Metal Unit

86%
Game Brain Score Based on 942 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Metal Unit Game Cover
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"Metal Unit is a single-player Sci-Fi Role Playing Game with a tragic story of human survivors battling monsters and machines to reclaim their planet. As Joanna, wear the powerful M-Unit suit and get revenge on your traitorous sister. Experience action-packed battles, diverse environments, and a wide range of weapons in this grind-heavy game with sensational replayability and a wonderful soundtrack."

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

86%
Audience ScoreBased on 942 reviews
story166 positive mentions
grinding46 negative mentions
  • Engaging combat system with a variety of weapons and abilities that allows for different playstyles.
  • Charming pixel art and enjoyable character designs, particularly the main character and mecha aesthetics.
  • Decent replay value with a mastery system that encourages experimentation with different weapons and gear.
  • The story is convoluted and poorly executed, with many plot points left unresolved and lacking depth.
  • Some gameplay mechanics, such as dodging and enemy hitboxes, feel inconsistent and can lead to frustrating experiences.
  • The game can become repetitive due to limited enemy variety and static level design, which may detract from long-term enjoyment.
  • story604 mentions

    The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it confusing, disjointed, and lacking depth. While some appreciate its intriguing premise and character writing, others criticize it for being poorly executed, with unresolved plot threads and an unsatisfying ending. Overall, the narrative seems to struggle between being a compelling story and a roguelike experience, leaving players divided on its effectiveness.

    • “A damn good roguelite with an entertaining story.”
    • “The main story is amazing, it gets really emotional at times.”
    • “Great story, fun and fast-paced gameplay, superb music, beautiful art.”
    • “The story is an absolute train wreck but the actual gameplay is solid.”
    • “The plot felt rushed, I didn't have nearly enough time to spend in the game to get invested in this story and setup.”
    • “Numerous plot threads are started that are left unresolved, when they could have stuck to simplicity instead.”
  • gameplay324 mentions

    The gameplay is generally well-received, characterized by tight controls, a fun combat system, and a solid core loop that encourages exploration and gear upgrades. However, many players find it can become repetitive, particularly due to the reliance on roguelike mechanics and a lack of depth in crafting and itemization. While the moment-to-moment action is enjoyable, the overall experience is often marred by poorly explained mechanics and a convoluted inventory system.

    • “Gameplay feels great, controls are tight.”
    • “Such an addictive gameplay loop, and solid fun core mechanics, do not pass it up.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and will definitely hook you for a good few hours.”
    • “But I don't like the repetitive roguelike format here, and having to submerge myself in all these dumb non-gameplay systems, items, and shops that distract from the core action.”
    • “The story is a train wreck, but the actual gameplay is solid.”
    • “The gameplay loop needs more work to make it more varied and enjoyable.”
  • graphics118 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many players praising the pixel art style and vibrant visuals that enhance the overall experience. While some noted inconsistencies in the art style and quality during cutscenes, the game's aesthetic, particularly its anime influences and mech designs, has been well-received. Overall, the graphics are described as clean and appealing, contributing significantly to the game's enjoyment despite some minor critiques.

    • “I love the visuals and the world - the metal units feel exactly as cool as they look.”
    • “The graphics are great, and I love the pixel art.”
    • “The graphics are incredibly clean and the controls are extremely tight.”
    • “However, when I first cranked up the game, I was really put off by the graphic style.”
    • “The overall gameplay and mechanics seem fine from my brief time with it, but it commits a cardinal sin when it comes to pixel graphics: inconsistent pixel size.”
    • “You can tell that they definitely referenced or even traced off of other games, resulting in a very mismatched art style.”
  • music86 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its fitting and immersive quality, enhancing the overall atmosphere without being intrusive. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, with requests for a downloadable soundtrack option due to its appeal. While some mention occasional inconsistencies, the general consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's enjoyment and complements its art and gameplay effectively.

    • “The music fits with the game scenery; if you're looking for a platformer that plays well with some rogue-lite elements, I'd say this is worth the money!”
    • “Every song fits in really well to whatever atmosphere it's put into, and I couldn't keep myself from bouncing back and forth in my chair whilst traipsing through each area.”
    • “Great story, fun and fast-paced gameplay, superb music, beautiful art.”
    • “Art design and music are both competent but could do more to sell the setting.”
    • “The music is fine but not memorable at all.”
    • “Why have I spent so many hours playing this indie game that feels amateurish, somewhat incomplete, has strange choices in music, repetitive and frustrating puzzles?”
  • replayability48 mentions

    The game's replayability is generally viewed as decent, bolstered by features like New Game+ modes, achievements, and various challenges that encourage multiple playthroughs. While some players find the replay value somewhat artificial or limited due to a lack of deeper mechanics, others appreciate the rogue-like elements, random generation, and combat variety that keep the experience fresh. Overall, many reviewers highlight that despite its short length, the game offers enough engaging content to warrant several runs.

