It’s undeniable that 2016’s Doom was one of the most influential games of the last decade, not only due to its fantastic gameplay, but also how it basically revived a subsection of first-person shooters focused specifically on fast-paced combat, fluid movement, and a lesser emphasis on precise aiming and positioning. People like to call them “boomer shooters”, but I still refuse to adhere to this dumb terminology, even when the developers themselves decide to call their game a part of this subgenre. With that out of the way, let’s talk about Metal Eden, a more modern cyberpunk-styled shooter, but one that wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for Doom‘s retro-styled approach to FPS design.

I’m kinda fed up with cyberpunk aesthetics, but Metal Eden ain’t an ugly game.

Just be aware that, despite the title name and the aforementioned Doom influence, Metal Eden is not a shooter in the vein of Metal: Hellsinger. It’s not an adrenaline-fueled heavy metal extravaganza. The “Metal” in its title is more of a nod to its futuristic, cyberpunk setting, where humanity has left Earth for the prospect of a better life elsewhere. In order for humans to be shipped to another planet, their consciousnesses were stored into small cores, and transported inside machines and computers.

I am not going to dive deep into the plot further, but you can already imagine some of the shenanigans that will ensue, all related to tech, a dystopian future, what makes humans human, the whole Ghost in the Shell schtick. To be fair, the biggest issue with Metal Eden is how uninteresting its story is. It doesn’t help that most of the game’s (extensive amount of) dialogue is limited to an AI talking to the bland toast of a protagonist you play as. I got tired of those dialogue exchanges pretty quickly. What really makes the game feel enjoyable, at the end of the day, is its gameplay.

You can’t call yourself a “boomer shooter” and not have a powerful shotgun. Thankfully, Metal Eden has one.

What we’re really here for is some pretty impressive, fast-paced running and gunning. Metal Eden is clearly influenced by Doom‘s frantic combat and lack of emphasis on proper aiming and being on the move at all times. Whilst there is weapon reloading for a share of your arsenal, your starting weapon, a rifle, has infinite ammo, just relying on an overheat meter you gotta pay attention to. It is more than enough to keep the pace going whenever you’re thrown into a combat section. The game’s (decent) level design is basically comprised of corridors with parkour-esque challenges, rail sections where a ton of exposition is dumped at you, and enclosed arenas. Reach the arena, you can’t leave until you kill every robot on sight, which will show up in waves.

The combat is augmented by the possibility of literally tearing an enemy’s core (its “heart”, basically) with a magnetic pull, which then allows you to either throw it as a grenade, or actually consume it as a health pickup. Of course, this core tearing mechanic can’t be used as frequently as a Doom Glory Kill, but it adds a slightly layer of strategy to your arsenal. Should I focus on being aggressive with my core grenades, or should I use it as an opportunity to heal myself? It’s not particularly deep or revolutionary, or even hard to pick up and understand, but it works quite well. That’s what really matters.

Frantic, fast-paced combat. It’s not a novel concept, but it’s done right.

In fact, “not revolutionary, but it works” might as well be Metal Eden‘s overall tagline. Even if the art style is stale, the story is nothing special, and the combat doesn’t feel like it’s reinventing the wheel, it’s got a pretty solid gameplay loop, a really fun mixture of Doom-esque shooting with parkouring, and pretty decent level design. In no moment did I feel like I was playing the next big thing, but I wasn’t bored at all. I had fun with it from beginning to end, and can easily recommend it. If it had even less emphasis on storytelling, then it would have been even better.

Metal Eden is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X and PC.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of Metal Eden was provided by the publisher.