In the futuristic world of Armor Mayhem, Loussi's new action shooter, the world has run out of energy. Thus, major corporations send teams of faceless space marines to discover a new source. And, of course, once they find a planet filled to the brink with Unobtanium, they land and immediately start blasting each other in the face with lasers. It's not really all that surprising, considering that if you sent some faceless space marines out to get a loaf of bread at the grocery store, it's even money that there's going to be a rocket launcher fight in the dairy aisle. However, what Armor Mayhem lacks in plot depth, it more than makes up for with enough frenetic action to make Master Chief jealous.
Using the [WASD] keys, you direct your marines around various landscapes, clicking with the mouse to fire upon your competition. Various jump points and teleporters will quickly transport you around the level. In addition to your standard gun, other weapons are available around the levels, waiting to be picked up with the [S] key, and switched with your standard weapon with the [Q] key. Hitting enemies fills your bullet-time "adrenaline" meter, which can be activated by holding the [spacebar]. Each level has one of the several typical space-mariney objectives: Single Player and Team Deathmatch, Capture The Flag, er, I mean DataSphere, Territory Control, and the Oddball-like Overdrive. The [E] key can be used to give your teammates basic commands. Winning levels unlocks more maps and cash to be spent on new weapons and cosmetic upgrades. Now go faceless space marine... the emperor commands it.
Analysis: Armor Mayhem is an inspired combination of Halo and Chaos Faction. I very much like both of those, so, really, I was on board right from the start. The levels are well-designed, the game-modes offer a nice amount of variety, and the difficulty is challenging without being too brutal: every level feels like a battle that is hard-fought, but ultimately won. Also of note is the art style, which I really dug: it's filled with jutting angles and solid colors which is a nice change from the attempts at ultra-realism often found in the Space Marine sub-genre. It manages to be imposing without being gritty and simplified without being cartoonish.
There are a few things that are less inspirational, first of which being the campaign mission mode. It's not unexpected to have to play through it in order to unlock all the levels for custom battles, but it's kind of a pain, especially when the plot is so threadbare. Next, the weapon-pickups, while varied, are tiny enough to be hard to tell apart during play. This can be a problem since some are much more useful than others. I appreciate the ability to give my AI teammates commands, but in practice, it fell flat for me: they were often much more effective when I just let them do their own thing, rather than trying to look out for them. Finally, be forewarned that the game is quite processor intensive, to an extent that it locked up my browser a couple of times during play.
Even with the above caveats, there's much to love about Armor Mayhem. Shooter fans of all kinds will appreciate the engine's depth, and the platform elements extend its appeal beyond the genre. One can only hope that an online multiplayer variation is forthcoming. As much fun as the game is to play against the AI, this is an experience that would be great to share.
Update: A level editor has been added for the making and sharing of battlefields of your own devising!
Walkthrough Guide
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Armor Mayhem Tips and Tricks
While Armor Mayhem is an AI driven shooter, and thus, by its very nature a little unpredictable, here are some general tips I would suggest from my playing experience
If you are experiencing lag, take the advice of the opening screen and close all other programs and tabs and turn off the sounds. Also, make sure your flash player is updated to the latest version.
Considering how fast people bounce around the map, I find it best to use and unlock the rapid-firing weapons first, including the auto-aiming rocket and the dart gun. The default machine gun might be one of the best weapons in the game.
I'm not a big fan of the plasma rifle as I though it requires a little too much precision. Using the adrenaline with these aiming weapons can make life a lot easier. Even with adrenaline, I found the time stop to be pretty useless, in my opinion. Buy some (cosmetic) armor instead.
The ion cannon is a "death from above" type weapon. Don't fire it at the enemy so much as the ground where the enemy will be. The orbital cannon will take care of the rest. In particular, the AI can be deadly with the rocket launcher.
Remember that the more weapons you unlock, the more your opponents have access to, and they'll always outnumber you. It might be easier to complete the campaign mode first, then buy everything for the custom games.
Don't underestimate the importance of that map in the corner, especially for Capture the Data-Sphere rounds. It'll show you when the sphere is unguarded, when your sphere is on the move, and help you plan a good path back to your base.
Team-mate AI can sometimes work against you in data-sphere mode. It's best to always get to it first and carry it yourself. On the other hand, you are unable to attack while you are holding the sphere. Be sure you have a clear path, or issue a command for reinforcements while you make a run for the base.
The adrenaline can be quite useful, especially for precisely attacking enemies who've gotten a hold of your datasphere. If they drop it, be sure to pick it up before another opponent gets it.
On capture mode, your top priority should be to always make sure your team has control of a plurality of the resource points. Use the corner map to keep track.
One glitch in the AI team-mates is that it will attempt to capture a resource point even after you have started to. If this happens, just take off and let them finish the work. They won't be dissuaded
It's worth getting a kill-streak, if only for the hilarious comments the announcer makes. The highest one is "..."
Some levels, like Anarchy and Organic War, have a respawn point in mid-air. It's not exactly easy to direct your self down into an acid pike or some spikes right after respawn, but it can definitely happen if you're not paying attention.
Be sure to check out the "Armor World" level in custom mode. It's not a part of the storyline, so it's open right from the start, and the medieval castle it takes place in kinda breaks the aesthetic. Still, a ton of fun to run around in.
Try not to think too much about whether the game is more "inspired" by Raze or Halo. You'll give yourself a headache. :-)
Thanks, Tricky, for the tips!
Posted by: Mike
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January 24, 2011 8:47 PM