I imagine it was the honored sage Sonic the Hedgehog who as soon as opined that one should “go quick”. That is a philosophy that Polish studio Reikon Video games has taken to coronary heart with Metallic Eden, its frenetic first-person shooter and religious successor to 2017’s top-down cyberpunk splatterfest Ruiner.
I say “frenetic”, however that hardly feels prefer it covers the sheer blistering pace of Metallic Eden. This can be a shooter you will expertise as a blur of speedy gunfire, parkour, and snarky voiceover; it is measured not in bullets per minute, because it have been, however in bullets per microsecond.
For probably the most half, that chaos works in Metallic Eden’s favor; it is a frantic good time with loads of problem to maintain even seasoned shooter followers busy. Generally, although, the sheer bedlam threatens to overwhelm primary coherence, and the expertise devolves into frustration.
Metallic Eden’s Core Fight Is Brutal and Bullet-Riddled
On a primary stage, Metallic Eden performs like a cross between id Software program’s celebrated 2016 Doom reboot and cyberpunk slash-a-thon Ghostrunner. From the previous, it takes brutal fight arenas wherein you will want motion and precision to dispatch your enemies, whereas its parkour platforming sequences owe a debt to the latter.
Fortunately, at its greatest, Metallic Eden performs like one of the best of each of these video games rolled right into a shiny chrome bundle. Its core fight is relentless, fast-paced enjoyable wherein you will want your wits about you to emerge… if not unscathed, then at the least solely mildly bruised.
Engagements play out a lot as they do in Doom; you will enter a fight enviornment, enemies will spawn in sequence, and you may want to decide on which gun out of your intensive arsenal you want to use to destroy them.
In true fight chess fashion, every of Metallic Eden’s fights presents a puzzle: which enemies must you take out first? The place are the shielded enemies, and the place can you discover shelter from aerial drones? Which gun is only towards shields, and which towards unshielded flesh?
I take advantage of the time period “core fight” advisedly, too, as a result of Metallic Eden’s ace within the gap is its core system. Enemies possess cores, and as soon as you’ve got eliminated their shields, you possibly can rip the core out for an immediate kill. You may then throw the core at an enemy for some additional harm, or eat it to regain some well being and energy up your melee assault.
This method provides some welcome selection and technique to Metallic Eden’s fight, and neither choice emerges as the apparent selection in each state of affairs. It is enjoyable to evaluate fights on the fly, deciding on a second-to-second foundation what to do with enemy cores, when to change weapons, and which instruments work greatest to your present predicament.
Chaos Is the Identify of the Recreation in Metallic Eden
Whereas the chaos of moment-to-moment fight in Metallic Eden could be enjoyable, it is also the place the sport sometimes journeys itself up. Generally, engagements merely turn out to be slightly too chaotic to deal with, with enemies spewing in from all instructions and projectiles flying previous your head at a charge of knots.
In contrast to Doom, Metallic Eden’s enemy design generally is a little vague, too. It is not all the time simple to know precisely what assaults an enemy will use, so conditions can get out of hand fairly shortly. In these moments, the fantastic pace of Metallic Eden’s fight turns into slightly too cacophonous to actually take pleasure in.
Sadly, that is an issue that extends to Metallic Eden’s narrative, too. To place it merely, the story by no means engaged me, even for a second. I discovered its characters by turns uninteresting and worsening, and its conclusions, once they limped throughout the end line, made no sense.
I believe it is an issue of scope. Metallic Eden performs itself out over a handful of hours, however the story Reikon is attempting to inform right here is each far too formidable and much too uninteresting for its personal good, and it ceaselessly journeys over its needlessly obscure dialogue and cardboard-cutout characters because of this.
One space wherein Metallic Eden’s chaotic nature is sort of actually unintended is its technical efficiency. I encountered quite a few stutters, hitches, and body drops on PS5, and whereas they by no means rendered Reikon’s recreation unplayable, they’re extraordinarily irritating in a recreation constructed round pace and responsiveness.
You Can Simply Give attention to Metallic Eden’s Weapons and Jumps to Have Enjoyable
If you are going to have interaction with Metallic Eden, then I might strongly suggest simply specializing in the fight and parkour platforming quite than attempting to wrap your head across the story.
Fortunately, Reikon has made it very simple to take action. You’ve got bought seven principal weapons at your disposal in Metallic Eden, they usually all really feel nice to fireside. There is a punch to the gunplay right here that makes bursting enemy heads really feel significantly satisfying.
Every gun additionally has alternate-fire modes and upgrades you possibly can seize alongside the course of your 4-6-hour journey, and every of them feels significant. You will not discover any 3%-extra-damage ability bushes right here; as a substitute, it is all highly effective bolts of lightning or shockwaves that freeze your enemies.
The parkour platforming is immensely satisfying, too. Pulling off a sequence of jumps and grapples feels nice; I solely want the platforming advanced slightly extra meaningfully over the course of Metallic Eden’s runtime. Nonetheless, it really works completely nicely as an interim palate-cleanser for fight.
That runtime does show to be a problem, nevertheless. You may replay Metallic Eden’s marketing campaign on increased difficulties for extra problem, however there are not any additional modes or missions right here; when you’re by means of with the primary story, you are primarily accomplished.
I might have welcomed some problem maps that pushed Reikon’s recreation’s parkour techniques and fight methods to their limits, however as it’s, you will should content material your self with the 9 marketing campaign missions (together with the tutorial) on provide right here.
Metallic Eden Overview | Remaining Ideas
When it isn’t entertaining narrative concepts nicely above its station, Metallic Eden is a rollicking good time. Its zippy fight works fantastically with its fluid parkour platforming to supply an expertise that by no means stops shifting, and people actions are largely sleek.
With slightly additional content material, a number of extra narrative passes (or maybe only a lowered story focus), and a few barely stronger visible design, Metallic Eden may very well be immense. Because it stands, Reikon ought to nonetheless be pleased with what it is achieved, however true cyberpunk greatness stays out of attain.
Metallic Eden was reviewed on PlayStation 5 with a replica supplied by the writer over the course of 6 hours of gameplay. All screenshots have been taken in the course of the means of overview.
