Crimson Metal

About

Crimson Metal is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Madbox Entertainment and was released on May 4, 2017. It received neutral reviews from players.

In Crimson Metal, play as Adam Crimson, the lone survivor of the Omega squad, and navigate through treacherous cyborg and biological-warfare weapon production facilities. With old-school level design and demanding gameplay that needs quick reflexes, you'll face numerous traps, cyborgs, and mutants on your quest for freedom. This experimental game aims to recreate the challenging and brutal experiences of 90's shooters.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

49%

Audience ScoreBased on 149 reviews

music16 positive mentions

gameplay5 negative mentions

The game captures the old-school FPS vibe with its challenging gameplay and retro graphics, reminiscent of classics like Doom and Quake.
The soundtrack and sound design create an intense atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
Despite its flaws, the game offers a fun and nostalgic experience for fans of 90s shooters, with features like dual-wielding and hidden secrets.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including crashes, long loading times, and poor AI that can shoot through walls.
There is a complete lack of options for adjusting controls, audio, or graphics, making it frustrating for players who prefer customization.
Gameplay can feel clunky and unpolished, with awkward mechanics and inconsistent enemy behavior that detracts from the overall enjoyment.

music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
57%
7%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric qualities and ability to enhance the overall experience, particularly in creating a tense and ominous environment. However, several players express frustration over the lack of options to adjust the volume, noting that the music can be excessively loud and repetitive. Overall, while the soundtrack is often highlighted as a standout feature, its execution and integration into gameplay have drawn criticism.
- “The atmosphere, music.”
- “I love the music (soundtrack) and it really sets the atmosphere for the dark, enemy-filled halls.”
- “The music and sound effects are awesome, the level design is great.”
- “For the first glance it doesn't look bad, the graphics are okay, the music is atmospheric, but soon I've had to realize that it's very trashy and not in a good way.”
- “I know this game was released in 1999, but this game has no setting to reduce sound and the sensitivity; the music is so loud and I can't turn it off.”
- “Just now I quit after a few minutes of play because I literally could not cope with the music anymore.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
70%
17%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its nostalgic throwback to classic FPS titles like Quake and Doom, highlighting its polished mechanics and engaging level design. However, many users criticized it for being plagued by bugs, awkward controls, and a lack of depth, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, while there are moments of enjoyment, the gameplay often falls short due to technical issues and design flaws.
- “Persist and the core gameplay shines through the flaws.”
- “The game is a throwback to the older classics like Quake and Doom but with much better graphics and gameplay.”
- “The interface works, the gameplay is entertaining even without anything specific to do in the game, and it has a level of polish that allowed people to see the potential and have fun with it.”
- “Just goes to show, no matter how long and hard you polish FPS Creator's action gameplay - you'll still end up with a turd.”
- “Filled with bugs, horrible gameplay.”
- “Controls are terrible, gameplay is meh, and the overall sound, art, and design of the game sucks.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
61%
27%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the nostalgic, old-school aesthetic reminiscent of classics like Quake and Doom, while others criticize the visuals as outdated and lacking polish, especially for a title released in 2017. The overall design is described as having a substantial amount of custom artwork, but many users find the enemy models and textures to be subpar, with limited graphical options available. Despite the criticisms, some players enjoy the atmosphere created by the graphics and sound, noting that they fit the game's genre well.
- “The graphics and sound (dark, thumping music and loud gunshots) create an ominous, threatening atmosphere.”
- “The game is a throwback to the older classics like Quake and Doom but with much better graphics and gameplay.”
- “Graphics are nice though, I really do like the choice of weapon designs used; they look clean and pretty.”
- “The enemy models, general textures, and overall visuals of the game are very outdated, even for an indie title, and look like something out of a game from at least 17 years ago.”
- “My experience is that the graphics are mostly horrible (I had to go back and play Firestarter (2004) to get my bearings back), the sound effects, while good sounding, have no distance degradation or direction.”
