Metal Warriors – A Retro “Review”

I was going to just post links to this game’s soundtrack which is cleary the God of Prog’s gift to the SNES, but I’ll only post two in this otherwise short Retro “Review”, “Preparing for Battle” first and then “Vital Mission” at the end.

When I went to mod my SNES Classic Edition I scoured the console’s sub-reddit for titles I’d never heard of that popped up on more than a few lists of “must add” games, and this was one of them. A side-scrolling shoot-em up in which you control a giant red mech suit and take the fight to Axis, an evil empire and its dastardly troops. There are 9 levels, an amazing soundtrack, and some wonderful animations. Seriously, some of the best SNES animation I’ve ever seen in a game.

Here’s why this is a great title and a worthy addition to any SNES collection, however you may collect games:
-There are multiple suits of armor you can find and commandeer throughout the game, sometimes as a mission requirement, other times you’ll just find them. They all play differently and have their uses, none feel awful.
-As mentioned, the soundtrack is killer.
-Each level has a specific mission, the majority of which is to simply get to the right side of the screen and kill enemies along the way. But when this deviates, it does so with such spectacle. You’ll blast your way into and hijack an enemy ship, sneak into an enemy base and steal a prototype flying mech, you’ll do battle with three large mech worms digging their way through a wrecked city, and more. Each level feels special and no level ever gets boring.
-The game is difficult but fair. If you died, you generally could have done more to prevent it. There are some instances where this isn’t the case, with too many bullets and too many enemies, but there are usually ways to circumvent these situations.
-The bosses are a treat and a visual wonder, most of the time, even if the final boss is a touch too easy.