Just Cause 3 is a game that mainly revolves around blowing stuff up in creative ways. So what could Avalanche Studios possibly add to make the game any more fun?
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ell, apparently the studio decided that they needed to give us another great way to cause destruction by adding a giant mech with a gravity gun to the game. Now as we all know adding mechs to anything instantly makes it better. Would this prove to be true in the case of Just Cause 3 as well?
The new Mech Land Assault DLC for Just Cause 3 has Rico Rodriguez infiltrating a new island called Lacrima that is being controlled by the mysterious Black Hand. Upon his arrival on the island, Rico realizes that the Black Hand have been capturing people and taking them to various prison camps that have been set up across the island. Being the kind hearted yet rugged man he is, Rico decides to free these innocent people by blowing stuff up. The island of Lacrima consists of four provinces for Rico to take over and incite a rebellion.
So how will Rico be liberating the island of Lacrima from the evil Black Hand? By causing utter mayhem and destruction using the arsenal and skills he acquired from the main game. However, he will now also have access to one of two different mechs that you can find on the island. These are equipped with either a Bavarium Spitter or autocannon. Both also have a weapon called a GRIP (Gravitational Remote Influence Projector or in layman’s terms; a gravity gun) attached to them. These are used to pick up objects (and people) and throw them, or to push objects or groups of soldiers away from the mech.
Now obviously the enemy also has access to these mechs, which means Rico would need a new toy (excluding another mech) with which to take them out. This toy comes in the form of the Bavarium Power Core energy rifle, which is basically a two shot weapon that can disable shields and enemy mechs, but beyond that, it is sadly useless. Disabling an enemy mech by using the energy rifle and then stealing it tends to be the only way in which to acquire one. This can sometimes become a frustrating exercise as it takes some effort to do this. However, getting one feels rewarding.
Finally, getting to pilot one of these mechs is a blast. Knocking over buildings, hurling soldiers in the air and causing mayhem is a very enjoyable way to pass the time. The downside of piloting a mech (depending on how you look at it) is that they make liberating provinces much easier as driving a mech into an area and hurling stuff around usually does the trick.
What I found a bit disappointing was that the DLC only offered two missions (yes, you read that right). The second and final mission only become available when all four provinces of the island have been liberated. Now granted each of these missions are quite lengthy, but I just couldn’t help but feel disappointed at the repetitiveness and length of the DLC.
Overall, I found driving around in the new mechs, hurling objects and blasting everything around me extremely fun. The main problem I found with the DLC wasn’t that it is short or that it wasn’t fun, but it felt like I was doing the same thing over and over again. Liberating each province became a bit of a chore, and this could’ve been remedied if a few more missions were included. In the end, the Mech Land Assault DLC doesn’t take itself too seriously, and offers some more destructive fun for fans of Just Cause 3, even though it has a few flaws.
