Front Mission 5: Scars of the War

Front Mission 5: Scars of the War is the fifth entry in Square's Front Mission tactical RPG series. Set in a gritty futuristic world, the game follows conflicts between five world powers: the U.S.N., O.C.U., E.C., O.A.C., and the Republic of Zaftra. These wars are fought using wanzers, the series' term for mecha. Front Mission 5 returns to the roots of Front Mission 2 while incorporating features from Front Mission 1, 3, and 4. Players lead a group of wanzers through turn-based tactical missions against enemy forces. Returning features include part upgrades and branching missions, while new additions include friendly fire and the ability to recruit new pilots.

Scars of the War follows USN soldier Walter Feng. In 2065, the United Nations deems Huffman Island ready for colonization, and Feng becomes one of its first immigrants. In Freedom City, Walter befriends Randy O'Neill and Glen Duval. During the 1st Huffman Conflict in 2070, the three boys witness the realities of war firsthand. Walter and Glen are physically scarred by shell casings during a battle in Freedom City. At the war's end, the USN forcibly repatriates Walter and Randy, while the OCU forcibly repatriates Glen. The friends reunite in 2086 during the Huffman Crisis, serving as soldiers in their respective armies on a peacekeeping operation. After seeing Glen pilot a wanzer, Walter and Randy enter the USN Army's wanzer training program. As the Larcus Incident drives OCU-USN tensions to a new high, both men qualify as wanzer pilots. On the day they qualify, Walter and Randy are deployed to the 2nd Huffman Conflict. During the invasion of Freedom City, they encounter and defeat Glen in the city's suburbs. Feng and O'Neill visit Duval before he is sent to a POW camp. A year later, the three meet again on the battlefield, but Glen easily defeats his former friends. Rather than showing mercy, he kills Randy inside his cockpit block. A ceasefire between the OCU and USN is declared shortly after Glen escapes. Traumatized by Randy's death, Walter cleans his friend's quarters in an effort to move on. After finding an application for the Strike Wyverns assault unit, Feng signs up, completes intensive training, and joins the unit. There, he reunites with his old friend Edward Collins and meets his new commanding officer, Lynn Wenwright, his childhood sweetheart. Over the following years, Walter takes part in numerous military operations and becomes increasingly invested in the conflicts around him. From Zaftra's natural-resource struggles to pro-independence movements within the OCU, Feng is drawn into a global war between nationalism and globalization that has continued for decades. At the center of this conflict is Grimnir, a terrorist organization seeking to destabilize supranational unions and restore a world ruled by nation-states.