cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ninja/post/55317

Metal: Hellsinger arrives on the main stage with a rhythm-based rampage through the fiery depths of Hell, melding Doom and heavy metal music. Despite the enjoyable heathen-seeking headshots and headbanging that accompanies the game, the short duration of roughly four hours and its limited features and content are a letdown. It features a sparse story narrated by voice actor Troy Baker, portraying our character, The Unknown, seeking vengeance through eight levels of Hell. The underworld imagery is quite striking but the narration often lacks a lighter, comedic tone to counterbalance the serious stretches of demon decimation.

The game’s soundtrack includes a blend of styles from infectiously melodic anthems to higher-intensity modern metal tracks. However, those longing for old-school classic metal or early '80s thrash might be left disappointed. Yet, standout vocal performances from contemporary metal maestros, such as Trivium’s Matt Heafy and Serj Tankian from System of a Down, add a compelling dimension to the game. Unlike Doom, “Metal: Hellsinger’s” bone-crushing musical accompaniments serve as your conductor in this symphony of destruction, where timing your attacks with the double-kicked drum beats increases your Fury multiplier, adding an exhilarating crescendo to the carnage.

The game’s enemy waves are strategically staggered throughout each level to maintain your momentum. A mix of weak grunts and powerful monsters with abilities that can upset your rhythm present a challenge that keeps you on your toes. However, the weapons arsenal leaves a lot to be desired. It is not as extensive as its enemy types and lacks upgrades or modifications. The arsenal includes a default sword for melee attacks, a skull that fires underpowered projectiles, a primary and secondary weapon from a limited range of just four options: a shotgun, dual-wielded six-shooters, an explosive crossbow, and a pair of boomerang-like blades.

Metal: Hellsinger offers additional challenges called Torments upon conquering each of the eight Hells. These optional arena fights come with devilish twists, shaking things up and encouraging adaptation of your combat strategy. Completing them earns you sigils that can be equipped in the main levels. They provide valuable buffs, crucial for those serious about scaling the game’s high score leaderboards. However, they do not particularly change how you play the game and are not required to beat the campaign.

Although striving for high score supremacy can incentivize replaying the game, the linear, structurally similar environments and lack of secrets or collectibles limit the replay value. Aside from the final boss, end level bosses are just slight variations of the same winged demon design, making the encounters increasingly stale with each subsequent appearance. Although Metal: Hellsinger is a rhythmic riff on the metal-propelled mayhem of modern Doom, it falls short in providing a meaty first-person shooter campaign, lacking variety in weapons and boss fights, and missing other major modes or multiplayer, making it feel slim when compared to similarly priced games. Nevertheless, it serves as a stirring tribute in the demon-slaying shoot 'em up genre.