The only real gameplay outside of the overall story arch rests in the arena mode, where players can select one of their Wanzers and battle them against AI opponents in order to gain more cash and experience. The overall experience is entirely linear, with a main story unfolding with short in-game scripted sequences before and after each bout. Once you return, simply repeat the process by upgrading, repairing, and setting up for the next battle.

You'll navigate a main home base via menus, trick out your Wanzer units (Front Mission lingo for 'Mech'), and enter battle. Even more than something like Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics, Front Mission is 100% strategy and very little RPG at all, filling the genre of tactical/strategy more than strategy/RPG. The original Front Mission set the tone for the rest of the series, so while it may lack some of the presentation and cinematic feel of later games (Front Mission 3 on PlayStation was a cult classic, despite relatively low sales) it's still an impressive core design.

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