TECHMASH

Tag: #MechGames

  • Cats, Mechs, and Mayhem: Tech Titans Join Forces for ‘Cats in the Shell’

    Cats, Mechs, and Mayhem: Tech Titans Join Forces for ‘Cats in the Shell’

    When veterans from China’s biggest rival gaming giants—Tencent and NetEase—leave their corporate strongholds to team up, the industry takes notice. But no one quite predicted what their newly minted collective, Raven Studio, would build as their debut project.

    Alongside global publisher Infini Fun, Raven Studio has officially pulled back the curtain on Cats in the Shell, a frantic, highly strategic mech-building roguelike auto battler coming to PC via Steam Early Access in Q4 2026.

    If you’ve ever wanted to pilot a towering, steel-clad instrument of absolute destruction as a whiskered feline, your highly specific dream is finally coming true.

    The Birth of Raven Studio

    Raven Studio isn’t just another indie outfit. Founded by a powerhouse collective of industry veterans pulling experience from Tencent, NetEase, and SNK, the studio was built with a specific mandate: break away from predictable, formulaic corporate production and prioritize pure, experimental gameplay.

    By partnering with Infini Fun, a global multi-platform publisher established in 2024, the developers have been given the runway to bring one of their wildest ideas to life.

    “Cats in the Shell’s detail-oriented, satisfying mech building and roguelike randomness will keep you on your toes. More than 1,000 modules provide near-infinite choices in exhilarating combat instances.” — Alex Dong, Director of Raven Studio

    Tactical Customisation Meets Feline Fury

    At its core, Cats in the Shell is all about build-crafting. The loop is a satisfying blend of deep mechanical tinkering and roguelike unpredictability.

    1. Six Mech Archetypes & Whiskered Helmsmen

    Players can choose from six distinct mech types, each serving as a blank metal canvas. However, a giant war machine is only as good as its pilot. You’ll recruit a variety of feline fighters, each sporting exclusive active abilities and unique strategic focuses that heavily alter how your machine behaves on the battlefield.

    2. Over 1,000 Component Modules

    As you progress through runs and navigate random in-game events, you will collect weapons, armor, and specialized component parts. With over 1,000 modules available, the sheer depth of theory-crafting is massive.

    3. Inventory Management & Synergy Slots

    You can allocate modules into five core slots. However, inventory space is strictly limited. The strategy lies in managing your tight inventory, arranging parts in a precise order, and unlocking hidden synergies that trigger explosive chain reactions.

    Automated Chaos and Global PvP

    Once your feline pilot is buckled in and your mech is armed to the teeth, it’s time to step onto the battlefield. Cats in the Shell splits its action across two main fronts:

    • The Story Campaign: Battle through four distinct futuristic biomes, adapting your loadout to handle environmental hazards and squaring off against towering, screen-filling bosses.
    • Asynchronous PvP: Want to test your build against the world? Take your machine into an asynchronous PvP gauntlet. You will fight AI-controlled versions of mechs meticulously assembled by actual players worldwide. The ultimate goal? Survived the gauntlet to secure 10 cumulative victories.

    Because it’s an auto battler, your job is done once the countdown hits zero. You get to sit back and watch your engineering masterclass—or catastrophic design flaws—play out in real-time automated clashes of steel, lasers, and flying fur.

    Launch Details & Public Playtest

    Cats in the Shell is slated to hit Steam Early Access in Q4 2026. Raven Studio is already aiming for a massive global audience right out of the gate, promising localization support for 11 languages, including English, German, French, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

    Can’t wait until Q4? You don’t have to. To celebrate the announcement, Raven Studio and Infini Fun have launched a seven-day public playtest right now on Steam. Head over to their store page, request access, and start building your ultimate mechanical kitty today.

    What do you think of this unexpected gaming crossover? Let us know your thoughts on Raven Studio’s debut in the comments below!

    Find out more here

    #CatsInTheShell #RavenStudio #InfiniFun #SteamEarlyAccess #PCGaming #MechGames #AutoBattler #Roguelike #GamingNews #TechMash

  • Unleash the Steel: BREAK ARTS III Receives Massive Ver. 2.0 Overhaul – Renewed Battle System, New Plugins, and Complete UI Revamp!

    Unleash the Steel: BREAK ARTS III Receives Massive Ver. 2.0 Overhaul – Renewed Battle System, New Plugins, and Complete UI Revamp!

    If you thought your custom mech builds in BREAK ARTS III had peaked, think again. Solo developer MercuryStudio and publisher PLAYISM have officially dropped Ver. 2.0, a massive, game-changing creative update that completely redefines the competitive mech-customisation experience.

    Whether you are a seasoned pilot or a newcomer looking to build the robot of your dreams, this update breaks down previous limitations and cranks the tactical depth up to eleven.

    Here is everything you need to know about the massive upgrade now live on Steam.

    Unshackled Creativity: Fewer Weight Restrictions

    The signature “bottomless rabbit hole” of BREAK ARTS III just got a lot deeper.

    • Relaxed Mechanics: The maximum weight limits per leg have been removed, and drive speed restrictions have been significantly relaxed. Speed is now organically calculated by the total weight of your machine.
    • New Design Modes: Casual Design Mode has evolved into Designer Mode and Realistic Mode. In Designer Mode, thruster orientation no longer negatively impacts your thrust direction. This means you can design purely for aesthetics without sacrificing your performance on the track or battlefield!

