Mini-Mech Mayhem Launches Tomorrow for PS VR

is out tomorrow and behind the bright and colorful aesthetic is a deceptively deep and highly-strategic experience. Whether you’re battling others online or tackling the AI in single player, you’ll need a playbook to guide your mech to victory. While there’s a robust tutorial, which includes 30 hand-crafted challenges to explore some more nuanced maneuvers, we at FuturLab would like to share some of our own strategies to help you towards total tabletop domination!

Basic Training

There are two phases to a match of Mini-Mech Mayhem: planning and action. In the planning phase, you must plan three actions — two moves and a shot, or two shots and a move. You won’t know what other players are going to do, so you need to predict your opponent’s behavior while remaining unpredictable yourself.

In the action phase, you watch as moves are played out one after another. It’s here that you can use special intercept cards to change the course of a match. Intercepts cost power which is awarded at the start of each round, can be collected from the board or stolen from another player. There are 25 intercepts in total, so be sure to check out the intercept guide on the in-game settings menu for full details of what they all do.

The aim of the game is to win yourself some Victory Points and it takes three to win a match. Victory Points are awarded for directly causing the destruction of an opponent with a projectile or push, or by ending a round on the victory square. So let’s take a look at some of our favorite, fiendishly fun ways to make that happen…

The Vulture

Don’t be afraid to fight dirty — your opponents almost certainly will! Try letting them do all the hard work to capture a victory square, then play a shuffle or rotate position intercept to end the turn in their spot and take it for yourself.

The Cheap Shot

Directly cause an opposing mech to fall into a hazard and you’ll score yourself a victory point. Headshots are a great way to do this so keep an eye on the victory square; if there’s an adjacent hazard, line yourself up with it and wait for an opponent to take the bait, then BAM! A headshot will knock them back and down they go.

Like A Record, Baby

You won’t get a victory point for a leg shot which diverts a mech into a hazard, but such an action might keep your plans on course and allow you to win one another way. If you think a mech will be heading for a square you’re on and you don’t want to get shoved out the way, hit ‘em in the leg to keep them off your back. Wherever your opponent is going, a leg shot is a great way to make sure they don’t get there.

The Triple Play

Sometimes it’s worth biding your time. Opponents with a victory point or two will make themselves a target of other players’ interceptions, leaving the quiet ones to line themselves up for a sudden strike to seal victory… In the example above, a victory point for each of the two mechs in the hole and finishing up on the victory square is enough to secure victory in a single action!

Mini Mechs, Massive Mayhem

Even the best laid plans of mechs and avatars can fall victim to some unpredictable intrusion. Whether it’s a freak wind knocking out the Spanish Armada or a cat jumping on the board in the middle of a chess match, forces beyond our control can often determine the course of battle, just like some intercepts here. Whether things end up in your favor or not, it’s best to just enjoy the chaos, hope the pieces fall in your favor and regroup to fight another day.

Cool Metal Jacket

Between bouts and away from the mechanized madness of the battlefield, there are tons of cosmetic items, dances and weapons available for personalizing your avatar and mech. We’ll be releasing more items in the coming weeks and months, giving you shiny new things to grab as you move through the levels to find and unlock that perfect outfit. Looking good might not help you win, but it can always make you feel better about losing!