Mercenary Kings? More like Mercenary GODS.

So a buddy of mine, who backed their Kickstarter, got me into a two-player co-op of the Mercenary Kings beta. And, wow -- for a game that's still in development, I'm pretty damn impressed. There were two crashes during our lengthy session (which is better than many released, AAA games I've played), and some playability features like item-trading are missing; but the core gameplay, and depth of content, is commendable.

Imagine if Metal Slug had a home-base hub, from which you could craft weapons and accessories, using materials and cash you've picked up in missions. You rank-up as you complete missions and progress the story, which unlocks more craftable equipment. There's also a limited inventory, so you can pack healing items, and explosives, to take with you into a mission.

So the shoot-dudes, avoid-death gameplay is pure fun, and the character growth and mission progression gives the game some serious legs. But the icing on the cake is how crazy your customized weapons can get: not only is there a healthy variety of parts available, you can combine disparate parts to great effect. Right now I'm using a magnum with a rifle stock and a sniper scope. Oh, and a barrel shaped like a trombone, because you can also build a shotgun that's in the shape of a trombone.

Sure, there are some areas of the design that definitely need more polish - like the unclear stats when buying parts, and the incredibly small backpack - but the game is fun nevertheless. Certainly more so with friends -- which, and I'm not sure if this works yet, but there's clearly going to be online play and matchmaking. I'm super looking forward to playing more of this in the future.

Progress: Rank Private.