First of all, I have to clarify that normally I don’t usually listen to metal or anything like that because of its aggressiveness, but I don’t reject songs of the genre or anything like that either. In fact, I have come to like quite a few songs that very occasionally I have come to set as a ringtone on my mobile, either as an alarm or as a ringtone.
2000’s scented music
LAB was an alternative rock music band that released their first album in 2000, but it wasn’t until 2002 that they released what became probably my favorite album of the rock genre, since among them are the songs Beat the Boys and Machine Girland despite the fact that their songs are not very similar to those of the game, I could not help but remember both the songs and the same group when playing Metal: Hellsinger, taking a trip to the past, 20 years ago, when there were still more musical groups with songs that were very worthwhile.
Be careful, I’m not saying that there aren’t any good rock and metal bands anymore, but specifically I’m from the nineties and I have a preference for previous years and, as I said, on this occasion Metal: Hellsinger has been one of those games in which I wanted to let go of the remote to keep looking at the screen while playing to the rhythm of the metal music that it offers us with different songs to continue in that past listening to the music that I liked so much in the past.
I could perfectly say that Metal: Hellsinger can conquer the hearts of anyone who likes the aforementioned genres minimally. (metal and rock)since there are songs with challenges that will present us with different challenges that sometimes may require a certain skill but, even if we fail them, we will continue to want more thanks to their music, which manages to give us a feeling of adrenaline because if we succeed attack to the rhythm of the music, the game will reward us with various benefits not only in combat such as doing more damage, but also in the sound section, since the more the combo counter increases, the more the music will be heard and if we do it well , we will also get to hear the voice of the song, something that will encourage us even more to continue playing.
A mix between DOOM and Crypt of the Necrodancer
As for its gameplay, it caught my attention since its reveal in 2020, so I’ve been following it since then, going through its presentation at Summer Game Fest 2022 until, finally, it reached my hands so I could listen the song that this game wanted to play me with its gameplay, as simple and effective as putting the frenzy of DOOM Eternal and some of its mechanics like executions along with the mechanic of playing to the beat of the music of Crypt of the Necrodancer in a blender and activate it for a couple of seconds so that a juice comes out that, when drinking from it, takes us directly to heaven with its heavy metal flavor. A gameplay so addictive that I managed to finish the game in 12 hours and 50 minutes based on my Xbox profile stats at the time of writing this review.
In this gameplay, we will find the aforementioned mechanics of play to the rhythm of the music, this does not mean anything other than having to shoot to the beat of the song that is playing, either slower or faster depending on it. At first it didn’t cost me too much, although I guess it will also depend on each person who takes control of this title. Anyway, the beginning is a simple tutorial not too long that although it tells us the beginning of the lore, this is just an excuse to play Like most shooters, it teaches us its mechanics and type of arsenal along with its skills. Playing Metal: Hellsinger is not difficult, but if you find it difficult on medium difficulty, you have an easier mode that does not give the same experience, but you will be able to finish the game, although finishing the game is quite relative.
Without going into much detail about the plot (since it is not the main thing), we put ourselves in a situation where the Stranger (our character) wants revenge on the one who stole her voice, that is why as half demon, half human, he will become the Infernal Barda to fulfill his revenge with or without prophecy. But as I said, although basic, this plot is unnecessary, so for the most impatient you can skip it, because most players don’t play DOOM because of its deep story, right?
Perhaps your answer has been no, but if it hasn’t been, my comment has also turned out to be quite daring, since I shouldn’t generalize either. But being frank, I don’t think that the first thing that caught your attention about DOOM or Metal: Hellsinger was its plot, but rather its unbridled and aggressive gameplay along with its soundtracks, which I hope, just like what happened with DOOM, Metal: Hellsinger also achieve what at least, in my opinion, has been to create its own identity while still being inspired by other works.
The song does not end here
Some will only have the objective of doing the main thing in the title since, in principle, secondary objectives have nothing to do with this type of game, right? Well, the truth is that nothing is further from reality, since in Metal: Hellsinger we will have three challenges in each levelwhere we will have to do, for example, 25 executions that are called massacres, kill 99 demons and even eliminate a certain number of enemies without missing a beat.
After all this content, we can only enjoy its soundtrack, although it is also true that there will be those who prefer to listen to music directly from YouTube or mobile device. It’s okay, I prefer it too but it’s also true that listening to the song is not the same as putting yourself back in control listening to that same song while we play. Well, that’s how we have an option for this title to be replayable: Your musicthat to many like me, will hook them from the first moment.
conclusion
Metal: Hellsinger is an indie game that achieves a very important goal: Being “the game” and not being “that game” or “the DOOM of music” and similar statements that of course this title will not have to worry about, since everyone who plays it will know how to recognize all its well-crafted sections.