The First-Person Shooter (FPS) genre has been a gaming juggernaut and competitive preference for decades, but in the rise of connectivity came the shift to network multiplayer dominance and rankings. Most FPS games tack on a single-player campaign as a tutorial to the mayhem of online play, tempting players with microtransactions and rewards for killstreaks. With Metal Eden, no multiplayer mode is getting in the way of fast-paced FPS goodness in the mould of Doom and with movement reminiscent of the Ghostrunner series. The combination of parkour, speed, gadgets and tight shooting creates a fresh on-rails experience that exudes quality in every facet of gameplay. From upbeat tracks of techno rock to a deep science fiction story and setting, Metal Eden blasts open its own path in the genre for a short yet successful foray into a single-player experience worth the time of all FPS fans.
On booting up Metal Eden for the first time, I was thrown into the action before too much story overloaded the process. With gun in hand and enemies charging, the core functions of gameplay were taught to ensure readiness for the set pieces on the horizon. Learning to shoot, jump, dodge, traverse and absorb ‘cores’ is needed before learning about Aska and the advanced world around her. The suicide mission undertaken on the city of Moebius that tells the tale of technology acquiring human cores is presented largely through narration pre, post and during runs through extensive levels. It took some time to understand the narrative direction and purpose, displaying themes of hope and technological prowess. The presentation and gameplay are so smooth that it distracts from much of the story in the early pieces, but there is an original story here that has enough meat to cover the robotic gloss.
Back to gameplay. I will split this assessment into two parts: gun-play and run-play. The assortment of weaponry at your disposal is, from a general sense, no surprise. The player uses the staples such as a rifle, shotgun, pistol and grenade launcher with expanding options as the levels progress. These guns can be upgraded for more power or secondary fire options in the form of homing missiles, charged up lasers and more. Shooting feels well weighted, responsive and powerful. The slow expansion of the arsenal works as intended to ensure players are using each weapon to find enemy weak points and swap on-the-fly. The unlimited ammo of the starting weapon can feel like the primary option despite the cooldown, but the growth of abilities urges experimentation. Few FPS games have such slick attack methods, and clearly Metal Eden prides itself on how tight its gun-play operates in all scenarios. This is enhanced by the run-play (or, in other terms, parkour). Even though Aska is stacked with weapons, the deadly foes across Moebius are equally kitted out. Projectiles fill the screen, enemies charge head-on for collisions, and the environment is aggressive. Keep moving, never stop. Thankfully, the game provides an array of manoeuvre options: grapple mid-air, dodge, dash, turn into a Metroid ball, slow down time – initially, the number of ways to impact time and space can be hard to master. But once the game clicks, Aska is bouncing high and low to annihilate and survive. I found this run and gun style preferable over Doom: The Dark Ages, demonstrating the game’s emphasis on making the player feel capable in android form without adding too much on screen. There is also a component that sets the game from others in the field – cores. The player can rip out cores from enemies and either absorb or throw them. Absorbing provides extra punch for your melee hits, which can weaken pesky enemy shields. Throwing acts just like a grenade, exploding on impact. This is a function that develops across the course of the game and serves as another option in wiping out the chaos.
The environments are ultimately grounds for set piece battles, yet they look so polished. As an example, the shine off the foundations of the city areas compared to the red dust of the real-world settings show an understanding of how locations can also tell a story. I spent time stopping to stare at buildings and vistas, in awe of both the graphical strength and current-gen sheen (especially when soaring through the sky on a zipline). With the game being so fast paced, having areas that look and feel like part of a world despite the sci-fi plot is a testament to the creators here. There does become a level of repetition across the longer levels, simply moving assets around or plonking a group of enemies in a different spot, but this is rarely noticed due to that pace that the game encourages. I had no performance issues playing on the base PS5. The cut-scenes are different to the gameplay in fidelity and output, but the focus here is on speeding through enemy-heavy levels that often end in either hectic boss battles or large hordes.
Being on the shorter side (11-13 hours, 8 total missions plus a tutorial) many may be wondering whether there is enough depth. With four difficulty settings, a range of weapon and move upgrades, speedrunning and interesting locations, players will return for the addictive nature of seamless play. At this point, I am unsure if there will be added content in the coming months – but the package at present focuses on quality over quantity, as FPS campaigns work best when they do not overstay their welcome.
With game releases at a premium in the month of September, titles will need to ensure they have a niche and identity to challenge the heavy hitters such as Borderlands, Silent Hill and Silksong. Metal Eden uses its own personality and gameplay imprint to deliver fast-paced shooting and dashing through sci-fi inspired levels and awe-inspiring graphics. While there can be moments of repetition and genre tropes, there are enough upgrades and changes throughout the game’s runtime to ensure the classic ‘just one more mission’ feeling remains until credits. Any fans of Doom, science fiction and shooters will find a new IP that has enough flair to be remembered in its renowned class.
Pros
- Excellent gunplay and responsive run-play
- Performance is strong across the game
- Story is deep but serves its purpose
Cons
- Repetition during longer levels
- Enemy variety
