Mach Rider's Return

Mach Rider's Return
The current box art
Developer(s)	GreenReaperGames
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Wii U
Genre(s)	Action-Adventure
Series	Mach Rider
Predecessor	Mach Rider (1985)
Release Date(s)	November 13th, 2015
Mode(s)	Single-Player, Online Multiplayer
Age Rating(s)	T

“You are 'Mach Rider'!”

— Game Catchphrase

Mach Rider's Return (also known as Mach Rider U or Mach Rider 2) is an open world action-adventure game developed by GreenReaperGames and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It is the successor to the 1985 NES game Mach Rider. Mach Rider's Return was released on November 13, 2015 in all regions.

The game is set on the fictional island of Cyprus and takes place six years after the events of the original game. The player takes the role of Mach Rider, a mysterious soldier that saved humanity from the Quadrunners previously. Mach Rider is equipped with his Mach Bike, which allows him to travel at high speeds and attack other vehicles.

Gameplay

Mach Rider's Return is an open-world game, meaning that the player can go to any area on the map at anytime he wants (unless an area is not unlocked). The player controls Mach Rider, who travels the map using either the Mach Bike, Mach Speeder, or Mach Jet. Teammates that Mach Rider meets can be controlled and used to unlock certain areas or perform other specific tasks. For example, Chip can drill into rocks and find loot or gold, which can be used to purchase additional items.

Mach Rider has a total of three different vehicles he can use. The Mach Bike is the most balanced of the three. It is fairly fast and its bullet do a decent amount of damage to enemies. The Mach Speeder is much faster than the Mach Bike, but it can barely do any damage to opponents, as it is typically used for quickly travelling around the map. Lastly, the Mach Jet can be used to get to hard to reach areas and attack air-born enemies. The Mach Speeder and Mach Jet are unlocked later in the game.

Plot

The game begins with a brief introduction about the First Quadrunner War. Humanity was unprepared for the attack, and most of the countries fell to the invaders almost instantly. However, just as all seemed lost, a hero appeared. His name was Mach Rider. Nobody knew where he came from, but they didn't question it. Using his Mach Bike, Mach Rider was able to push the Quadrunners back. They mysteriously fled, leaving large parts of the world completely barren. The first Quadrunner War takes place during the events of Mach Rider (NES) and Mach Rider (Arcade).

Mach Rider disappeared shortly after the war. He lived in isolation, away from the remaining humans, who were currently working hard to rebuild. One of the few surviving generals of the war, General Robinson, took control of the remaining humans and united them. They rebuilt ten cities on the island of Cyprus, which was just off the coast of the United States. Three of the cities had survived the war, which included Capita, Leafton, and Fread. Veterans from the war were put in charge of the various cities. Most were able to keep control, but Greaff was overrun by bandits and criminals, most notably the terrorist group known as YOS. YOS was lead by an assassin called Rattle.

Greaff didn't cause any problems for the rest of the cities, as the inhabitants of the crime-ridden town didn't interact much with the others. However, YOS was constantly sabotaging and attacking public buildings, killing lots of innocent. Many did not know what Rattle's motive was, and what he hoped to gain from all the murder and bloodshed. General Robinson labeled him insane and ordered his troops to track down the terrorist. However, they failed to find him. The attacks continued.

Little did the humans know that the Quadrunners were planning for a second attack. They had attacked four other worlds and enslaved the people of those worlds. The four different races, which consisted of the Insucks, Runners, Zealots, and Wulks. The Quadrunners trained the different alien species in preparation for the Second Quadrunner War. The leader of the Quadrunners, Sicus, ordered experimentation to be done on the different aliens, to see if they could be combined or mutated. However, the project was canceled almost immediately after Retron, who was a cross between an Insuck and Runner, escaped from the laboratory.

The game now begins. Mach Rider is planning to attack YOS and kill Rattle, as he felt that he had a strange connection to him. Using his Mach Bike, Mach Rider arrives at Greaff, where the YOS are rumored to be hiding. After fighting through multiple gangs, Mach Rider is confronted by Rattle and the other YOS members. They engage in a fight, and Mach Rider is easily defeated.

Characters

Main Characters

Chip

To see the full article, click here

Towns

The island of Cyprus has a total of ten different city-states that make up the Federation. Each are vastly different from each other. They can be destroyed by the Quadrunners if they cannot properly defend against the invaders and Mach Rider does not assist them. If a city falls, the side quests and shops in that city will no longer be available. Mach Rider can also convince stronger city states (such as New Capita or New Leafton) to send aid to the weaker ones. Certain cities cannot fall no matter what at certain parts in the game.

Town	Description
Capita	Capita is the oldest and the second largest of the city-states (only behind New Capita). It is considered to be completely neutral and most political events occur, including Council gatherings.
Leafton	TBA
Fread	Fread is the only city-state (aside from Greaff) that is not allied with the city-states. It stays separated, but representatives are sent to Capita when Council gatherings occur. The people of Fread are extremely aggressive and the city has the second strongest military (behind New Leafton). The inhabitants are frequently called "savages" by the other city states.
Redon	Redon's economy heavily surrounds fish, as that is its main export. Named after the mayor of the city-state, Redon is one of Cyrpus Island's biggest trade centers. It has the most shops on the island and supplies the rest of the city-states with a steady supply of food. Because of this, Redon is considered to be one of the most powerful city-states and one of the best to live in. Most of its citizens are fishermen or shopkeepers. It is the fourth most populated city, after only Capita, New Capita, and New Leafton.
Westle	Westle is a sacred town located in the mountains. It is a highly religious location and many inhabitants of the other towns visit here. The terrorist group known as YOS specifically targets Westle, as they know it is very important to the people. New Leafton supplied the town with troops in order to protect it from the terrorists. Mach Rider is rumored to live in the very same mountains that Westle is located in.
New Leafton	TBA
Polatt	TBA
Urlock	Urlock is home to the genius William Plaft, who invented the support robots and Mach Rifles (named after Mach Rider). Although the city is extremely polluted, Urlock supplies the other city-states with the technology necessary for them to function properly.
New Capita	TBA
Greaff	Greaff is completely overrun with crime and is home to the vicious terrorist group known as YOS. It is considered the only "unsuccessful" city-state of the ten original colonies. Home to thugs and dangerous gangs, citizens of the other nine towns tend to stay as far away as possible for Greaff. However, most of the inhabitants of Greaff like to stay right where they are, usually only venturing to either Redon or Urlock. New Leafton's military has tried to exterminate the town, but has failed.

Gallery

Credits

• Duoradon on DeviantArt - I used some of his artwork for the box art of the game
• MachRiderZ on DeviantArt - I used his Mach Rider artwork for the box art of the game
• The various creators of the artwork used for the cities