No, that's not your PC case fans spinning up. It's just my brain overheating as I attempt not to embarrass myself in Mechabellum. Today, Game River's mech-heavy, turn-based competitive auto battler hits version 2.0. This long-awaited update brings a juicy new single-player (or co-op) roguelike-ish mode to learn the ropes with, as well as shifting the game to become mostly free-to-play, with a few restrictions lifted by buying it. Plus, there's a fancy new mech to throw out on the battlefield - possibly the most stylish yet. Check out the full patch notes here.

For those who haven't tried the game yet, the main 1v1 mode of Mechabellum has you and your opponents taking turns drawing from a deck of possible sci-fi units (ranging from plain old tanks to city-stomping super-mechs), spending your resources on placing them on the battlefield, then starting an entirely hands-off battle, with each unit following basic auto-targeting rules. Once one army is dead, the next round begins, and both players' previous unit placements (now repaired) carry over - you can see what they DID, but not what they're planning on doing this next round.

And so the mind games begin. Is your opponent going to try and hit that weak right flank? Or double down on defending that mid-point? Are they going to hit one of the EMP towers in the map corners, slowing and softening your units? Might want to cover that. Each turn, you try to pre-empt where they'll deploy a new piece and counter it. Think they'll place a sniper? Out-range them with artillery. Think they'll go for a melee rush? Heavy armored units to stall. There's always a ton of options, with unit upgrades, veterancy bonuses, and spending resources to re-draw unit picks, so you're always adapting and improvising.

There are plenty more modes beyond that, and the big addition in today's v2.0 update is the roguelike'y Star Expedition mode, seemingly inspired by The Bazaar. Rather than directly fight other players, you (and maybe a buddy in co-op) need to win nine battles against randomly picked other players' formations from around that point in their recent runs. But you're not up against the player here, just their units, giving it a puzzle-like edge. You see what they played; now put down the best hard counters.

It's a much more relaxed way to learn the game and build up that confidence to jump into proper PvP matches, technically playing against other players, but with no timers, no penalty for failure, and nobody there to taunt you if you completely embarrass yourself. There's a global leaderboard to work your way up if chasing bragging rights and unlocking additional cosmetics for your units is appealing.

The new update also brings a new mech, the Centurion. A very cool multi-loadout brawler, capable of wielding multiple weapon types via upgrades, but the main feature is that when it gets too close to enemy units, it switches to a heavily armored close combat mode where it charges in to impale targets with its giant hydraulic Pile Bunker spike-cannon. It's probably the most impressively animated unit in the game, and hard not to pick when you're looking to style on some fools.

With the release of version 2.0, Mechabellum is now mostly free. Players who like it can pay £12.79/$15 (currently 40% discounted) to have their restrictions on public chat, inventory capacity, and reward progression lifted. It's also worth noting that the paid version will be part of this week's Epic Store giveaways on Thursday, if you don't mind wandering outside of Steam's walled garden.