I consider it was the commemorated 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. It is a shooter you may expertise as a blur of fast gunfire, parkour, and snarky voiceover; it is measured not in bullets per minute, because it had 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. Typically, although, the sheer bedlam threatens to overwhelm fundamental coherence, and the expertise devolves into frustration.
Metallic Eden’s Core Fight Is Brutal and Bullet-Riddled
On a fundamental 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 through which you may want motion and precision to dispatch your enemies, whereas its parkour platforming sequences owe a debt to the latter.
Fortunately, at its finest, Metallic Eden performs like the perfect of each of these video games rolled right into a shiny chrome package deal. Its core fight is relentless, fast-paced enjoyable through which you may want your wits about you to emerge… if not unscathed, then a minimum of solely mildly bruised.
Engagements play out a lot as they do in Doom; you may enter a fight area, enemies will spawn in sequence, and you may want to decide on which gun out of your intensive arsenal you’ll want to use to destroy them.
In true fight chess type, every of Metallic Eden’s fights presents a puzzle: which enemies do you have to 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’ll be able to rip the core out for an on the spot kill. You may then throw the core at an enemy for some additional injury, 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 alternative in each scenario. It is enjoyable to evaluate fights on the fly, deciding on a second-to-second foundation what to do with enemy cores, when to modify weapons, and which instruments work finest on your present predicament.
Chaos Is the Title of the Recreation in Metallic Eden
Whereas the chaos of moment-to-moment fight in Metallic Eden may be enjoyable, it is also the place the sport often journeys itself up. Typically, engagements merely turn into somewhat too chaotic to deal with, with enemies spewing in from all instructions and projectiles flying previous your head at a price of knots.
Not like Doom, Metallic Eden’s enemy design generally is a little vague, too. It is not all the time straightforward to know precisely what assaults an enemy will use, so conditions can get out of hand fairly rapidly. In these moments, the fantastic pace of Metallic Eden’s fight turns into somewhat 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 boring and aggravating, and its conclusions, after 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 regularly journeys over its needlessly imprecise dialogue and cardboard-cutout characters because of this.
One space through which 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 sport unplayable, they’re extraordinarily irritating in a sport constructed round pace and responsiveness.
You Can Simply Concentrate on Metallic Eden’s Weapons and Jumps to Have Enjoyable
If you are going to interact with Metallic Eden, then I might strongly suggest simply specializing in the fight and parkour platforming slightly than attempting to wrap your head across the story.
Fortunately, Reikon has made it very straightforward to take action. You’ve got acquired seven primary weapons at your disposal in Metallic Eden, and so they all really feel nice to fireside. There is a punch to the gunplay right here that makes bursting enemy heads really feel notably satisfying.
Every gun additionally has alternate-fire modes and upgrades you’ll be able to 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 timber 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 developed somewhat extra meaningfully over the course of Metallic Eden’s runtime. Nonetheless, it really works completely properly as an interim palate-cleanser for fight.
That runtime does show to be a difficulty, nevertheless. You may replay Metallic Eden’s marketing campaign on greater difficulties for extra problem, however there aren’t any additional modes or missions right here; when you’re via with the primary story, you are primarily executed.
I might have welcomed some problem maps that pushed Reikon’s sport’s parkour methods and fight methods to their limits, however as it’s, you may need to content material your self with the 9 marketing campaign missions (together with the tutorial) on supply right here.
Metallic Eden Overview | Ultimate Ideas
When it is not entertaining narrative concepts properly above its station, Metallic Eden is a rollicking good time. Its zippy fight works fantastically with its fluid parkour platforming to offer an expertise that by no means stops transferring, and people actions are largely sleek.
With somewhat additional content material, a number of extra narrative passes (or maybe only a diminished story focus), and a few barely stronger visible design, Metallic Eden might 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 duplicate offered by the writer over the course of 6 hours of gameplay. All screenshots had been taken throughout the strategy of evaluation.