    • “After the story, there is still lots of replayability with achievements, unlockables, and challenges, and even really powerful accessibility toggles if you want to experience the game at a varying level of difficulty - all the way from immortality to simply increasing your damage.”
    • “Somewhat short, really only has 3 main levels, but the rogue-like elements and the huge variety of enemies, bosses, and weapons is impressive and makes sections easily replayable without getting stale too fast.”
    • “I was initially just interested in clearing the game, and I did so after ~4 hours, but it had such great replay value that I started a new file on the harder difficulty and have played it for 16 hours now.”
    • “Surprisingly low replay value for the amount of content.”
    • “However, there isn't really anything in the game to support much replayability.”
    • “There are also no other mechanics like 'boons,' in-depth customization, purposefully making runs harder, or even procedural generation to help increase replayability.”
  • grinding46 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is generally viewed as tedious and repetitive, with players feeling that it detracts from the story and overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the power gains from grinding and the crafting system, many find the lack of randomly generated content and the high HP of bosses make the experience feel monotonous. Overall, the game struggles to balance its story-driven elements with the grindy mechanics typical of the genre, leading to frustration for players who prefer a more streamlined experience.

    • “Game feels torn between being a story-based platformer and a grindy roguelike; it would've been better sticking to one or the other as neither is properly fleshed out.”
    • “However, for a game in which so much grinding is necessary to complete the permanent character progression paths (the weapon mastery system, weapon collection system, and upgrade system), they unfortunately fail to make it interesting to replay biomes, because the rooms are not randomly generated.”
    • “In some sense, the loss of all of your items upon death should discourage excessive farming, but what I found is that it created a frustrating choice: either rush into the next boss/area without preparing as much as you could have, losing everything if you fail, or farm the same few regions continually first, which gets boring fast.”
  • humor12 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding the story and characters to be hilariously over-the-top, particularly through the use of anime tropes. Customization options, such as sprite changes, contribute to the comedic experience, while quirky facial expressions enhance the overall humor. Overall, players describe the game as consistently funny and enjoyable.

    • “Dammmmmmn this game is hilarious.”
    • “The characters and the story are hilariously over-the-top anime tropes, but that makes the game even more enjoyable.”
    • “I read someone's review about some of the facial expressions being weird, and some of them are, but they add to the overall humor of the game, I think.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    The game features a touching and emotionally resonant story that resonates deeply with players, evoking strong feelings at various points. However, some reviewers found the emotional dialogue between characters to be overly frequent and out of place, detracting from its impact. Overall, the narrative and character development are highly praised, with many players recommending the game for its emotional depth.

    • “The main story is amazing, it gets really emotional at times.”
    • “The game is easy to follow and the story is very touching.”
    • “Made me feel the same as I did when I first played SOTN, absolutely adore the story and characters, I recommend it!”
  • character development8 mentions

    Character development in the game is noted for its appealing designs and smooth mechanics, but it suffers from underdeveloped subplots and missed opportunities for deeper character arcs, particularly with the character Hana, who is abruptly sidelined. While the aesthetic and animations are praised, the narrative leaves players wanting more substantial growth and resolution for the characters.

    • “The character designs in the overworld and in the cutscenes are good, the movement and dodge mechanics feel smooth and enjoyable to use, and all of the weapon designs and animations are of good quality, making the weapons fun to use.”
    • “Love the mecha musume character designs.”
    • “The character designs are reminiscent of Korean style, which brings to mind the characters in 'My Little Fantasy - Healing RPG'.”
    • “It felt like there were subplots being created that never got to see the light of day; Hana almost got character development but was abruptly cut off, leaving us with a disappointing ending.”
    • “The character designs are pretty much Korean style as well, which reminds me of the characters in 'My Little Fantasy - Healing RPG'.”
    • “While the character designs in the overworld and cutscenes are visually appealing, the actual character development feels lacking and underexplored.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The optimization in the game has been criticized for undermining the roguelite experience, as players can quickly achieve their ideal builds through mastery points, diminishing the sense of challenge and progression typically associated with the genre. This has led to a perception that the game's mechanics are poorly balanced, making the roguelite elements feel less meaningful.

    • “A roguelite gives you the ability to progress in the game, die, and then keep something after your death so you can feel like you earned something for your performance. However, when you can easily achieve your ideal build (minus the falconie gear slot) after gaining enough mastery points (which doesn't take very long, by the way), it makes the roguelite aspect feel pointless.”
    • “- Poor optimization”
    • “- Poor optimization”
  • stability4 mentions

    Users report significant stability issues, particularly during streaming, where the game can freeze and requires a hard reset to exit. However, aside from these freezing problems, most players have encountered few bugs, mainly limited to minor visual glitches.

    • “My computer freezes up during a stream in such a way that the game is still 'active' but I can't exit out or do anything except to hard reset.”
    • “For being an EA game, I have not run into many bugs, just visual glitches here and there.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting that the music complements the environment perfectly, enhancing the overall experience. Players often find themselves fully immersed, enjoying the dynamic and engaging settings as they explore.

    • “I noted quite a few times where I would soak in the atmosphere.”
    • “Every song fits in really well to whatever atmosphere it's put into, and I couldn't keep myself from bouncing back and forth in my chair whilst traipsing through each area.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
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Play time

9hMedian play time
9hAverage play time
7-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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