Introduction
Front Mission is Square's first true entry into the turn-based strategy genre of video games. Created in 1993 by series visionary, Toshiro Tsuchida, the series made its debut on the Super Famicom in 1995 with Front Mission. Ever since then, the series has enjoyed the release of many other titles as well as a large stock of merchandise in Japan. While not as popular as Square's other flagships like Final Fantasy, the series has earned a very loyal audience that supports it unquestionably. This success however has not transferred overseas and it is partially due to Square USA's poor handling of the series. Only three installments have seen release: Front Mission 1st, 3, and 4. As a result, many outside of Japan will never be able to truly appreciate the series in its entirety.
Inspired by Intelligent Designs' Fire Emblem series, Front Mission plays out in turn-based strategy, though several spin-offs have been created throughout its 15 year history. What makes it different, however, is its usage of mecha (called "wanderpanzer" or "wanzer", German for "walking tank") and how it affects game mechanics. Wanzers are modeled after the "real robot" mecha archetype, being a versatile war machine that is used alongside other military weapons. One of the biggest draws is the customization aspect. The player is able to customize a wanzer from its parts, auxiliary backpacks, weapons, and even paint schemes. The incredible amount of customization can be addictive, but also daunting to those who are not into micromanaging their games. It's very comparable to From Software's Armored Core series in this sense so those who have played those games will feel right at home with Front Mission.
In battle, the uniqueness of the wanzer is also displayed; a wanzer's performance is dictated by its four parts: a body, two arms, and the legs. Destroyed parts reduces a wanzer's ability to fight; blow off its legs and it can't move or evade attacks. A lost arm means that it can't use any weapons it has equipped. Take out the body and the wanzer is destroyed. Combat is similar to other genre offerings in that it takes place on isometric 2D (in Front Mission) or 3D grid maps. When a battle initiates, the action zooms into a close-up of the map that shows the wanzers fighting. While battles were modeled initially after Fire Emblem, it has evolved dramatically since the first game. Action Points (AP) were introduced and dictate how many actions a unit can do on their turn. Melee, ranged, and artillery weapons that acted in a rock-paper-scissors manner became true melee, ranged, and artillery weapons with their own unique qualities. Eventually, squad-based combat and friendly fire made its way into the series, giving it a tremendous amount of strategic depth and variety.
Game mechanics aside, Front Mission's true strength comes from its design and story elements. The biggest design influence is the series' grounded realism; the setting is based off of near-future trends of how our world will evolve. For example, the technology of the series has real-life applications. Despite its Japanese roots, Front Mission is globalized in its setting. In terms of game design, each game differs in how it's meant to be played and this results from the atmosphere and story direction. For example, the player is thrown into all-out wars in Front Mission 2 as it takes place during a coup d'etat. Its art and music direction are gritty and depressing, fitting for the game's storyline. A notable trend in terms of art and music is that artists and composers differ amongst the games. Artists and composers of the series include Yoshitaka Amano, Yusuke Naora, Yoko Shimomura, and Hidenori Iwasaki. Despite the lack of a true representative in art and music (Naora and Iwasaki could be considered such for art and music, respectively), all elements in each game come together to form a greater cohesive whole.
In terms of story, Front Mission can be considered a serial drama, much like the TV serials 24 and Lost, due to its unique storytelling format. That is, each game has a self-contained story and on-going stories, the latter of which transcend more than one game. Newcomers to the series can certainly jump into any game due to the self-contained story, but will miss out on the bigger picture without prior experience. The on-going stories also exist to provide a cause-and-effect relationship for major in-game events; what happened in one Front Mission affects events from another. A large recurring cast of characters accompany the said events, though some are foreshadowed through them. While the series' storytelling focus is more world-driven, the manga series' character-driven focus balances this out. Needless to say, like a serial drama, only those who stick with Front Mission from the start will have the most appreciation for its storytelling.
The stories of the series revolve around supranational unions and the conflicts between them in the 21st and 22nd century. Most involve the Oceania Cooperative Union (OCU) and the United States of the New Continent (USN/Unified Continental States or UCS in the official English localizations), though other unions such as the European Community (EC), Organization of African Consolidation (OAC), and the Republic of Zaftra take part as well. In keeping with the series' near-future roots and grounded realism, each game focuses on particular military, political, scientific, and philosophical themes that form the core of their stories. For example, a major recurring theme in the games is the struggle between globalization and nationalism.