feel outdated, with the day-to-day matters of Wanzer management being more fiddly than they should. In battle, its possible to loose Wanzers behind buildings, or forget what units are damaged, as the game isn't too hot at conveying info on the map screen. This is what I mean when I say this game was more primitive than its PS1 sequel; its clearly an earlier version for less capable hardware, but pixels are more nostalgic than polygons...

Combat is elegant, favouring large groups. if having some quirks. It uses a grid map, but displayed from a fixed isomeric angle. Its functional, dropping into more viseral combat animation, but Its somewhat more in your face and exaggerated than I expected. Most guns have a range of 1 square, the main exception being Missiles, which have limited ammo. Wanzers can act to defend themselves in the enemy turn, if not by counter attacking then by blocking with arms to protect the main body. Going melee is quite practical, due to the prevailing presence of single shot attacks and easy item stowage. Choosing the right tool for the job though is important, Wanzers having separate health bars for body parts, and guns firing either a burst of shots or one big bullet. Then there's wrinkles like Shields sharing the same shoulder mounts as Missiles and hybrid weapons that have variable range. The whole Lego mecha appeal is definitely here, if slanted towards Wanzers some de-facto character classes. The game presents foes with names like Missiler and Attacker, and while these aren't fixed, they do represent the obvious designs. All this often boils down to a rock/paper/scissors affair, but you'll be controlling more than 10 units at a time, so there's plenty to get your teeth into. Here's a summary of what you'll be working with, named after the class of weapons they use.

Fight Wanzers
Fairly self-explanatory, these guys rock up and punch things. Often literally, as while tonfas are a thing, some arms hit really hard bare-handed. These Wanzers have to be both fast and tough, as they not only have to walk a fair bit, enemies can fire their guns defensively before you can swing. Special skills however turn off that weakness, as well as allowing you to do combos and stun people. Fight Wanzers are the hard-counter to missile equipped Wanzers, but they aren't precise.

Short Wanzers
The tactically flexible and the most powerful type of Wanzer, with a wide array of weapons, but most frequently dual machine guns. This is due to the aggressive selection of special skills, which allow for both more dakka and the ability to target specific body parts. This can mince a majority of targets, although weight and effective range can be an issue.

Long Wanzers
*Sniggering* These are characterised by having two big missile launchers, and maybe a bazooka as a back-up. Acting to soften up a target before you finish them off, these only get one special skill, and it's a goody. They can target specific body parts at a distance, and can therefore disarm people before they become a threat. Ammo is however a problem, as is absorbing damage, so they tend to stick close to....

Peewee the supply truck driver

A source of passive buffs where everyone else is a fighter class, Peewee provides emergency repairs, and spare weapons should you need a different gun. He and his ilk add a lot the game, and I feel Front Mission 3 suffers for their absence. Then again, this is another area with an awkward interface.

Two things however bother me about the whole business though. Firstly, the game doesn't actually encourage you to experiment with Wanzer designs that much. Most parts are linear upgrades, which undermines the whole appeal of customising your robots, and upgrades are so frequent as to make it feel like busy work. Its the old RPG staple of new town, buy new sword. Second, while there is a hint of a logistics/management side to the game, I didn't feel I had to make difficult decisions as such. You do get money based on mission performance, and charged for repairs, but I was swimming in cash for the most part, even as my squad sizes hit double figures. If I'd done less well, or if replacement parts had been a bit more spread out, maybe I'd have enjoyed things more, but your mileage may vary. That said, variety and meaningful choice does increase as you go on, with weapons being more immediately complex than Wanzer bits as they often represent side grades to each other. Also on the plus side, the game does not require or encourage level grinding, in my experience.

And finally, there is the matter of narrative, which is OK, if slow to bloom and linear. Putting aside sheer genre saturation, the SNES/Famicom format having buttloads of RPGs, it wouldn't be a surprise if FMs story was part of the reason why it wasn't localised into English at first. Nintendo USA at around this time was clearly opposed to "adult" stuff, and while this game isn't gory its definitely dark and political. I mean, in the first level alone the lead character Lloyd Clive(4) undertakes a blackops mission that goes so badly a war starts, sees his fiancé brutally killed in combat by the final boss, only to then be made a scapegoat for the entire mess. He then joins a mercenary unit, thus becoming a man both grieving and in decidedly grey moral standing. Its not the hero's journey, and it doesn't really become a revenge story until much later. What it is at first is episodic, and quite anime cliché, but gets increasingly bleak and almost unrecognisable in later missions. That said, while the themes and ideas are interesting, the actual execution isn't great. How much of this is the fan translation, or just it being an old game, is up for debate, but I found it to be workmanlike rather than compelling.

Conclusion
A good first try, but not a masterpiece. Front Mission is a game with a very specific appeal, offering some nice strategic gameplay, robo-go-boomy, an interesting story, but very much a product of its time. Is it better than Front Mission 3, the game that brought me to the franchise? Honestly, no. The overall experience isn't as refined, the mechanics of the game not quite coming together, and the story being functional rather than having a strong hook. Is this the same as saying its a bad game? Definitely not. I had a good time with it, so check it out. Maybe go for the DS remake though, if the option is available.

Foot notes

1. That's Japan + others versus The USA + others.
2. Or Final Fantasy 6, if you want to use proper numbers, and aren't currently in 90's America.
3. Not a complaint, an observation.
4. At least, this is what the translation patch calls him. The instruction manual romanised his name as “Roid Clive”, while other sources give it as “Royd Clive”. I'm not in a position to judge which is more correct, so I'll use the one that is less immediately stupid.