Front Mission 3 Remake Review (Switch) – Protect Ya Mech

Around the turn of the century, it’d be fair to say that Squaresoft (as they were then known) were kings of the RPG. Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross, Xenogears and more were bolstering that success. But that wasn’t all, with a few series’ also following the jump to full 3D to great acclaim. One of those being the Front Mission franchise.

For those unaware, Front Mission stated on the SNES, a mix of turn-based battles and political intrigue and espionage, with bloody big robots doing the fighting. Whilst the first two weren’t released outside of Japan, the third did, and for many (including myself), it was the gateway to tactical, giant robot warfare.

So, following the remakes and remasters of the first two Front Mission’s, Square Enix has seen fit to allow Front Mission 3 the same treatment, passed on to developer MegaPixel Studio, and published by Forever Entertainment. But with lukewarm receptions to the first two, and some recent revelations of misappropriated AI asset issues, will this rectify the damage control, or start a new war? Let’s find out.

Why Can’t We Be Friends…

Like any series that has spanned a few generations, consoles and genres (yes I am still sore over Evolved), Front Mission has quite a long history. Fortunately, we’re not going to look into that, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because it’s not relevant to have not played the others, and secondly, because I have only finished Front Mission 3.

The plot in this entry revolves around a cold war, of sorts, and some mutually assured destruction that threatens to boil over. Tensions between the Oceania Cooperative Union and the People’s Republic of Da Han Zhong are on the rise, with other Asian countries expressing dissent at both sides.

Things escalate when an incident at a Japanese Defense Force base puts two young Wanzer pilots, Kazuki Takemura (the player character) and Ryogo Kusama in the spotlight. These two, and a supporting cast based on an early decision, soon become part of something bigger. A plot that involves big explosions, chases across contents and more.

Oh, and many hours of turn-based, tactical giant robot fighting.

Mech-ing The Most Of It

Whilst turn-based action was certainly dominating the genre, the tactical grid-based variety wasn’t far behind it. What with the likes of Final Fantasy Tactics and Vandal Hearts riding the wave, let’s not forget that Front Mission was doing it before the PlayStation days came along.

So, as you may have gathered, Front Mission 3 offers a tactical, top-down battle system. Yes, it is also turn-based but I was using that as a distinguisher over say, Suikoden’s turn-based system. Let’s not get into semantics.

As you can see in the above image, battles are laid out in an almost-isometric view, with rotatable camera to see who’s lurking behind walls. Player action phases will be in blue, enemies an orange hue. Movement and actions are based on, funnily enough, Action Points (AP). Each space is one point, whilst certain weapons/attacks have their own cost. If you’re using a ranged weapon, points can be saved by not moving. Sounds obvious, but it also means points can be used to retaliate when enemies attack you.

A standard turn, in broad terms, could see players move slightly closer, then take a shot with an equipped weapon. In Kazuki’s case, a shotgun with twelve hits across multiple parts. More often than not, the enemy will retaliate if they have a ranged weapon. On their turn, they attack Kazuki, but the player can spend any unused AP on a counter attack. So, it’s not as cut-and-dry as one for one, turn-based attacks.

Yes, I am generalising but remember, this is a review of a remake. This isn’t GameFAQS, but don’t take this as me being glib. Once it clicks, it really is like… 3D battle chess with giant robots. There’s a whole host of skills to unlock and assign too, like initiative-stealing moves or more bullets per shot. Again, it’s a whole treasure trove to dive into.

Weapon Of Mass Customisation

Like any RPG, Front Mission 3 allows customisation and equipping your Wanzers (that’s the name for the big robots, by the way) to suit most playstyles. Well, like any role-playing game, you’ll have your quick ones, your tanks and all that jazz. Just that in this universe, “tank” is a bit more apt and literal. Anyway, the point I’m going for is that the variety here is staggering.

Your standard Wanzer, as it were, is a bipedal unit that comes with one ranged and one melee weapon. Yet whilst that’s okay for the introductory part of the game, as the party grows, so will the challenge. But the playing [battle]field can be levelled out with a variety of different styles. We’re talking hover units instead of legs for travelling over water. Or crab legs, as above, for more speed and movement points. Shields instead of melee weapons to block retaliation strikes. Sniper rifles for those that like to hang back, even rocket launchers for beefier attacks.

Like any game of this ilk, the trick is to play around with it. Fortunately between battles, it’s easy enough to go to a garage, or even boot up a save in-between to try certain tactics again. There are, naturally, some moments that string battles together without a breather, but for the most part it’s not too bad. How hard is it depends on the player’s affinity for this type of game. I’ll admit I probably hashed my way through a lot of it back in 2000, at fourteen.

Could I do a better job now, though? Probably, if the text-based narrative doesn’t wear me down first.

