Rated on:
computer
Communication:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publishing company:
Funcom
Developers:
Outsider
Release:
September 15, 2022
Rating:
Youth
Metal: Hellsinger knows exactly what it is from the second it begins: a love letter to fast-paced first-person shooters, especially Doom, and a tribute to metal music. and the culture around it. It’s a no-frills shooter that asks, “What if you had to smash your body to pieces to the beat of a metal album made by people who are good at the genre?” It excels at answering that question. It’s far from perfect – the bosses aren’t tiresome at times and it could use a bit more variety in combat design – but my criticisms have had little effect on my overall enjoyment of the game. my 11 hour game. What the game has achieved far exceeds what it doesn’t, and the developer, The Outsiders, has created what I hope is just the beginning of a new series of FPS movies set in Hell.
Metal is the name of the game here, literally. Music plays throughout your experience, whether it’s during the game’s superb campaign that takes you through the realms of Hell or its trials, unlocking tokens that are used to boost your load in story mode. If you like Trivium, Lamb of God, and other bands like this and the gunfights with fiery kicks, Metal: Hellsinger is well worth it. I took down a massive boneless boss to the beat of a song almost backed up by iconic vocals from System of a Down’s Serj Tankian. I ripped through crowds of enemies and trolls to the beat of Alissa White-Gluz’s death-metal tunes in Arch Enemy. It’s as engaging as it sounds, in no small part, thanks to its precise and powerful shooting mechanism.
You use one of six different weapons to attack hundreds of demons, and the game rewards you with extra damage if you fire each bullet that pairs perfectly with an on-screen metronome that doubles as a reticle. your. Streaks increase your damage output and score modifier. What’s unique about this track counter is that each new level adds a new layer to the track. At 2x, you can hear the rumbling bass and subtle wail of the guitar, preparing for what’s to come. At 4x, drums can come into play. Reach 8x and the song starts playing, just missing the vocals, finishing the track at 16x.
Climbing from 2x to 16x, made easier by lining up a scattered multiplier over the course of a given stage, is still as enjoyable at eleven as I did the first time around. It feels like bringing a song to life, like a producer, except you’re doing it with a weapon that’s tearing the demons of Hell to pieces.
All of this is happening because The Unknown, the playable character in Metal: Hellsinger, is banished to the deepest realms of Hell, where only ice and lowly demons remain. The Unknown progresses from the worst to the best with a talking skull voiced by Troy Baker. He delivers a southern draw that matches the game’s almost Western-like tone, all to find and kill The Judge, a brilliantly voiced, swashbuckling ruler of hell. by Jennifer Hale.
There’s not much else to the game other than this campaign, but that’s okay because there’s nothing that stands out. There are nine levels and 21 related Torments that will test your mettle against the test of time, your mission is to kill your enemies in a certain way using specific weapons and methods. There’s also an in-game code snippet for more Hell-related info and extras that lets you listen to the game’s soundtracks, but that’s all. Metal: Hellsinger is short and sweet, but it ends at the right moment as it reaches the climax of both its story and its integrated metal album.
I have minor quirks with the game, like its Torment time-testing, feeling cheap and unfair or great designed in an almost puzzle-like manner, and its boss and combat design , could use more touch, but these criticisms are hardly worth mentioning. My admittedly small criticisms have little effect on how much I enjoy playing Metal: Hellsinger.
I may not remember my frustrations with the game for a few more months, but I will remember “Dissolution,” an emotional Two Feathers track from Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork, the realm of Soilwork. Hell is called Nihil, and the way my shotgun kills a bunch of enemies there. I’m glad Metal: Hellsinger ends with the promise of more because I’ve wanted more from this series.
Score: 9
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