Metal: Hellsinger Review

Is it the profound hope of most game developers to allow their players to embody a specific avatar?

The common “joke” with Marvel’s Spider-Man was that it let players “feel like Spider-Man” in one form or another. And you know what? It’s true. I’m never going to web sling through New York City and Insomniac’s blockbuster allowed me to live out that particular fantasy. Whether an elite soldier, a sad dad in Silent Hill, a space marine, or an Italian plumber, games allow us to exist as something or someone else.

Metal: Hellsinger is one of the only times I’ve embodied a concept.

That concept? A heavy metal album cover.

You’re going to see this sentiment plastered over countless reviews for Metal: Hellsinger simply because it is a statement of fact, not opinion.

When you see a Van Gogh painting in real life, you may be able to transport yourself temporarily in the mindset of that troubled, fantastical mind. Watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy and you’re practically walking along with the Fellowship.

As I sit here and try to envision the cover of a metal album, the only thing I see are visions colored by Metal: Hellsinger.

While I cannot call myself a fan of the genre by any stretch of the imagination, my thirty-plus years in this world have exposed me to a crushing amount of musical genres. Metal and its heavy variety is one of the many I’ve spent little time absorbing. But from bands like Metallica or Judas Priest, I recognize some of the mainstream names. From Guitar Hero I’ve been exposed to Lamb of God and Mastodon. The incomprehensible vocals, the sludgy guitar riffs, and the booming drums are a few of the hallmarks I’ve come to recognize from the genre at large.

Metal: Hellsinger is an invigorating way to approach not only metal music education but a gaming concept. Rhythm games are not extinct but have grown into fascinating experiments over time. Beat Saber, Thumper, and Crypt of the Necrodancer are a handful that bend the concept in ways that aren’t merely replicating songs with plastic instruments. Metal: Hellsinger won’t be the last rhythm-based FPS but it has certainly made a significant dent in the space for years to come.

Encapsulating the “metal album cover” concept, Metal: Hellsinger tasks players to embody a demon on a revenge mission through the bowels of Hell. One of the most discernible aspects of the story is that Troy Baker narrates the action using his signature Southern drawl accent. It gives The Unknown–the player character–and her journey to regain her stolen voice from The Red Judge, a tinge of Wild West flair.

But the story often takes a moderate backseat to the gameplay. More importantly, Metal: Hellsinger‘s narrative gives players the backdrop to hellacious landscapes infested with any number of disgusting demon. This Hell is constructed out of broken cliffsides and ancient temples often housed near pools of molten lava and unyielding pyres of flame. Dead, ice-covered plains and sand-covered cities add a bit more variety to the world.

There is a sense of familiarity that streaks through each new level. In the midst of the heavy action, the distinct feeling of “being in Hell” pervades Metal: Hellsinger and the fiery levels and demonic mosaics may become slightly repetitive. Combat arenas are carved out efficiently and usually offer brief “wow” moments when stringing together frequent kills. Thankfully, the enemy variety, though focused on fleshy, fanged baddies, has a roster of enough vermin that players are able to identify what threats are in sight and how to approach them each time.

That Wild West in Hell aesthetic is only amplified by the fact that The Unknown is a dual-pistol, gunslinging, sword-wielding, three-eyed demon with wings. You would be mistaken in the heat of shooting to think you were temporarily playing DOOM (2016) or DOOM Eternal. Aiming down the sights is for chumps, any weapon kicks like a horse, and stunned bad guys can be slaughtered for health. The Unknown’s fantastical arsenal also consists of a crossbow, thrown scythes, a flaming skull that shoots fireballs, and a crunchy shotgun. Each weapon also features an ultimate attack that can be unleashed when building up a gauge.

While it may seem limited for a shooter, each instrument of death is crucial in its implementation of the rhythm-based combat that carries the game.

But before diving into that synergy, it’s important to focus on the music fueling the fire.

Metal: Hellsinger’s music if composed by Two Feathers members Elvira Björkman and Niklas Hjertberg. I’ve no idea who they are and it absolutely doesn’t matter. The soundtrack destroys any expectations because the infusion of both gameplay and OST feed off of each other. Drums hit hard, vocals claw your ears or soar into the heavens, and the guitar and bass riffs shred with the heat of Hell’s fire.

