There are very, very few games that make me laugh. Humor is usually part of a game, but not part of its core, and that’s exactly the case with UnMetal, a satire on action stories from the 80s and the first steps in certain tactical espionage titles by Francisco Téllez de Meneses. An absurd and silly game that, however, never ceases to entertain with an exploration and combat gameplay typical of a pixelated 2D action adventure.
But, What exactly is UnMetal? The story is about Jesse Fox, a soldier who is incarcerated on a military base for a crime he did not commit. With a rather dark future, Fox decides to use his wits and mostly his fists to escape prison to overcome a series of challenges and enemies that try to stop him and bring him back to his tiny cell. Everything happens from the point of view of Fox, who also informs a military lieutenant about his situation, who tries to understand and accept the truth of what he is conveying, always with a touch of satire from the action films of the 80s, already against the Fox fights against the most bizarre enemies and overcomes challenges in ways that don’t quite match reality.
It’s the kind of story that always makes you laugh. Fox is a character with a throaty voice, the epitome of masculinity, a kind of Stallone or Scwarzenegger with solid snake overtones. Although, in contrast to these action icons, he is very ingenious and always downplays the seriousness of the situation with much, much satire. In addition, it is a good idea for the player to follow the narrative through various. changes decisions that affect the game.
For example, Fox fights a sewer boss, Sewergunk, in the second chapter. This creature is a mass of rubbish that can think but is still intent on killing anything that comes near it. During the boss fight, Fox is asked if the monster also has tentacles and the player has to decide whether he has two, four or six. Depending on what is chosen, the monster changes its attack method. Situations like this are very common and can range from absolutely relevant to the most inconsequential, but always with humor. Every time they pop up, you know you will end up laughing.
While for me the story and narrative are the highlights of UnMetal, the gameplay isn’t particularly groundbreaking. It’s simple and combines exploration and combat to make for a pretty well-rounded experience in the end. You’ll have to navigate relatively small levels, strategically and quietly turn off guards, or avoid getting shot while looting items that you can combine to create weapons and tools to unlock new locations to explore. As if all of that wasn’t enough, there are still plenty of secrets to unravel and the boss fights are really fun, all spiced up with Fox’s clever puns and pranks that he throws to prevent the military lieutenant he’s talking to from getting him Caught. .
Fox uses melee combat and various weapons to take out any guards he wants as well as the bosses. The system is simple, but it rewards the player for eliminating enemies without being detected and has several tools to make the task easier, such as: B. Throwing coins to attract unsuspecting guards. The fight is designed to favor the enemy when they spot Fox, as it is pretty easy to die. In fact, you have to use bandages or the few kits that are available to stop the bleeding and regain life. As the adventure progresses, Fox must find ways to defeat different types of enemies without falling into traps, such as repairing a flamethrower from various pieces of junk. And this in the end forms a game system that is very entertaining and manages to add weight to the exploration without being heavy.
But I have to say that this system that rewards the skilled gamer by killing unsuspecting enemies can be a bit frustrating. It doesn’t matter if you take someone off without them notifying the others, if they sees you in any way you won’t get XP for death so leveling up can be a bit of a hassle. Fortunately, leveling doesn’t do much more than unlock new skills like hitting harder or faster. They are useful, yes, but not essential.
That being said, UnMetal is a really fun game overall. Between this satirical, humorous narrative and the action-packed gameplay, there’s not much that could tarnish the experience. When you consider that it’s impressive in many ways, that it takes anywhere from 8 to 10 hours without counting secrets and collectibles, and that it has pretty solid pixelated graphics, we discover after playing that we’re surprisingly ahead of it one of the best indie games of the year.
