It may have a short, nonsensical story and amazingly poor voice-acting and writing, but Second Runner MARS looks great, is fun to play, and adequately fulfills every person’s fantasy of operating a giant robot suit in VR.
Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner MARS
Developer: Konami
Price: $29.99
Platforms: PS4 and PC
MonsterVine was provided with a PS4 code for review.
Zone of the Enders is a franchise that never seemed to get its due. Made by Konami and Hideo Kojima, Zone of the Enders takes place in the distant future where humans have colonized Mars and pilot cool mech suits called Orbital Frames. That’s really all there is to know, as the plots are goofy and flat. This could be why the series didn’t catch on, but its stylish visuals and incredibly fun concept have always made it an interesting series in my book. Now that The 2nd Runner has been remastered and made to include VR, there’s no better time to see how well this strange series holds up.
“It probably sounds like I’m being hard on MARS, but I actually think that the writing and voicework add to the game in a way that’s similar to Shenmue.“
To start, MARS’s story is laughably ridiculous, partially because of how awkward its translation and writing is. Every character in MARS talks like a synthetic android that’s trying to pass as a human, as every sentence is stilted and full of weird exposition and phrasing. The wooden voice acting compliments the dialogue, as it sounds (and sort of looks) like a wonky 80’s anime. It probably sounds like I’m being hard on MARS, but I actually think that the writing and voicework add to the game in a way that’s similar to Shenmue. MARS feels like a goofy old mech anime, so the hokey localization just adds to the game’s atmosphere.
Some of my favorite lines include:
“I’ll handle it while you do your homework at home!”
“You can’t deceive me with beautiful words like ‘freedom’ and ‘independence’ anymore!”
“Use power for the right things.”
VR mode is the most appealing feature in MARS, and it works pretty well. Entering VR mode swaps your camera to first-person mode, putting you inside the cockpit of the Jehuty. While it can be disorienting at first, you’ll quickly get used to this new perspective. You have a small projection of the Jehuty beside you so you can see what you’re doing from the game’s default third-person perspective, which is certainly helpful at times. Once you’re accustomed to the camera, controlling the Jehuty is a pretty smooth experience.
“At the beginning you’ll mainly use guns and melee attacks, but the variety of subweapons you unlock throughout the game add some much-needed depth to combat.“
The best way to describe MARS’s gameplay would be mech-based third-person action. You’re typically given a set area for each stage, ranging from small arenas to large maze-like hangars, where you fight a variety of different enemy mechs. At the beginning you’ll mainly use guns and melee attacks, but the variety of subweapons you unlock throughout the game add some much-needed depth to combat. The subweapons have a great deal of variety to them, as each one has a unique function that can damage enemies or heal you in a number of different ways. The Gauntlet shot lets you blast enemies into walls, the Mummy shield heals you, and the Vector Cannon obliterates everything in its path at the cost of anchoring you to the ground as you charge it. There are twelve different weapons to use, with my personal favorite being the Zero Shift, which teleports you towards foes at light speed. Almost all the subweapons have their uses though, so it’s fun to try them all out.
Mixing and matching different subweapons with different enemy types keeps things exciting for the entirety of MARS, though it isn’t very long to begin with. I finished MARS within six hours on my first run. While there are unlockable side-battles, it’s still a pretty short game for what it offers. VR mode may be enough reason for mech enthusiasts to grab the game at its $29.99 pricepoint, but it’s still worth noting that the game’s length is nothing to write home about.
The most shocking thing about MARS is how good it looks. For what was originally a PS2 game, MARS looks incredibly sharp. This could be because of the game’s slick style and the somewhat gratuitous use of motion-blur, but either way it still looks incredibly nice. I’ve always loved the designs of the game’s various Orbital Frames, as the sleek and animalistic features of each mech strike the perfect balance of the grandiose of Egyptian mythology and the clean aesthetic of a modern Gundam series.
The Final Word
It’s pretty short and full of laughably bad writing and voicework, but that can’t stop Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner MARS from being a lot of fun. VR mode will appeal to any Gundam/Evangelion fans who are champing at the bit to jump into a mobile suit, though whether this makes up for its six hour runtime is up to you.
MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
