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Steam News21 April 20262mo ago

New Pilots & Navigating the World of MECHBORN

Hey pilots, Felippe here! I'm one of the game designers at Turtle Juice responsible for bringing the mechanics of MECHBORN to life, from pilots and cards to mechs and events.

In this update8

Full notes

Full MECHBORN update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

1 fix2 additions9 changes0 removals
  • Events
  • Maps
  • Balance
  • Gameplay
changedHey pilots, Felippe here!I'm one of the game designers at Turtle Juice responsible for bringing the mechanics of MECHBORN to life, from pilots and cards to mechs and events. This month we’ve got a huge edition to bring to you:
changedHey pilots, Felippe here!The MECHBORN Map — A deep dive into navigating the continents and the locations you might discover along the way
changedExplore a World Under Siege - Your Map, Your RulesOne of the things we’re most proud of with MECHBORN is how differently we've approached the map - and I think once you've experienced it, you'll understand why.
fixedExplore a World Under Siege - Your Map, Your RulesMost roguelike deckbuilders funnel you down a fixed path, leaving the map to decide your fate. With MECHBORN , we wanted to hand that control back to you.
changedExplore a World Under Siege - Your Map, Your RulesAcross 3 ever-changing continents , you're free to move in any direction — pushing deeper into kaiju-held territory when you're feeling confident or backtracking to recover when the odds aren't in your favour.
addedExplore a World Under Siege - Your Map, Your RulesEvery decision is yours to make but choose wisely! Your fuel, health and credits are always ticking down - running out of fuel will see ‘ Overheat ’ cards added to your deck each territory you push through without fuel.

MECHBORN changes

changedI'm one of the game designers at Turtle Juice responsible for bringing the mechanics of MECHBORN to life, from pilots and cards to mechs and events. This month we’ve got a huge edition to bring to you:
changedThe MECHBORN Map — A deep dive into navigating the continents and the locations you might discover along the way
changedOne of the things we’re most proud of with MECHBORN is how differently we've approached the map - and I think once you've experienced it, you'll understand why.
fixedMost roguelike deckbuilders funnel you down a fixed path, leaving the map to decide your fate. With MECHBORN , we wanted to hand that control back to you.
changedAcross 3 ever-changing continents , you're free to move in any direction — pushing deeper into kaiju-held territory when you're feeling confident or backtracking to recover when the odds aren't in your favour.

Hey pilots, Felippe here!

I'm one of the game designers at Turtle Juice responsible for bringing the mechanics of MECHBORN to life, from pilots and cards to mechs and events. This month we’ve got a huge edition to bring to you:

  • Pilot Reveal — Meet Cillian O'Callaghan, a man with a score to settle and nothing left to lose

  • The MECHBORN Map — A deep dive into navigating the continents and the locations you might discover along the way

  • Next Month — A little tease that I think you'll be very excited about

Let's get into it!

Explore a World Under Siege - Your Map, Your Rules

One of the things we’re most proud of with MECHBORN is how differently we've approached the map - and I think once you've experienced it, you'll understand why.

Most roguelike deckbuilders funnel you down a fixed path, leaving the map to decide your fate. With MECHBORN, we wanted to hand that control back to you.

Across 3 ever-changing continents, you're free to move in any direction — pushing deeper into kaiju-held territory when you're feeling confident or backtracking to recover when the odds aren't in your favour.

Every decision is yours to make but choose wisely! Your fuel, health and credits are always ticking down - running out of fuel will see ‘ Overheat ’ cards added to your deck each territory you push through without fuel.

Something I'm particularly happy about is how we've handled vendors and shops. Rather than hoping the map drops one in your path, you can actively seek them out on your own terms — including The Blacksmith, who can upgrade or transform your cards into something far more devastating. For a price, of course.

Every run brings a different map, different encounters and different decisions — meaning no two journeys across the continents will ever feel the same.

The Latest Recruit - Cillian O'Callaghan - The Depleter

Cillian rewards pilots who are comfortable playing aggressively early and trusting that the payoff is coming.

His entire gameplan revolves around cycling powerful Deplete cards, burning through them strategically to fuel a devastating late-combat payoff.

SCOURGE & RECLAIM - Feed the Machine

Scourge is Cillian's engine. By allowing you to deplete any card to deal damage, it can turn your defend cards into attacking opportunities while also helping to fuel cards like Scrapper for high-impact damage drops!

Steam post image

Then with Reclaim, you can start the chain all over again by bringing back a card that you’ve depleted – which opens the door to taking advantage of other ‘deplete' based cards like Subzero and Hyperborean.

SALVAGE - The Tempo Swing

Salvage is where Cillian's early sacrifices start paying off. Returning three random Deplete cards to your draw pile at zero cost opens the door to some of the most explosive turns in the game.

This is particularly fun when paired with heavy hitters like Cataclysm or North Wind, which become terrifying (Do kaiju feel fear?...) when replayed for free.

LEGACY - The Nuclear Option

When everything else has been spent, Legacy empties your hand entirely and replaces it with powerful rare Goliath cards.

An all-or-nothing finisher for pilots who know exactly when to pull the trigger.

Guess Who’s Joining The Roster?

We've got two very exciting pilots coming your way next month. One is a technical genius with a dark past and a unique charge-based skillset unlike anything we've revealed so far.

The other is a wildcard - unpredictable, daring and absolutely dangerous in the right hands.

But the real question is, can you guess which countries they’re from?

  • One brings European cool, the other Southern Hemisphere charm.

  • One grew up hearing the Baltic Sea - the other, the Tasman.

  • One is a lover of Pierogi, the other is more of a meat pie connoisseur

Drop your guess in the comments and we’ll shout out the top answers in next month’s newsletter.

Play Our Pre-Alpha Build On Itch.io!

Can’t wait until launch? You can play our Pre-Alpha build right now on Itch.io and get hands-on with MECHBORN today. We’d love to hear your feedback, it genuinely helps shape the game.

We’ve got plenty more to share soon, so consider joining our Discord to discuss and stay up to date on all the latest reveals!

That's a wrap for this month's DECLASSIFIED! As always, thank you so much for supporting us, we can’t wait to see you on the battlefield, pilots!

  • Felippe, Turtle Juice

Itch.io - https://turtle-juice.itch.io/mechborn

Discord - https://discord.gg/PM6RnyqDwV

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mechborngame/?hl=en

X - https://x.com/Mechborn

Bsky - https://bsky.app/profile/mechborn.bsky.social

Source

Steam News / 21 April 2026

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