From the early days of Guitar Hero, there has been a close connection between rhythm games and metal music. The shrieking guitars and pounding drums that make up the genre combine with the over the top aesthetic and gestures in a perfect pairing. Now that the phase of plastic instruments has seemingly come to an end, developers are looking for new ways to present this winning combination. Metal: Hellsinger is the latest game to blend FPS action with a driving beat.
There is a clear central storyline in Metal: Hellsinger; a story that sees the Unknown (the player character) fight her way through Hell to confront the Red Judge, the demon that stole her voice. Along the way the Unknown meets a very vocal skull named Paz who accompanies her on her quest for revenge and narrates everything that happens. Paz is voiced by the ubiquitous Troy Baker who gives a great performance and imbues the whole story with a gravelly gravitas, while the Red Judge being played by the equally talented Jennifer Hale. The voice work manages to stand up to the soundtrack – no mean feat in a game like this – and helps the story build up to a suitable crescendo, although it is a shame that the presentation is relatively static.
Right from the very start of the game, the driving force is clearly the music. There’s thematic similarities to BPM, but compared to that title’s more restrictive approach to a rhythm FPS, Metal: Hellsinger feels more organic and fun. Missing the beat when shooting doesn’t mean that you misfire, but instead that the shot does less damage and you may lose a high scoring streak. This gives everything a far more arcadey feel, with the bulk of replayability coming from chasing a higher and higher score.
There are leaderboards for every level that help to show your progress and provide incentives to do better and the user interface makes it clear when you make a mistake. This aspect of replayability is welcome, as the game itself is quite short at 6-8 hours. This feels pretty spot-on in terms of game length and mechanics.
The world of Hellsinger is a fantastic entry in the growing genre of Hellscapes. Levels and enemies have taken clear influence from Doom, and there is a decent amount of verticality to negotiate and exploit to your advantage. As well as Doom, I found the approach and aesthetic to be reminiscent of the Darksiders games, and would love a crossover where The Unknown joins the Horsemen in an adventure. Playing on PS5, the framerate was smooth and the lighting highly effective, with lava pools and ghostly lanterns along the way. I found aiming on pad responsive once I’d fiddled with the default sensitivity, though mouse and keyboard is always my preferred control scheme for FPS games.
As with all rhythm games, the real heart of Hellsinger is in the soundtrack. All of the music tracks are original compositions for the game – a great decision so streamers can avoid DMCA takedowns – but feature vocals from some big names in the harder end of metal. The music itself will appeal to fans of heavier sounds, but isn’t too extreme to turn off those who don’t usually listen to the genre. When playing, the music starts off as just the rhythm section and builds up in increments as you successfully take out enemies. When you reach a 16x multiplier, the vocals kick in and elevate the experience, both in terms of the feel of the game and the atmosphere of action. There are moments when the soaring (if often guttural) vocals kick in and really nail the sense of being in the zone.
There’s range of unlockable weapons to use when shooting to the beat and battling the minions of the Red Judge. You begin with Paz himself, who is able to fire low powered bolts of energy, useful for building up hit streaks or keeping a streak going between fights, and a sword named Terminus that requires you to get up close and personal. As you progress through the Hells, you’ll find a shotgun, some iconic six-shooters and other weapons that I’ll leave unspoiled. Once unlocked, you can choose two firearms to accompany Paz and Terminus, enabling you to set up a loadout that suits your approach. With each weapon having its own rhythm to match, you’ll have to balance accuracy with damage potential to find the best fit.
Aside from the central narrative, there are a series of challenges called Torments that unlock as you go through the levels. These are arena-based fights that force you to take specific approaches, whether it’s not being able to heal or random weapon choices, and these provide an extra level of challenge. You’re rewarded with powerful Sigils if you meet the highest target, providing passive boosts to factors such as your hit streak or Ultimate meter (needed to use each weapon’s powerful special attack) and add a good strategic aspect to your in-game loadout.
