Title: Just Cause 3: Mech Land Assault
Version Tested: Xbox One
Available On: Xbox One, PS4, PC
Developer: Avalanche Studios
Publisher: Square Enix
Genre: Third Person Action Shooter
Official Site: https://justcause.com/en-us
Release Date: June 3rd, 2016
Where to Buy: Xbox Live, PSN, Steam, Local Retailer
Just Cause 3 is back baby and this time it’s with a four-legged Mech armed with gravity weapons. Don’t worry though because you still have your Bavarium powered wingsuit for strafing runs and can do your superman thing from Sky Fortress. The new DLC Mech Land Assault introduces a brand new island to an already sizable world where Rico will find himself traveling to the island of Lacrima. Here the Black Hand has apparently set up shop in some abandoned eDEN Corporation bases and has a secret prisoner camp. Rico will have to free the prisoners and stop the Black Hand at all costs. Thankfully he’ll have plenty of new toys to do so including two new Mech robots along with a new power core rifle. Time to blow stuff up!
Look up in the sky… it’s a bird, it’s a plane… no, never mind, Ricco just threw a deer again with the gravity gun. I have to say I had a little too much fun when it came to using the new Mechs in Just Cause 3. In addition to being able to shoot they also have a gravity grip and basically a robot force push. The GRIP and push open a vast range of new fun things to do, like hurling deer across a canyon for instance. It really is a pleasure to see DLC that introduces not only new mechanics to use for playing through the new missions but also for just casual play as well. Even after I beat the campaign DLC, I found myself playing around with the new Mechs not only to just have fun but also to liberate some more areas. DLC that doesn’t end as soon as you beat it is definitely a check in the “win” column for me.
Despite the DLC being fun, it is very short, to the point where I would say it was even shorter than Sky Fortress. It is essentially two very long missions and then it’s over and you get a cut scene alluding to the next sea expansion. My major issue for this DLC was the length of the campaign because you really want to get some solid playthrough time in any instance that you pay for extra content. As with the Sky Fortress DLC, if you’ve already beaten every other mission and liberated every area in Medichi then you really won’t get very much play time out of this. The plus side though is the new Mech challenges which have changed the manner in which we are used to completing them.
In previous challenges in Just Cause 3, the goal was always to reach a certain score before the time expired or to reach a certain area. The Mech challenges adopt a similar method while introducing something new altogether. Instead of completing challenges in a certain time, they need to be completed in waves. Two different challenge areas will have you fighting off waves of troops, tanks, helicopters and drones in an effort to increase the upgrades for your Mechs. These challenges will take you a good chunk of time to complete, especially if you fail in getting all five gears and give it a retry. If you’re a completionist like me, then you may find yourself getting some solid play time in these challenges alone.
I say this in almost all of my reviews but the amount of play time you’ll get here really depends on the type of gamer you are. If you like striving for the five stars in challenges and liberating every area then you’ll enjoy this Mech Land Assault DLC and get a good chunk of time out of it. If that is something that you find tedious, then you’ll probably find yourself pretty unhappy with this DLC. The challenges will quickly become boring and with the campaign being so short you may quickly find yourself browsing your games library.
Now, like I said, I had quite a bit of fun with the new Mechs. If you snag something with the gravity GRIP weapon and exit the Mech, it will stay gripped. If you tether the Mech and pull it towards the anchors, it will then throw whatever it is that’s gripped. This can open the door for a whole bunch of fun things to do. At one point I rebel dropped a jet and threw the boosters on the wings, gripped it with the Mech and then sent it sailing. You can also use this to perform a variety of interesting stunts and activities, like throwing a bike with the gravity weapon and then grappling with it in air.
Mech Land Assault is a fun addition to Just Cause 3 but ultimately comes up short in terms of DLC value. If you like playing around with new toys and enjoy getting every gear and liberating every area in Medici then give the Mech Land Assault a go. If those are things you despise doing and were hoping for something more, then you may just want to browse your game library.
Have you played the Just Cause 3: Mech Land Assault DLC? If you have what did you think? Furthermore, what did you think of the short campaign time? Be sure to let us know in the comments below and check back for information on the “Sea” expansion for Just Cause 3.
Gameplay: Fun with the new Mechs but short in terms of campaign time
Graphics: Nothing new here, continuing with the still frame cut scenes
Sound: We’ve heard it all before
Presentation: Fun but short
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