We are back with another action-adventure game by Unepic fran. The last one I played from these guys was Ghost 1.0 which I thought was an excellent metroidvania. UnMetal is this game’s name, and while it manages to stand on its own, it’s a comedy spoof of the Metal Gear games and takes a lot of its content from them. From the sneaking and knocking out guards, to long inane conversations with villains with questionable motives. Not even the main guy is safe, as both mannerisms and visual appearance are very similar to the number one chain smoker Solid Snake. Now copying mechanics like this would be considered a bit weird, however, UnMetal takes the themes and makes one hell of a parody of it – and not only in writing: the gameplay is stand-out too!
Trapped behind enemy lines
In UnMetal you play as Jesse Fox, a civilian captured and brought to a secret military base for a crime he didn’t commit. That is basically all the background needed, and while it doesn’t take itself seriously at any point in the game. It does actually have a story, with a couple of twists and turns, even if you probably can see most of them coming a mile away. The writing is hilarious for the most part since it tickles my funny bone when it comes to absurdities. They are done in the style of movies like Naked Gun, and Airplane, so if you enjoy those types of films, you will probably have a good time playing UnMetal as far as the writing goes.
While the comedy, story, and such is all very good, I can’t help to think what it could have been if it was more of a serious game. This is not dig at UnMetal, it is what it is. It’s just me having wishful thinking of something in a similar style, but not a comedy as the gameplay works extremely well. The developers also know how to set up a story and locations expertly. Good stealth tech thrillers are rare nowadays – that also means that beggars can’t be choosers, so you got to take whatever comes your way – comedy or not!
Metal… Gear?
UnMetal is made in the style of Metal Gear 1 & 2. This means you see the game from a top-down view, with enemies, robots, cameras, and traps being in full visual display at all times. Your job is to figure out a way past them all, either by skill or with the help of the countless items you will pick up during play. Combining items in the style of point & click adventure titles will also be a common theme. Since it’s a comedy, some of these combinations can seem to be a little out there, but thinking outside the box (see what I did there?), and in general just trying every possible mixture will eventually lead to results. I do admit, though, I got stuck a few times – and one specific problem does come to mind: the pizza box. That one took me a while to figure out, especially as I had to go through several failure states to finally work it out.
Don’t fret, you will be shooting and punching stuff violently too. However, you won’t be able to kill, because Jesse Fox (despite being quite good at fighting) is a pacifist of some sort. You will be able to shoot your enemies, but if you don’t heal them afterward and let them die, it’s game over folks. This adds another aspect to constantly consider, which in my case added up to me using my fists when it was time for confrontation. That doesn’t always work, though, so you got to prepare to spend those precious first aid kits on the regular mooks you put new breathing holes through.
Taking out dudes stealthily rewards you with XP, which eventually leads you to an increase in levels. There aren’t too many levels, but each level-up feels crucial. Most of the upgrades will be passive skills, yet, some stuff has a direct change on the gameplay. Just make sure to pick the enchantment that suits your style. There will also be narrative choices to be made during the game too. They don’t exactly change the storyline in any big way, it’s more of a visual style change, and what kind of enemies you will fight. For example, at one point I was asked if I spotted Scandinavian mercenaries, or Terminator-style robots. If I picked Scandinavian soldiers, I got grunts with horned helmets that could take a lot more damage than the regular guys. And if I picked Terminators, I got robots in the style of T-800 that I was actually allowed to kill. These options don’t change much, but it’s still a fun addition to UnMetal, which makes it unique and promotes replays.
Bosses!
UnMetal has plenty of bosses to fight too, and it wouldn’t be a “Metal Gear” game without absurd bosses that loves to mock you before eating a bullet. You will be fighting everything from a Japanese Samurai to a giant moray eel. They are not too tough, at least not in normal difficulty mode. Most of them have some kind of quirk to them, some special item you have to use, or some such. It’s not hard to figure out. I did die on them, though, so don’t think I just breezed through the bosses, because I didn’t. However, they never frustrated me to the point of me slamming the controller into the ground and rage quitting. A big plus for me!
Another cool thing, at the risk of minor spoilers, is that you get to chance to pilot a few different vehicles too. My favorite of these was the submarine. I could probably play a whole game based on those mechanics alone when I think about it. That segment had a nice underwater atmosphere with accompanying music very much suited for the environment.
In general, the gameplay is well-done, and even the extra vehicle sections don’t feel tacked that is usually the case. It’s a joy to play, and everything is visually clear in its action, as in you never wonder why you die, or why stuff happens as they do, but things at times can come at you very fast, mind you. I want to add that I used a Xbox 360 controller to play UnMetal, and I had no issue at all with the controls. Plug and play as most games on Steam. I did try it with keyboard and mouse at first, but I never got the hang of it. So, out of personal preference I would go with a controller for this type of games since the gameplay seem to match this type of controller much better than keyboard and mouse.
Old school
Visually, UnMetal has good pixel art made with a retro tone to match the games it’s based on, like having a scanlines overlay to simulate old TVs. However, it’s not without a visual flair of its own, as cutscenes, and things like it, look great. I wouldn’t say it’s a pixel-art masterwork, but for what it set out to do, it does well. Voice and music are on the same level. The music is suitable thriller-esque, and the voice acting is good too – by having the delivery sound as dead-pan comedy as possible when required. All in all, great job all around here.
Get it!
UnMetal is a great game that keeps up the comedy to the end. While it might be a caricature it does still have a story, which in a way makes it somewhat believable instead of it being just a long goof. The controls and general gameplay are also top-notch. This makes UnMetal a strong recommendation to play, however, I suggest only playing it when in a certain mood, because stuff is silly throughout. If you feel for something more serious, this will not be the right game to play.
Thanks for reading.
/Thomas
Tom's Gaming Blog 