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Recentaction - roguelikeMetal Unitreally want to be the next try out - and - exit - again obsession and project enough item and weapon system at players to make it seem up to the task . With some playfulness mixing - ups and diversionary challenge , it ’s definitely the type of roguelike that seems exciting in its first hours , but visual design bloat and an overwritten narrative drag out its hard quality down . Still , for some light - fare mech nonsense with becoming post - game treats that lengthen its value , Metal Unithas enough going for it to make for a few fun afternoons of screen door - glade action .
First matter first , though : anyone who miss the appetite or longanimity for cheesecakeanime girlswill probably turnMetal Unitoff after the first few aspect . The secret plan and its lustreless narration are in no way sexually charged beyond the images themselves , but these are fiercely front - loaded ; the pause screen itself showcases an animated view of main character reference Joanna coquettishly present her heaving chest in motion . Again , it ’s a strictly optic promissory note , with the translated narrative housing a miscellany of other non - scintillating anime trope , but this still come off as tone deaf and potentially awless to some of the biz ’s audience .
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Metal Unitfunctions as a 2D platformerwith a roguelike complex body part , and Joanna ’s mech Unit 11 traverses a set of multi - stage biomes , each accentuate by campsite breathing space and an goal - level boss . At each of these bite - sized stages - of which there can be 20 or so in a given field - players have the fortune to pick up a piece of gear , a few amber coin , some " core crystal " permanent upgrade currency , or tangle with secrets and light puzzler . While the biome themselves are quite extended , a good mixture of activities and hole keeps players busy , even though degree and enemy layouts are static throughout .
When not traversing these country ( or after conk out in them ) , the Sun Tail Base hub arena let Joanna to visit shop and utter to NPCs . Again , a nice bit of variety here affords ablacksmith for craft , store for potion and randomized items , a synthesis NPC which combines items a laPower Stone , and even a extra semi - secret storage field where gear can be banked for later runs . dependable to roguelike fashion , Metal Unitstrips players of their gear and gold after death , though a replenishing amount of arm , armour , and special point can be find at a cabinet near Joanna ’s room in the hub .
There are seven full slots which can be fastened with bespoke pieces of cogwheel , like a projectile weapon , armour piece , or special ultimate proficiency ; even Joanna’scute robot companioncan wield any projectile weapon . Gaining XP with these arm and dismantle up allows the player to secure them in an arsenal for later runs , and there are a mix of monolithic swords , whips , daggers , and even more unusual weapons like drones and barrage missile rocket launcher . Unfortunately , the amount of visual dissonance during some of the more explosive armaments makes someMetal Unitscreens altogether unreadable , often leading to unavoidable damage .
Metal Unitinitially seems to have a diverse item pool , but it make for a double - edge sword ; wide diversity leads to certain primal drop curtain being all - powerful , and bad run where nothing OP falls from a chest feel doomed , specially after the challenge stiletto heel in the game ’s third orbit . There ’s also short in the way of effective item synergies , something which is , by this point , part of the lifeblood ofthe good action - roguelikes .
There ’s also very pitiable feedback to the action , with plenty of sentence expend learning how to respond to storm damage or which enemy projectiles most easily blend into the background . WhileMetal Unit’spixel artistic production is quite strongfor its characters and most enemies , blander backgrounds easily blend into these sprites , making the complete ocular experience much too flat . Certain biomes do better than others in this regard , and player movement otherwise has a weightless but merry and reactive feel .
Metal Unitdoesn’t have the mechanically skillful trinket and character of something likeSkul : The Hero Slayeror the precise feel ofEnter the Gungeon , but it does have a long listing of colorful weapons to try out out and some interesting hugger-mugger challenge to return to after completion . At its cost point , there ’s more than enough to satiate a roguelike sports fan with nothing else on their home base , butMetal Unitlacks the fundamentals to raise it closer to the top of the roguelike heap .
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Metal Unitis available now on Steam for PC , with an expect passing on Nintendo Switch to come . A digital PC computer code was provided to Screen Rant for the intent of this review .
