Metrocide

About

Metrocide is a single-player shooter game, where you step into the shoes of contract killer T.J. Trench in a brutal retro-futuristic city. With a variety of weapons, you must find unique ways to assassinate targets while avoiding cops, drones, and gangs. One mistake will cost you, as there are no respawns – when you're dead, you're dead. Earn cash by completing kills in this cyberpunk-inspired stealth-action game, inspired by classics like Syndicate and Grand Theft Auto.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

53%

Audience ScoreBased on 133 reviews

gameplay21 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game has a unique and interesting premise, combining stealth and assassination mechanics in a cyberpunk setting.
The gameplay is challenging and requires strategic thinking, which can be rewarding for players who enjoy high-stakes rogue-like experiences.
The retro-inspired art style and atmosphere create a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic top-down shooters.

The controls and mechanics are frustratingly imprecise, making it difficult to execute actions smoothly, especially during tense moments.
The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, which can lead to loss of progress and a frustrating experience.
There is a lack of depth and variety in gameplay, leading to repetitive tasks and a feeling of monotony over time.

gameplay
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
59%
10%
The gameplay of Metrocide is a mixed bag, with some players praising its unique stealth mechanics and addictive core loop, while others criticize its flawed controls, steep learning curve, and repetitive missions. The game offers a challenging experience reminiscent of classic top-down shooters, but many find the mechanics unintuitive and the overall execution lacking depth. Despite its potential, the gameplay is often described as frustrating and hindered by technical issues, making it a polarizing experience for players.
- “Unique gameplay is what made me buy this game.”
- “You’ll experience fun gameplay in the futuristic setting where you’re being hunted down by drones and hitmen.”
- “Gameplay is smooth and very enjoyable; I bought it for $5.99 and I'd say the price is more than worth it for this little gem.”
- “The mechanics do not work as explained, are entirely unpredictable, and fundamentally broken.”
- “The game sounds enticing for fans of the genre (stealth or cyberpunk) but the mechanics are incredibly flawed.”
- “Metrocide's gameplay loop simply isn't entertaining.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
68%
14%
The game's story is minimal and revolves around a contract killer tasked with assassinating pedestrians to escape various city locations, with no significant plot development or variety in mission types. Players experience a series of brief comic-style cutscenes that provide little context, and the gameplay primarily focuses on repetitive assassination tasks without much narrative depth. Overall, the story is considered shallow and lacks engagement, serving mainly as a backdrop for the gameplay mechanics.
- “This game is a wonderfully brutal and unforgiving story of a contract killer and his escape from this city.”
- “The story is predominantly outlined in a series of very brief pixellated comic-style cutscenes that appear at the beginning of each level.”
- “The story is fairly shallow, but the cutscenes aren't intrusive and don't impact the gameplay, so they neither add nor detract too much from the experience.”
- “The story is predominantly outlined in a series of very brief pixelated comic-style cutscenes that appear at the beginning of each level.”
- “The plot is nonexistent; apparently, the main character perpetually needs to leave whatever area they're currently in, and there are no other mission types that I'm aware of.”
- “There's no epic plot or wide variety of mission types to do when you get sick of killing randomly selected pedestrians.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the retro-inspired art style and atmospheric cyberpunk aesthetic, while others criticize the visuals as unpolished and reminiscent of outdated games. Many players appreciate the gritty and minimalistic design, which contributes to the game's unique setting, but there are concerns about clarity and detail, leading to a perception of the graphics as a significant drawback. Overall, while the art style has its fans, the execution leaves much to be desired for a modern release.
- “The grainy graphics help to create a dirty cyberpunk metropolis that is astonishingly atmospheric for its unpolished sheen.”
- “Metrocide is a gritty top-down trip into the dystopic streets of an open cyberpunk world of stylish minimal visuals with pulp noir flair, the city around you living and breathing with its own unique population.”
- “While the graphics are pixelated, the city is designed in such a way as to remind one of Blade Runner.”
- “I really dig the GTA2 inspired art style, but sadly this top-down shooter is just too much of a rough draft to recommend.”
- “Horrible controls and horrible graphics so cryptic that you don't understand what the hell is going on.”
- “Graphics are also a bust - the original GTA was released in the 1990s... if you release a game today and don't make any advances on games 25 years old, you gotta take a bit of a look at what you're doing before launching on Steam.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its gritty, cyberpunk aesthetic, characterized by grainy graphics and vibrant neon visuals that evoke a sense of urgency and immersion. While many players appreciate the stylized pixel art and the lively world, some feel that the atmosphere occasionally lacks depth, suggesting that more environmental storytelling could enhance the experience. Overall, the developers are commended for crafting a believable and engaging setting that draws players into its dystopian narrative.
- “The grainy graphics help to create a dirty cyberpunk metropolis that is astonishingly atmospheric for its unpolished sheen.”
- “It reminds me greatly of Hotline Miami, with the weapons, top-down view, and its sometimes trippy atmosphere of neon signs, and the flashing of the police lights, whilst you run for your life (but usually other people's) in this great yet daunting game of what the future may come to be known as.”
