A Fluid FPS That Rips and Tears Through Enemies
Once upon a time in the world of gaming, the humble single player FPS was king amongst its peers. It was a pretty simple setup, putting the player in the shoes of a central character whose solution was blasting everything in sight to nudge the narrative along. All you had to do was point and shoot.
Nowadays first person shooters can be a little more complex, adding various tactical elements into the mix. Metal Eden is one such example, which feels a bit like if a DOOM game was set in the Forerunner realm from the Halo series.
Project Eden’s Dark Secret
In a universe where it isn’t difficult to see what inspired it, Earth has become uninhabitable. As a result of the impending threat, humanity has developed “Core” technology resulting in a means of storing consciousness. These devices were transferred to Moebius, a floating city in orbit over the planet Vulcan, which happens to hold many valuable resources.
However, Moebius has become a trap, ruled over by a rogue AI and the mysterious “Engineers”. This is where the HYPER UNIT ASKA comes in, who is tasked with rescuing the human cores being held hostage and in the process discovers the shocking truth behind Project Eden.
Despite having the appearance of a standard mech, HYPER UNIT ASKA is special because her phantom core means her body may die, but this is far from the end for her mind. Built to protect, her role is usually to undertake reconnaissance missions.
Although I wouldn’t say that the narrative in Metal Eden is gripping, the dialogue is well written and the sense of mystery kept my interest throughout. Sometimes less is more, and that is certainly the case here as you explore and understand the dystopian world you find yourself in.
Grappling and Grinding
Devices such as ASKA’s grapple make traversing the environment, which is usually suspended many thousands of miles above ground level, a breeze. She possesses many parkour skills, so wall running, jumping and dashing are all in a day’s work. These platforming sections are peppered into Metal Eden to split up the firefights, and are really good fun.
Not only these, but ASKA can make use of ziplines which boost her through the environment, weaving though huge fragmented metal machines and debris. It’s hard not to be impressed with how good it all looks, even if this particular style has been visited plenty of times before.
The understated, yet unearthly use of sound complements the visual style very well indeed. As a player, you can absolutely admire the world of Metal Eden, and feel threatened and uneasy by it at the same time.
Overall the environments are pretty linear with very little room for exploration. There are extra lives scattered about, which immediately regenerate health if you’re “killed” so you can continue from where you left off, keeping the action fast and frantic. Otherwise, there are no other secrets to be found. At certain points, the explorer in me wanted to jump over to what looked like solid ground, only to pass through the platform and freefall. I appreciate that there was no invisible wall, but still.
Shooting and Stamina: Combat Mechanics and Upgrades
Metal Eden looks pretty but even in performance mode, things got a little sticky at times. When moving at pace, with lots of enemies scrambling to take ASKA down, the framerate did briefly get choppy, but apart from the one time where I had to restart the game, things recovered quickly.
Of course, everything you may have seen regarding Metal Eden will make you realise it’s all about shooting stuff. The gunplay is really satisfying, requiring a mix of weapons to strip armour from enemies then finish them off. Many of the usual suspects can be unlocked, such as an SMG, shotgun, rocket launcher and so on.
Cores and Corruption
However, the two energy weapons that are especially effective against armour are also powerful in their own right. The Striga HS-V became my go to thanks to the ability to decimate enemy shields incredibly quickly, but it’s also useful for picking drones out of the sky. The downside is that ammo depletes quickly thanks to the powerful, concentrated burst of fire it produces. As a result, I regularly switched between this and my SMG to find my perfect balance.
You’ll come up against all sorts of enemies, ranging from cannon fodder to tougher mechs quick on their feet, right up to boss battles. Thanks to ASKA’s movement and combat actions, there’s something quite graceful to her fighting style as she almost dances around her foes, picking them off one by one.
Dust is the currency in Metal Eden, and it is acquired by defeating enemies and collecting vials of the stuff, which can then be used to improve weapons and unlock secondary firing functions at the upgrade stations. There isn’t enough to maximise the power of your entire arsenal, so find your favourites and focus on those.
The gimmick (if you like) in Metal Eden are the cores, which can be ripped out of enemies to finish them off, then chucked at others or consumed. ASKA becomes stronger and more adept for a short time when she absorbs a core. Although, a grim thought which is highlighted by Nexus (the fella calling the shots down your comms system) is that shooting your enemies isn’t the act that kills them, it’s when you rip out their core and harvest it for a brief hit of extra power. Lovely.
Metroid-Inspired Mechanics
Cores can also be used to upgrade ASKA’s skills, unlocking passive effects and extra abilities. This affects the strategy going into battle, for example with extra health and armour being dropped under certain conditions (such as when enemies are near the scene of a core extraction) to keep the fight going.
In something undeniably reminiscent of Metroid Prime, ASKA can also transform into ball mode, passing through hazardous territory without taking damage. This form is also equipped with the ability to blast enemies with concentrated bolts of energy, as well as firing homing missiles at them. Apart from charging locks to open doors, it does feel this mechanic is underutilised in Metal Eden, despite the devs probably not wanting to slow down the gameplay too much.
A Fast-Paced and Engaging Sci-Fi Adventure
Metal Eden will keep you busy for around seven hours, which given the price tag, some may find a little expensive. Apart from changing up the difficulty, there aren’t many reasons to jump back in apart from if you really enjoyed yourself and fancy another blast. On that subject, there are four difficulty modes which can be changed at any time from the pause menu.
Metal Eden may have clear inspiration, but emerges as an enjoyable adventure in its own right which unfolds at a breakneck pace. The eerily beautiful, mechanical world riddled with danger and intrigue compliments the fluid gameplay, elevating it above a simple shooter.
Important Links
Blast Your Way Through an Adrenaline-Rush – FPS Metal Eden is OUT NOW on Xbox, PS5 & PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/blast-your-way-through-an-adrenaline-rush-fps-metal-eden-is-out-now-on-xbox-ps5-pc/
Buy Metal Eden on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/metal-eden/9pp1whrp17bk
