PAX West 2016 Day Three Recap

Heavy Metal Machines (Hoplon)

So, full disclosure: I loved Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing and Twisted Metal. They were racing games but there was violence! And I love me some good ol’ fashioned explosions. Heavy Metal Machines wants to break the MOBA game mode and I love it. It’s part Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing, part MOBA, part sports game.

Screenshots really don't capture the action.

You are one of a member of a team of racers, each with their own traditional MOBA roles, changed for a racing game. There are Droppers, who specialize in knocking the bomb away from people, supports/disablers, and Chasers who specialize in running the bomb into the enemy base. The way it works is pretty simple. There’s a bomb in the middle of the track and you race towards it. When you have control of the bomb, you have to race it to the enemy base and throw it in for a satisfying explosion! However some of the lanes to the base close off to the Driver. You get funneled down into a lane with some red danger zones that can knock the bomb away from you. You want to get three points scored to win the game, or the most after the timer is up. Each bomb delivered is a point and the racers return to their base after.

The controls are very simple. Left click to accelerate and right click to brake/reverse. Where your mouse points is where you drive, and E is your Nitro Boost. Each character has two abilities [Q, W] and an ultimate [R]. As you kill other racers and successfully score points you can enter the Garage menu to upgrade and soup up your car. This is vital as it’s like buying items in any other MOBA. I managed to not do this and somehow win a bot match when I was learning the ropes as a support car. The footage we actually recorded was way more exciting and action-packed. My footage was a depressing car chase but at least one that I emerged the victor in. It was a surprise and a welcome one at that. This is something you should play with a few friends after a couple of drinks. You’ll either build stronger friendships based on teamwork or . . . you know, destroy them. Whichever!

Watch our footage from the event at the link below!

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