- “Very stylized cyberpunk atmosphere and design, which is fun to experience and explore.”
- “You generate the excitement; there's no real atmosphere sometimes, and it seems like such a wasted opportunity.”
- “It reminds me greatly of Hotline Miami, with the weapons, top-down view, and its sometimes trippy atmosphere of neon signs and the flashing of the police lights, whilst you run for your life (but usually other people's) in this great yet daunting game of what the future may come to be known as.”
- “That is how you create a sense of atmosphere, a sense that this world is alive and breathing without your character having to be in it to generate all the excitement, so if you can add more stuff like that, that'd be cool.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The game's music is largely absent, with players noting a lack of a traditional soundtrack and minimal musical elements, aside from a jarring drum solo near nightclubs. Instead, the sound design focuses on ambient effects like rain and city noises, which effectively enhance the dystopian atmosphere. While the sound effects are well-executed, the absence of music leaves a noticeable gap in the overall audio experience.
- “There's no real music, but the noises of the city, the constant sound of the rain, and the occasional advertisement you hear for a fictional in-game product all do a great job to bring the game world to life.”
- “And the music (fitting for the dystopian feel) in the area near some buildings is maybe a bit too loud.”
- “There's really not much in the way of music to talk about, but the sound effects are well done, which is always nice.”
- “There is no music, except for this *deep breath* god awful drum solo that plays when you are in the vicinity of certain nightclubs in the game; and when I mean 'in the vicinity' I am talking about the IRL equivalent of several city blocks.”
- “The game lacks any music or any real human voice-acting, outside of a few sentences broadcasted from a 'radio aircraft'.”
- “There is also no soundtrack at all.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by tedious and repetitive tasks, such as evading police through unengaging mechanics that lack strategic depth. Players find the difficulty to be artificially inflated, leading to a frustrating experience that feels more like a chore than an enjoyable challenge. Overall, the grinding elements contribute to a monotonous atmosphere, detracting from the game's overall appeal.
- “The game quickly becomes tedious without adding any strategy.”
- “For people like me that are both time-constrained, impatient, and rule the kingdom of mediocrity, Metrocide might just be a tad too difficult and tedious.”
- “The game really is 'Nintendo hard' because both the difficulty and the length of the game are artificial, and underneath the tedious trial-and-error, sit-around-and-wait gameplay, there’s really not a whole lot of depth to it.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and unfinished features, leading to a frustrating experience. Despite some enjoyable achievements, the overall impression is that the game feels abandoned and poorly executed, with persistent issues that hinder gameplay.
- “No patches or news from July-August 2015; it's buggy and unfinished.”
- “Game started out nice but turned out to be yet another buggy cash grab that has been abandoned.”
- “The menus are buggy, the game is buggy, it crashed the second time I played it, and every time since then it's just been completely screwed up. No reticle showing, cannot shoot weapon, etc. Maybe I could give a positive review if I actually got to play/enjoy the game, but it's just so poorly done that I never even got that far.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for feeling like a cash grab, with players noting that the humor and advertisements intended to enhance the experience are overshadowed by repetitive sounds and a lack of engaging content. While the in-game advertisements contribute to the world-building, many feel that the overall execution is lacking, leading to a disappointing experience.
- “Game started out nice but turned out to be yet another buggy cash grab that has been abandoned.”
- “Like for instance, at one point in the game whilst I was stalking my target, a large hovercraft (blimp?) flew above me and was spouting advertisements for a brothel for men who think their wives are unfaithful.”
- “More dialogue or advertisements in an otherwise really quiet city would be very much appreciated.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game offers good replayability with engaging art and gameplay, though some players find it repetitive and lacking in variety. While it has enough elements to encourage multiple playthroughs, concerns about its long-term replay value persist.
- “This game is great for playing offline and has tons of good art and really great replay value.”
- “It's a fair price for a good game, and has enough replay value to keep you coming back to try it again.”
- “That is, until I played Metrocide and found out that it is actually a repetitive isometric shooter/stealth game with no variety or replayability to speak of.”
- “The only thing I am worried about is the replayability.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
Overall, the game requires further optimization to accommodate a wider range of systems, though many users report that the initial performance issues experienced at launch have been resolved on their machines.
- “The performance issues the game had at launch are completely resolved on my machine.”
- “It does need some optimization for the variety of systems in the world, so take this as a warning.”
- “The performance issues the game had at launch are gone (on my machine).”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the humor in the game's narrative and mechanics, particularly enjoying moments like unlocking quirky items such as the "lure" at vending machines, which adds a lighthearted touch to their progression.
- “Funny story time: I was one contract away from graduating to the next sector of the city when I unlocked the 'lure' item at the vending machines.”
- “The game's humor is spot on, with witty dialogue and hilarious situations that keep you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the characters have such quirky personalities; their banter is both clever and entertaining!”