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 and Lamb of God are two of the many bands that Metal: Hellsinger has to offer. 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. This was possible due to the precise and powerful shooting mechanics.

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. Your damage output and score modifier will increase with 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. The drums could kick in around 4x. Hit 8x and the song will roar. Only the vocals remain at 16x.

The streak multiplier pickups scattered throughout the stage made it easier to climb from 2x-16x. It was just as thrilling as when it first happened. 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 is the Metal: Hellsinger playable character. He has been banished to Hell’s deepest regions, where only lowly demons and ice remain. 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. Nine levels have 21 related Torments. These will put you through your paces with time trials. You must kill certain enemies using particular weapons and techniques. 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.

Although I do have minor complaints about the game (such as its Torment trial trials which feel either unfairly designed or cheaply made), and its boss/combat design which is largely repetitive, these criticisms are not significant enough to be worth commenting. My small critiques did not matter to my enjoyment of 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.