Metal Mind is a single-player, rogue-lite, bullet hell game in which you play as an awakened robot with a mind of its own. You must embark on a journey in search of the liberation of all robots from the strings of humanity that bind them. You will build your robot, fight all kinds of other robots with a plethora of weaponry and attacks, and destroy all the overlords enslaving your fellow robots.
Rouge-lites and rouge-likes are amongst my favorite genres of games. And, like most guys, I love robots. Combine the two, andâŠwell, letâs find out.
Metal Mind starts by asking if youâd like a tutorial. It is optional, but you most definitely should. The gameâs mechanics are a little confusing at first, but theyâre learnable after a little bit. For each run, you start with the same loadout thatâs based on which robot you selected. You only have the standard robot at t the beginning of the game, but you can purchase four other starting robots as you progress. The beginning equipment is nowhere near the best, but you will find new equipment in each run.
The gameplay can be frustrating, but once you get the hang of the controls, itâs more or less just difficult. Even after you learn the controls, the game never really gets easier; itâs most definitely a bullet hell. A way to change the difficulty to an easy mode would be welcome for players trying to learn how to play and are newer to this type of game.
The map layout and all of the loot and drops from each run are randomized. There are also random portals that can appear after you complete any room. These portals allow you to play random minigames, earn different gear, or even lose different gear. You never know which one youâre going to get though, so itâs a nice breath of air in each run when a portal appears. Unfortunately, while the rooms are in different spots with each run, they are always the exact same room. This means the exact same enemies and the exact same layoutâthe loot drops are all that changes in each run and room. This gameplay loop leaves a lot to be desired, especially when it comes to rouge-lite and rouge-like games.
The visuals are where Metal Mind excels. The game is in a 32-bit art style thatâs really well done. The backgrounds and models for each robot and room are expertly made, and donât even get me started on every different weapon and its unique projectiles and animations. Almost everything about the art of the game makes it look impeccable.
The sound isnât exactly at the same as the visuals and art though. The sound effects are pretty good and they sound pretty well suited to the gameâs environment. For the music, however, there is one song that plays on repeat. Thatâs it. It gets repetitive really quickly and isnât great at immersing you into the game.
Last, but not least, is a bug that sometimes just soft-locks you whenever you open the settings menu. It happened to me at random times whenever I opened the settings, forcing me to close and reopen the game. Getting soft-locked in most games isnât bad, as you can just reload a save, In rouge-likes and rouge-lites, however, this is very different. Since you can never have the exact same run every time you play, it can be really frustrating having to restart and lose all of your progress on your run.
Overall, Metal Mind isnât the worst rouge-lite Iâve played, but it most certainly isnât the best. And until they fix the soft locking issue, I wouldnât recommend buying the game unless itâs on sale.
