Front Mission 2

Front Mission 2 uses 3D models and a moving camera. Front Mission 2 expands on the mechanics found in Front Mission . The video game progresses in a linear manner: watch cut-scene events, complete missions, set up their wanzers during intermissions, and sortie for the next mission. The player travels to locations on a point-and-click world map.

As the player progresses through the plot, new locations are revealed on the world map. Towns and cities act as intermission points where the player can organize and set up their units for the upcoming mission. Battle zones are where the missions take place, though they become inaccessible upon the completion of a mission. A new element of progression in Front Mission 2 involves alternating scenarios between the game's three main characters.

After reaching a certain point of the game, control switches over to a different group of characters for the next few missions. Towards the climax, all three scenarios merge for the remainder of Front Mission 2 . Front Mission 2 missions are traditional tactical RPG fare, ranging from destroying all enemy targets to protecting a certain allied target. There are a number of new main features that are used for mission play in Front Mission 2 .

Action Points (AP) is a feature that dictates how many actions can be done with each unit. Actions such as moving and attacking require a certain amount of AP to use. At the end of a full turn, which is one Player Phase and Enemy Phase, a set amount of AP is replenished. A unit's AP amount and recharge value increases as their pilots gain proficiency levels through destroying enemy targets.

The Action Points feature ties into a second feature known as Honor. Moving around while allied units are nearby can result in statistical advantages such as increased AP charge or accuracy. In contrast, being surrounded by enemy units will result in statistical disadvantages such as decreased evasion or AP charge. By destroying enemy targets, a unit's pilot can gain Honor Points.

When enough Honor Points are accumulated, the aforementioned pilot will learn abilities that provide special benefits or detriments to nearby allied or enemy units; one of these abilities is Links. Links is a unique ability that allows two units to provide defensive support to each other during Enemy Phase battles. For linked actions, only melee weapons and short-range weapons can be used during a linked battle. As long as the linked units are within an eight-square radius of each other, they can participate in linked battles.

Furthermore, the target of an enemy unit is protected entirely from their attack; the linked unit is hit by the attack instead during linked battles. Other new features for mission play include armor coating and flanking. Armor coating allows a unit to resist certain types of attacks, while flanking improves a unit's chances at hitting an enemy target. Missions aside, there are several returning features from Front Mission that are expanded upon Front Mission 2 .

The Arena feature returns, which allows players to fight against the AI or against another player for monetary rewards. A new addition to the Arena is team matches, in which the player can field more than one wanzer to do battle with an opposing team. Briefings are also retained, and now operate differently. Instead of providing basic information on the enemy, briefings allow the player to review battle maps - enemy placements, allied units, and player starting positions can all be seen.

Returning features aside, Front Mission 2 introduces the Network - a pseudo-Internet feature that allows the player to better understand the world of Front Mission through various websites and web pages.