Montreal-based developer Tribute Games announced that their 2D, shoot-em-up platformer, Mercenary Kings: Reloaded, is currently available as a digital purchase for $19.99 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, along with a PS Vita version. Those of you who already own the PS4 or PC version will see the game being updated automatically to the Reloaded Edition at no extra cost. It’s a little something-something that Tribute Games decided to give back to gamers as a “thank you” for the early support during the game’s crowdfunding and Early Access phase.
The looter-shooter Reloaded Edition comes with two brand new playable characters, a robot and a black chick. Just like the other two playable characters, you can customize the look of the heroes by altering their palettes.
In addition to the two new playable characters, there’s also been the inclusion of 20 all new weapons you can craft, which means new parts for each weapon, allowing you to mix and match pieces with all of the other available weapons in the game.
I love that there appears to be some weapons inspired by The Fifth Element and District 9.
There’s also a weapon obviously inspired by Mass Effect’s sniper rifle, and a a NERF launcher. The one purple LMG looks like something right out of Borderlands 2.
As far as the knives are concerned… there’s Cloud’s mega-buster sword, along with a guitar that’s been added to the bunch.
A spoon, a golf club, Aquaman’s trident, and the trigger-blades from Attack on Titan also make the cut, along with an orange sword that looks like it comes from Xenoblade.
Anyway, the Mercenary Kings: Reloaded Edition comes with new levels to conquer, new bosses to defeat, and more gameplay for you to engage in.
I logged in tons of hours into the game even during Early Access because gathering up resources and unlocking new weapons was such a blast. I really wish Borderlands had a mode or feature like that instead of fishing players along with incrementally different guns to loot here and there with no way to craft anything personal.
But in the case of Mercenary Kings you can either slap together a standard weapon or build something that fits your tastes, from shotguns and sniper rifles, to light-machine guns and pistols, to flamethrowers and rocket launchers. Nothing is off the table.
The game plays out almost identical to SNK’s Metal Slug titles, but with upgraded pixel art and fantastic animations to boot.
If you’re interested in the game you can pick up a digital copy right now for $19.99 for PC, PS Vita, PS4, Xbox One or the Nintendo Switch.