The Art Of Bore-fare

Okay, personal disclaimer here: this little moan about the presentation/story-telling in Front Mission 3 is of my own experience, not a reflection of whether you’ll enjoy it or not. Okay? No coming at me in the comments; bear in mind I did finish this game twenty five years ago… eventually. Anyway, if that hasn’t set the tone enough, I’ll elaborate. Story in Front Mission is usually told in two ways: fully 3D cutscenes, like the above, and text-based static scenes (that don’t really need a screenshot to portray).

On the one hand, when something cool happens in the latter, it’s engaging. Thinking you’ve finished a battle only for a Columbo-style, “just one more bad guy” to drop in is pretty fun. However, when it becomes a verbal tennis match of character potraits over an office background, that is not as cool.

I think it’s partly why I don’t really invest much time in many “old school” RPG’s anymore: there’s only so many hours in the day.

That being said, there are a few caveats. Sometimes Kazuki can change the flow of conversation by choosing to whom to speak next. An early binary choice sets which path he’ll take for the rest of the game, for example. At other times, players will just get brickwalled into following the only correct choice to continue the story.

Again, this isn’t a deal breaker if you like this kind of thing. We all know how popular the likes of Persona are, or why the majority of PQube’s games are adored (besides the hentai). For me, I suppose I’ve outgrown it, but I make allowances for Front Mission 3 for nostalgia’s sake.

Wanzer Lust

On the whole, I am pretty impressed with how Front Mission 3 Remake looks. In contradiction to Toby’s rant review of the first remake, I quite like it when a game is the same but prettier. Yes, I agree, calling it a remake instead of a potentially more accurate remaster is up for debate but ultimately, not one for today. Personally, I’m a sucker for “the same game but I can actually see what’s happening this time”, and that’s even on a Switch Lite.

I will say though, don’t expect too much from a twenty five year old game. This is not a remake from the ground up like Shadow of the Colossus is or The Last of Us: Part One claims to be. The PlayStation jank is still there: players gesticulate when talking like Resident Evil or Metal Gear Solid characters did. Even in their Wanzers, it’s still a very clear, very daft thing to see.

The battles are exactly as they used to be, as I have described them. Don’t suddenly expect attack phases to go all Armoured Core 6, or transition to animations like Battle Chess. It is still very much the same, just with polished graphics and a new sense of visual flair. And if you’re coming off the nostalgia of this back in the day, or the other two remakes, then that’s absolutely fine.

However, there is that looming taint of generative AI being used, and that’s not a good omen.

This may surprise you, but Finger Guns isn’t on par with IGN (sad, I know), which sometimes means we get things a little later. In that time, Nintendo Life published an article that shows what looks be generative AI being used to upscale images. Whether developer MegaPixel has done this intentionally or accidentally (as in, not knowing the extent of it, not ignoring it entirely) is hard to say.

But, not wishing to attract libel or defamation, whichever it is, I won’t actively condemn Front Mission 3. Yet if they have, then shame to the maximum on them. As a fan of game preservation, to use AI in restoring a classic is an absolute insult to the purpose of restoring it in the first place. But alas, this isn’t a old-man-versus-AI debate, so let’s get to the point.

Face Front, For The Mission Awaits

It was going to be fairly obvious from the start of this review, unless you don’t know my writing style, that I was going to be a fan of this. Well, a fan of the original eagerly looking forward to another beloved IP being faithfully restored, at least. In that regard, Front Mission 3 still holds its place in my flint-like hard as one of my top… well, let’s say top fifty games, at least.

Although if one isn’t familiar with this series, it’s naturally going to be a harder sell. Or, if you’re like Toby, an earlier one might make you jaded. With that in mind, and a large amount of salt, the caveat “If you like the original, you’ll enjoy this” does apply here. Yes, it is essentially the same game with polished bells and whistles. I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the original to tell you if there’s any major differences, but conversely, there’s nothing that made me go, “Ooh they’ve changed that for modern sensibilites” either.

At its core, Front Mission 3 Remake is again another time capsule of an era of gaming I loved. I’ve cut my teeth on many a classic Squaresoft title, and this is one I’ve chewed all the way through. Outside of the campaign, there’s not really much extra to it, but it is a decent story length with two narratives to choose from. That, and the large amount of customisation offers replayability if you’re into that kind of thing.

It looks pretty enough to suit the Switch (which sounds like a backhanded compliment but isn’t), and it’s a fun little stomp down memory lane. The AI thing, if true (again not incriminating myself) will hopefully be announced as a happy accident and not something replicated, and we can continue enjoying our classics.

Front Mission 3 Remake is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Developer: MegaPixel Studios
Publisher: Forever Entertainment

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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