How Mecha BREAK Approaches Striker Balance and Map Design

Mecha BREAK is an upcoming free-to-play multiplayer game where players drop their customizable characters into the pilot seats of even more customizable Striker mechs to engage in lightning-fast 3v3, 6v6, and extraction shooter modes. The game’s cast of Strikers somewhat resembles a hero shooter: each Striker has unique passive and active abilities, there are clear-cut offensive, defensive, and supporting roles, and Strikers aren’t quite customized down to the specific weapon like an Armored Core game. This is probably to the game’s benefit, as treating each Striker like a set-in-stone character eliminates the dizzying combinations of weapons and armor components that could factor into game balancing.

Game Rant recently sat down with Mecha BREAK executive producer Kris Kwok ahead of its July 1 launch, where we discussed the matter of game balance in this competitive mecha action game. Kwok weighed in on the team’s approach to Striker balance, as well as how the game’s level design leans toward deliberately unbalanced themes meant to emphasize specific types of Strikers rather than provide a less interesting even playing field.

Table of Contents

Mecha BREAK Hands-On Preview

Game Rant spends the day playing the blazing-fast mecha hero shooter Mecha BREAK, testing out its Strikers in 6v6 PvP and the massive PvPvE mode.

How Mecha BREAK Balances Strikers

Mecha BREAK recently held an open beta that provided the team with a great deal of useful data and feedback. According to Kwok, balance changes were made to Strikers across the board—though not with the usual mathematical approach other studios might have taken. Instead, Kwok says the team honed in on ensuring that each Striker had a solid tactile feel, tightening up ones that had lower pick rates or competitive performance:

“We made adjustments to almost every Striker after the beta, but we’re very careful with each change. We look at pick rates, win ratios, and performance across different ELO levels. Our goal isn’t to make every Striker invincible—we want each one to excel in its own tactical position. That philosophy guides our approach to balance.

We really care about the tactile experience. Unlike traditional balancing, we focus on whether the Striker’s design feels right to the player. If you see a heavy Striker, you expect it to move differently than a lightweight one. We’ve made changes to mobility and movement for Falcon and Skyraider with that in mind.”

The game doesn’t intend for each Striker to be perfectly balanced against the others, especially since most modes involve team play. Instead, a well-balanced team that understands the map and its objectives will fare better than a team that merely chooses the ‘meta’ pick Strikers. A successful group ought to feature a healthy mix of support players backing up offensive and defensive teammates.

Mecha BREAK’s Strikers-First Approach to Level Design

When it comes to map design, Kwok notes that the team takes a similar approach. It’s not about having perfectly balanced, symmetrical maps: instead, each map is intended to favor a particular type of Striker. While that one Striker may have an advantage on the map, a balanced team is still necessary. This can lead to each player having a favorite map depending on their preferred Striker, leaving a little something for everyone. Kwok elaborates:

“When we design maps, our top priority isn’t just balance—it’s whether the environment is interesting, immersive, and interactive. Maps also help tell lore stories visually. Even though maps don’t “speak,” their environments convey a lot.

The process starts with me personally sketching the first draft. Then it goes to our concept artists and into a whitebox phase. We make sure maps provide the right tactical opportunities—like sniper perches or cover for power-based Strikers.

In mech games, cover is especially important. If we don’t have enough of it, combat just becomes two Strikers blasting at each other with no tactics.

We test each map to see which Strikers perform well on it. Ideally, every map will let a different type of Striker shine—like narrow maps favoring melee units. We want every Striker to have a map where they excel.”

Mecha BREAK also features a surprisingly involved narrative for a free-to-play PVP game, with an ongoing storyline, cutscenes, and lore justification for the game’s activities. This extends to the level design, where environmental storytelling helps this narrative unfold. With more maps — and more Strikers — on the horizon, Mecha BREAK is geared to expand in every direction after launch.