The strategic robot carnage intensifies with the release of Mechabellum 1.0

After 16 months of early access, developers Game River have declared that the PvP and PvE robot battling is finally complete, though development will continue. Mechabellum's large-scale battles take place over multiple rounds. You can draft, place, refine, and defeat your opponent’s choices to claim victory.

It's defined as it puts a greater emphasis on real-time strategy-style tactics, and unit placement, over the hero-character RPG battles of autobattlers such as Teamfight Tactics or Dota Underlords. In Mechabellum, sometimes the best option is a swarming of robotic infantry. Other times, it's a few powerful, upgraded single units.

John "Beagle Teasdale" wrote a real ode here on PC Gamer in early last year. Here's a sample of John's impressions.

You build this larger army piece by piece, one deployment phase at a time, and just like other games in the genre, your units all respawn for a fresh attempt at combat at the start of each new round. You build up this larger army one deployment phase at time. And just like other games of the genre, all your units respawn at the beginning of each new round.

It's also very entertaining to watch armies slam into each other, and missile rains destroying entire formations robotic war machines. In the last year, there have been remarkable improvements in the balance of the multiplayer and single player modes against AI.

The 1.0 update introduces new specialist types: the lumbering fire-badger flame tank, and the two giant rotating guns on crab legs known as the typhoon. It also has a ranking system with separate seasons and leagues. As you progress through a season, you will be promoted to higher leagues in order to compete for the top spots. Each season will last three months and come with its own rewards tree.

Mechabellum is available on Steam for $15. However, it's currently 30% cheaper at $10.50.