Metal: Hellsinger Review – A Rhythmic Symphony Of Destruction

Metal: Hellsinger is clear about what the game is. It’s a love letter for fast-paced, first-person shooters like Doom and an ode to the metal culture. It’s a no-frills shooter that asks, “What if you had to blow bodies to pieces to the beat of a metal album made by genre greats?” It excels at answering that question. It’s not perfect – the bosses are uninspired at times, and it could use an extra dash of variety in combat design – but my criticisms mattered little to my overall enjoyment of my 11-hour playthrough. What the game gets right far outshines what it doesn’t, and the developer, The Outsiders, has created what I hope is just the start of a new FPS franchise set in Hell.

The game’s name is literally Metal. Music plays throughout your experience, whether it’s in the game’s fantastic campaign that takes you through realms of Hell or its trials, which unlock sigils used to strengthen your loadout during the story mode. Trivium, Lamb of God and similar bands are worth it. Metal: Hellsinger will also appeal to fans of tough metal. I gunned down a massive skeletal boss to the beat of a near-operatic song backed by iconic vocals from System of a Down’s Serj Tankian. I ripped through hordes of enemy mobs and behemoth demons to the rhythm of Arch Enemy’s Alissa White-Gluz’s death-metal melodies. The precise, punchy shooting mechanics made it as thrilling as possible.

One of six weapon options allows you to fight hundreds of demons. You can also earn extra damage by firing every bullet with the onscreen metronome. You can increase both your score and damage output by streaks. What’s unique about this streak counter is that each new level adds a new layer to the music track. At 2x, you might hear a bass rumbling and a guitar’s subtle whine, rearing for what’s to come. At 4x the drums could kick in. Hit 8x and the song will roar. Only the vocals remain at 16x.

Streak multiplier pickups placed throughout each stage make it easy to climb up from 2x to 16. It’s still as fun as the first time I did it. It feels like bringing a song to life, like a producer, except you’re doing it with weapons that rip Hell’s demons to pieces.

The Unknown, the Metal: Hellsinger character, is banished into the darkest parts of Hell, where only demons and ice are left. The Unknown progresses from the iciest domains to the fieriest alongside a talking skull voiced by Troy Baker – he brings a southern drawl that matches the game’s almost Western-like tone – all to find and kill The Judge, a slithering ruler losing her grasp on Hell, excellently voiced by Jennifer Hale.

There’s not much else to the game besides this campaign, but that’s okay because what’s there is outstanding. You will be challenged with time trials, which require you to kill enemies in a specific way with certain weapons or methods. There are 9 levels with 21 Torments. There’s also an in-game codex for additional Hell-related information and extras that let you listen to the game’s tracks, but that’s it. Metal: Hellsinger is short and sweet, but it ends at exactly the right time when it reaches the climax of both its story and its built-in metal album.

There are a few minor issues with the game. For example, its Torment trials feel unfair and cheap, or they’re brilliantly designed and almost puzzle-like. The boss and combat designs could also be improved, but those criticisms don’t really matter. My minor complaints were not significant in comparison to the enjoyment I had playing Metal: Hellsinger.

I likely won’t remember my minute frustrations with the game a few months from now, but I will remember “Dissolution,” a Two Feathers track with cathartic vocals from Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork, the realm of Hell known as Nihil, and the way my shotgun obliterated waves of enemies there. I’m so glad Metal: Hellsinger ends with the promise of more to come because I already want more from this series.