TLDR: A great way to spend some time both on your own or with friends. While I wish there was a bit more variety to the levels, otherwise a solid experience for one and all.
Given the ration of success vs. disappointment via Kickstarter games, Mercenary Kings certainly delivers. Tribute Games made a good choice collaborating with Paul Robertson (Scott Pilgrim) as the art style, along with the customization, really go a long way in making this particular game stand out among the crowd. Given the somewhat homogenized aspect of the AAA titles (that, yes, I do play) it is nice to see an indie game come out that manages to put many of them to shame.
Presentation: Robertson's contribution is immediately apparent. Anyone who had read the (excellent) Scott Pilgrim series will recognize his style. And it's a style that I like. The game is a 2D platformer but it has a lot of punch - and make no mistake, a lot of violence to go along with it - but yet it is so vibrant it never feels that gory (even though it kind of is). Even though there are only two characters to choose from (King or Empress), you can still tell who is who - and the enemy design is likewise impressive, with some of the bosses, though frustrating at times, standing out all the more.
The music is a tribute to the 8-bit generation of games, though with much better quality. It's good when the music stays with you after the game, and Mercenary Kings has a music style as unique as the art and thus is also a plus in my book. Likewise the sound effects, from the various guns to enemies dying, is also well done. The main characters do have a short vocal selection (though much of the in-game dialogue is text-based) and it's OK though obviously not the focus here. It does at least give you some sense the characters have their own personalities.
Overall, I found the presentation to be top-notch with very few issues other than a late-game bug that sometimes popped up after completing a level. Also, make sure not to be running two versions of Steam as, at one point, I thought my game had been erased, but it was just Steam acting up. I shut it down and it worked but for a moment I was crushed.
Story: It's the age-old conflict of good vs. evil - and it plays out just like you would suspect. Like a mix of Rambo, The A-Team and Get Smart it features a cranky war hero general running a vigilante group known as the Mercenary Kings as he takes on his arch-rival Baron and the evil CLAW. While you do all the shooting, you're backed by an impressive group of support from a southern-drawling helicopter pilot to a shady spy who keeps track of what enemies you kill to a delightful robot who helps you go on or offline. Of course there are people to supply you with weapons, mods and items as well as an Australian who is an expert with knives and a cook as well (because, why not?). Oh, an a pair of brothers who help you put cute (or horrific) designs on your personal tent. Anyway, the majority of the game finds you fighting CLAW across an island with a secret lab as they try to harness the innate magical ability of the resident Mandrakes (who resemble walking turnips) as well as an even bigger treasure hiding in the ruins. You run into grunts and big mechanized enemies alike as a wider conspiracy plays out. Though most of the twists are apparent, the story is still pretty good for this kind of game and the banter is quite witty across the board.
Gameplay: You will run across many review on Steam that bill Mercenary Kings as a spiritual successor to the Metal Slug games. But while you do run and certainly gun - that's not actually a fair assessment. Mercenary Kings is much more of a 2D platformer than anything else - where you actually have to pay attention to patterns and such - especially during boss battles. Jumping, as such, isn't the game's strong suit and, should you be weighed down by all your equipment, mods and items, it can get downright horrendous - remember kids, lighter is better - don't be a fatty!
The bread-and-butter of Mercenary Kings is its customization. Granted, in order to craft the perfect weapon, you will also have to find the right materials. That does lead to a fair bit of grinding (DAMN YOU GAME I JUST WANTED A F*$^ING TURTLE SHELL) and also a good bit of cash, but I didn't find it all that demanding. Some levels are short enough you can breeze through in minutes and get wads of cash plus selling unwanted material is another great way at getting money. Your gun can be anything from a shotgun with acid and armor-piercing rounds to an assault rifle that shoots bounding hearts that set enemies on fire. Pistols, rocket launchers, sniper rifles - from the barrel to ammo to grip to sight and more - you can make hundreds of adjustments until you find a weapon that suits your style. Some are powerful but reload slowly. Others fire rapidly and reload so fast you don't even have to do it manually. It's amazing the amount of combinations you can get and it really makes the game stand out. You can also equip mods that can make you run faster, shoot harder, dodge better or give you immunity to certain elements like electricity or fire. Most mods give you something positive and negative - like making you reload instantly but lowering your clip size and damage. You often have to choose what you're willing to sacrifice to suit your play style.
If there is any flaw to Mercenary Kings for me, it is that the levels tend to repeat a bit too much and that the enemies tend to get too strong too fast. Every rank you increase also gives you access to bigger and better guns and mods. That also means enemies become stronger and, if you don't upgrade your weapons accordingly, you'll find even common enemies become bullet sponges. Bosses can be frustrating as well - as they often soak up damage only to disappear to another point on the map. Chasing them around can get annoying. Certain levels also make you capture bosses with specific grenades. All in all, if you try to complete this quickly, you will probably notice how much repeats. Playing alone doesn't make the enemies so bad, but as you add more and more people, it becomes that much harder to take down enemies and bosses. It's fun but can get frustrating.
Replayability: Given the many achievements you can accumulate and the large variety of weapons to try out, Mercenary Kings gives you plenty to return to again and again.
Presentation: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replayability: 4/5
Overall (not an average): 4/5