    A Smarter, Faster Battle System

    Combat has received a comprehensive tuning to make resource management smoother and fights far more intuitive:

    • The Gauge-Based Shield System: Dedicated shield modules are gone. Instead, your shield is now a constantly regenerating gauge based on your mech’s total structure. Damage is negated while the shield is up, but once it breaks, you’ll need to rely on quick manoeuvres while it recovers.
    • Aggressive Upgrades: Kicking mechanics have been remapped to a snappier double-tap, complete with enhanced hit detection for airborne targets. Weapon parameters and projectile behaviours have also been completely rebalanced.

    Redesigned UI & Enhanced Tactical Awareness

    No more messy HUDs or scattered info. The in-match user interface has been completely built from the ground up for cleaner readability during high-speed clashes:

    • Integrated Minimap: Environmental data, surround sensors, and lock-on directions have been combined into one streamlined minimap.
    • Enemy Telemetry: The new lock-on markers now clearly display your opponent’s match ranking, ability usage, health, and energy levels, giving you the split-second data you need to adjust your strategy mid-fight.

    New Challenges: Plugins and the Extra Grand Prix (EXGP)

    Ready to test your newly optimised builds? Ver. 2.0 introduces brand-new modules and customisation plugins to fine-tune your performance. To match your upgraded arsenal, a new difficulty tier—the Extra Grand Prix (EXGP)—has been unlocked alongside fully rebalanced enemy AI behaviour.

    If that wasn’t enough, the game’s official soundtrack on Steam has also received a brand-new bonus track to keep your adrenaline pumping.

    TechMash Verdict: With the maximum design boundaries shattered and a much cleaner interface, BREAK ARTS III Ver. 2.0 turns an already fantastic mech builder into an absolute must-play.

    BREAK ARTS III Ver. 2.0 is available now on PC via Steam. Even better? It’s currently enjoying a 20% discount as part of the Steam Summer Sale!

    Find out more here

    #BreakArtsIII #MechGames #SciFiGaming #IndieGames #SteamSummerSale #PLAYISM #MercuryStudio #PCGaming #TechMash

  • Mech Mayhem Refined: Brigador Killers Drops Surprise Demo Update Ahead of Steam Next Fest

    Mech Mayhem Refined: Brigador Killers Drops Surprise Demo Update Ahead of Steam Next Fest

    The masters of isometric destruction are back at it. Stellar Jockeys, the brilliant minds behind the critically acclaimed cult classic mech shooter Brigador: Up-Armoured Edition, have just deployed a hefty new update for their highly anticipated follow-up, Brigador Killers.

    If you’ve been putting the game’s public demo through its paces, you’re in for a treat. Dropping just ahead of the upcoming June Steam Next Fest, this surprise patch addresses a massive wave of community feedback, delivering essential quality-of-life (QoL) improvements and UI fixes to make your corporate-crushing rampages smoother than ever.

    Taming the Inventory Beast

    While the Brigador Killers demo has already won over fans with its gritty combat, deep customisation sandbox, and incredible industrial soundtrack by Makeup And Vanity Set, players quickly noticed that managing a private mercenary arsenal could get a bit… overwhelming.

    Stellar Jockeys listened. The headline changes in this update focus heavily on streamlining how you interact with the world and your gear:

    • Generous Inventory Drag-and-Drop: Tired of menu fumbling mid-firefight? You can now quickly drag-and-drop weapons and grenades directly into backpacks and containers. If you frantically grab a gun off the ground, the game will now intelligently snap it into any open weapon slot.
    • Invisible “Hands” for Vehicles: In a massive design shift, the team has given all vehicles the ability to directly interact with and pick up items from the ground. No more forcing players into rigid logistics friction just to load up a trunk.
    • Edge Highlighting: A new visual edge-highlight system lights up interactive objects—like abandoned vehicles, fresh corpses, and garage components—whenever you mouse over them.

    Prepping for Steam Next Fest and Early Access

    Beyond the inventory overhaul, the patch injects a fresh coat of polish across the board. Players can expect sleek UI and UX changes, a new superpad added to the garage, upgraded audio effects, and crisp new sprite renders for weapons and vehicles.

    This update arrives at a crucial time. With Steam Next Fest kicking off on June 15, thousands of new players are about to drop into Solo Nobre’s violent universe for the first time. Stellar Jockeys have made it clear that this represents the definitive version of the demo; after Next Fest concludes, the studio will pivot entirely toward preparing the game for its highly anticipated Steam Early Access launch.

    If you haven’t already, head over to Steam, download the Brigador Killers demo, and start hijacking tanks. Just remember to enjoy the sandbox while it lasts—the developers have confirmed that progress from the demo won’t carry over to Early Access, meaning everyone will start fresh when the full corporate warfare begins.

    Have you played the Brigador Killers demo yet? What do you think of the new inventory changes? Let us know in the comments below!

    Source – http://stellarjockeys.com/games/brigadorkillers

    #BrigadorKillers #StellarJockeys #SteamNextFest #IndieGames #MechGames #PCGaming #GamingNews #TechMash