You don’t have to be a fan of the metal genre to appreciate Metal: Hellsinger but if you absolutely oppose the style, I can’t say how much the game is going to appeal to you. Each track in the game is tailored to a level and the names featured are likely a dream to fans and will entice them to play. Metal: Hellsinger features names like Serj Tankian from System of a Down, Matt Heafy of Trivium, Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity, Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, Alissa White-Gluz from Arch Enemy, and Tatiana Shmailyuk of Jinjer.

That’s a long list of names that I only know two of. And I couldn’t tell you which level their vocals are featured in, except for Serj, of course. Again, though, I can’t say it mattered because what Metal: Hellsinger does is make this music intrinsic to the experience and its own reward to hear.

At its core, Metal: Hellsinger is a score-based shooter. The longer players go without being hit and the longer they stay on beat, the higher their multiplier will climb, rewarding higher scores.

The core beat of each song is measured across the center of the screen with tick marks that pulse to the beat. Players are meant to shoot and attack enemies constantly to the beat of the song. A sword slash here, a critical blow there. Each weapon actually has its own timing that players need to master. Pistols need to be fired faster to keep with the speedier vocals and guitars. The shotgun is meant to be blasted a bit slower, hitting along with big drum notes and the start of a new riff.

Keeping in tune with the music and mastering the beat can take a bit of time. Partially this is because nailing such perfect timing is going to take input lag mitigation from wireless controls and devices. Metal: Hellsinger has a few settings players can work with to sync up the visuals, controls, and audio and it works fairly well. But one issue I had with the game and its beat is similar to the problems I would have with Guitar Hero or Rock Band. On the easiest difficulty, players aren’t expected to keep time with almost every beat of the song, meaning there’s less inputs required. However, this means you’re playing along with the song a lot less, disengaging from the essence of what makes Metal: Hellsinger fun. Yet on harder difficulties, enemies hit harder and can kill you quicker. It’s not the easiest thing to juggle but I usually defaulted to more difficult settings so I could enjoy the music and gameplay synergy better.

As players begin to understand how this system works, fancier tricks begin to rear their head. There are periods where enemies don’t appear or players might be searching for a straggler. Rather than let the combo meter deplete, players can equip the flaming skull and shoot it along with the beat, maintaining the combo and keeping you in the groove of the track. Soon enough, I recognized the power of equipping the shotgun, shredding an enemy with a blast to the beat, waiting a breath, and triggering the health-rewarding melee. While the guns have clips and must reload, ammo is infinite. But there is a delicate game in figuring out when to reload and when to simply switch to a new weapon to avoid missing a beat.

The reward for keeping time with Metal: Hellsinger‘s songs isn’t just a simple score mechanic. Dashing, reloading, and keeping up that combo with perfectly timed shots means bullets and attacks are going to do the maximum amount of damage and enemies will go down faster.

But building that combo also causes each metal track to swell in complexity. With no combo, you’re hearing a few simple notes. Start nailing shots and a bass line might trickle through. Once a combo is fully maximized, the song blares with all its power. The layered vocals pick up every instrument cascades in, surging with energy. It can be a little annoying to be rewarded with the full track playing, only to take damage and lose that momentum because it is significantly easier to time hits when you’re keeping the beat to a full song. More importantly, the world reacts to this budding success. Sparks and flames shoot out from the floors, torches blaze stronger, enemies glow and pulse.

In Metal: Hellsinger, the music reacts to the gameplay and vice versa. It declares metal music as a conquering, all-consuming force. Sweeping my way through Hell with a maximum combo and my speakers blaring out the OST is one of my favorite gaming moments of 2022 undoubtedly.

Metal: Hellsinger is a triumphant, visceral take on rhythm-based games and first-person shooters. Despite some extra challenge modes outside the main campaign, the joy is unfortunately over far too short. But the groundwork for this evocative shooter is one that other developers won’t be able to ignore. You don’t have to be a fan of metal music to appreciate this complex, brilliant title.