- “The resolution is locked, graphics are pretty terrible which is strange from a game from 2017; it's not even like it's bad for an aesthetic choice either.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a dark and ominous tone, enhanced by a powerful soundtrack and sound design that evoke nostalgia for classic titles like Quake and Doom. While some players appreciate the gritty and brutal ambiance, others find the execution lacking, describing it as trashy. Overall, the combination of graphics, music, and sound effects successfully creates a moody and immersive experience that resonates with fans of hardcore gaming.
- “The graphics and sound (dark, thumping music and loud gunshots) create an ominous, threatening atmosphere.”
- “I love the music (soundtrack) and it really sets the atmosphere for the dark, enemy-filled halls.”
- “The game has a dark, dismal atmosphere with some elements even taking me by surprise; hearing an enemy grunt in the hall reminded me of Quake 2 on low health and almost out of ammo.”
- “If you like the atmosphere of System Shock 2, fast shooting of Quake 2, blood-soaked hallways and blood-freezing music - Crimson Metal is a glowing recommendation from me.”
- “It feels that the developer tried to bring a dark sci-fi atmosphere, and he did it right!”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and long load times that detract from the overall experience. Many players describe it as feeling unfinished, with glitches affecting gameplay mechanics and AI performance. While some appreciate its nostalgic charm, the overwhelming consensus is that the game suffers from significant stability issues.
- “It occasionally crashes, load times can be slow, and it sometimes glitches out.”
- “Game seems unfinished and buggy.”
- “The long load times, the terrible AI, the clipping, the glitches, it all comes down to FPS Creator!”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The story in the game is generally perceived as minimal and underdeveloped, with many reviewers noting a lack of backstory, voice acting, and a cohesive narrative. While some players appreciate the dark tone and the opportunity to fill in narrative gaps with their imagination, others criticize the basic and slow-paced storytelling. Recent updates have introduced additional story elements and world-building, improving the overall context of the gameplay.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “Overall, Crimson Metal is an enjoyable game to me, just pick-up and play shooting with a dark tone and minimalist story; making my imagination fill in the gaps.”
- “Crimson Metal now runs faster, combat is more fluid with better animations, tighter controls, more ammo in levels and I also noticed subtle world-building with load-screens giving background on the enemies, weapons, and story.”
- “The story is non-existent, and the game's really easy.”
- “There's not really a story, there's no soundtrack, there's not even voice acting.”
- “The story really needs to be fleshed out more in-game; the most I know is from the Steam store page.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting severe frame drops and micro-stuttering, even on high-end systems. Many players find it unplayable at times, with some experiencing frame rates as low as 1 fps on lower-end hardware. Additionally, the lack of adjustable settings further exacerbates performance issues.
- “The lack of settings means you can't alter the performance.”
- “As mentioned, the framerate could use optimization; even with a high-end gaming rig, the game runs at 40-60 fps (locked at 60), which could be improved, though it's still playable.”
- “It's not optimized at all: with a 1050 Ti, it sometimes drops to 1 fps.”
- “The game is fun to play with acceptable levels of difficulty (searching for ammo/health), but it is badly optimized with severe frame drops!”
- “Given the result is micro-stuttering and other stuttering, it gets ugly.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express frustration with the monetization system, particularly regarding intrusive ads that disrupt gameplay and affect controls. There are concerns about the lack of an options menu to manage these ads, leading to a negative impact on the overall gaming experience.
- “Also, advertising your game for having no option menu?”
- “Oh, and don't get me started about new ads with almost no recoil and 98% accuracy, although it is pretty cool to shoot from the...”
- “But I'm not sure what I did, but I could no longer access ads; my shoot button got swapped to my ads button, and I could no longer swap weapons.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its clever and absurd responses to errors, as well as amusing gameplay quirks, such as a quirky exploit involving gun reloading. Players appreciate the unexpected comedic elements that enhance their experience.
- “I thought it was funny as hell to come up with such a ridiculous answer for an error that would have been glossed over if you hadn't directly mentioned it.”
- “I found a funny exploit where if you switch guns after draining your magazine, it automatically reloads the gun, but only half the time.”