Played a lot of XCOM, so I figured I could handle Normal difficulty. No one played on Easy first try anyway.
Starting robots were cool. Punch robot does a big punch, other two are just a tank and a mortar.
Didn't take long to discover that the tank and mortar are crap. Displacement is useful but not strong enough to kill anything.
Getting wiped out over and over again, in every possible way. Zero power, objectives failed, Alien Queen TPK.
The only good thing was a new time traveler with Flight ability, but it's not much compensation. Almost gave up.
...
Then I unlocked the Zenith Guard.
The Zenith Guard have it all. Piercing lasers, bulldozer melee strikes, flying shield mortar launcher.
Mowing through pathetic bug enemies. Casually saving everyone's lives with displacement and shields.
The only weakness is the laser can harm allies, the bulldozer attack deals self-damage, and the shield robot can't deal damage. Barely an inconvenience for the abilities they have.
Fixed that up with a couple cores, plus one that gives your team immunity to the piercing laser. Did I mention it has infinite range?
Two islands down, full power, thousands of lives saved. Pilots are crunching through the XP for health bonuses.
The time traveler I unlocked earlier has gifted my laser mech with flight. Terrain is no longer an issue.
Gave the shield mech an ice laser that instantly freezes all targets in a straight line. Gave the laser mech a deployable acid-dart-launching tank ally (acid makes enemies take double damage, lol).
Team can sit on spawn points and laugh as the enemies try in vain to reach the surface. The ones who break through are frozen, poisoned, and vaporized with the laser.
Life is good. Victory is inevitable.
Thank you, Zenith Guard.

I am playing on Easy though. I'm pretty sure Normal is impossible but we'll give it a shot. If anyone can do it...it's the Zenith Guard.
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Update: The Zenith Guard failed me. Beat the game with the Rusting Hulks instead. Laser are out, electric smoke is in.