Front Mission 2 (1997). Play Free Online

Summary

Front Mission 2, sometimes called Front Mission Second, arrived on the original PlayStation as a Japan‑only tactical RPG that quickly gained a cult following for its intricate wanzer combat. I was especially impressed by how the game let each unit’s Action Points dictate movement and attacks, while the Honor system rewarded tight formations and penalised isolation. Links let adjacent mechs cover one another, and features like armor coating, flanking bonuses, and an arena mode added layers of strategy rarely seen on a console at the time.

The world map works like a point‑and‑click board, revealing new towns and battle zones as the story progresses, and a pseudo‑Internet supplies in‑game intel. After the initial launch, Square re‑released the title as part of the Front Mission History compilation on PSN with a handy Quick Battle option, and it earned a spot in the Ultimate Hits line‑up in 2005.

Despite never leaving Japan officially, the game eventually shipped to PS4 and PS5 in 2024, bringing its 3‑D models and moving camera to modern hardware. It sold nearly 500,000 copies in its first year, snagged a Gold Prize from Sony, and features a memorable 43‑track soundtrack by Noriko Matsueda.

Storyline

The story of Front Mission 2 unfolds twelve years after the events of the original game, in June 2102. The setting is Alordesh, the modern‑day Bangladesh, which had joined the Oceania Cooperative Union (OCU) after a period of rapid industrialisation and two Huffman conflicts. By 2094 the nation renamed itself the People’s Republic of Alordesh, and a series of failed coups culminated in a successful overthrow on June 12, 2102, when Alordeshi forces declared independence and seized OCU garrisons.

The narrative follows three OCU operatives: Corporal Ash Faruk of the Muddy Otters, Captain Thomas Norland of the Dull Stags, and intelligence officer Lisa Stanley. After the coup, Faruk and his unit try to escape, meeting Norland’s survivors at the estate of transport mogul Saribash Labra, who promises a seashore evacuation. Stanley intercepts a helicopter, discovers a detention centre, frees POWs and leads a rescue of Alordeshi officials in Dhaka, while Norland’s men stay to fight.

Back on the OCU carrier Monto, Faruk is urged by CIU officer Pike Reischauer to return, learning that some Muddy Otters are still alive. The group is hunted by coup leader Ven Mackarge, and the plot gradually reveals that the rebels are backed by an unknown third party wielding a device called “FENRIR.”

Edited by Maya Carter