The original Metal Gear was released back in 1987 for the MSX2 and NES and served as an introduction to the Hideo Kojima experience. While it would later be overshadowed by its sequel series, Metal Gear Solid, the impact that it had in popularizing the stealth game genre cemented its place in the memories of gamers from that time period. UnMetal is the rather straightforward title of developer @epic_fran and publisher Versus Evil’s humorous take on this storied game franchise.
Opening on an interrogation, the story of UnMetal is told by its protagonist, Jesse Fox, who finds himself in military custody shortly after escaping from a strange prison where he was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. The entire game is stylized to be his somewhat dubious recollection of events, complete with near constant narration and 4th wall breaking that nitpicks the details and contradictions that arise. The story is a parody of its source material through and through, but as a decidedly good parody, the mockery on display is equal parts affectionate and compelling. With that said, knowledge of Metal Gear titles is not required to have a fun time, as the story shines on its own merits.
Anyone even tangentially familiar with Metal Gear will feel right at home with UnMetal’s gameplay. The top-down view and stealth mechanics feel as if they were ripped straight from Kojima’s classic work. The game’s items and inventory puzzles also invoke this nostalgia with the way that they allow for some level of creativity in their usage.
Fortunately, inspired imitation is not all that UnMetal has to offer. It provides its own twist on the genre’s conventions through some narrative quirks. This includes using the subjective nature of Jesse’s memories to allow the player to alter certain aspects of their journey in order to fit their playstyle, or the player being forced to use some of their limited health kits to heal enemies that they use lethal force on thanks to Fox’s insistence that he will not kill because he’s not an assassin. These things add just enough variety to the proceedings while simultaneously working well enough with the established tropes that it ends up creating a unique-feeling experience.
While the subjectivity of humor can lead some to be wary of parodies like this, it is safe to say that UnMetal’s writing does not fall into the most common traps of the style. It never feels like jokes are being forced for their own sake , and the story takes itself just seriously enough that when it does get embellished for comedic effect, it still feels somewhat grounded. Perhaps UnMetal’s best trick is that it keeps the vast majority of its humor out of the moment-to-moment gameplay, which allows the player to repeatedly be blindsided by the occasional bouts of levity that they find while navigating the sometimes genuinely difficult levels.
It’s a hard task to create something that pays homage to a beloved work, as no matter what happens it will always be compared to that original piece, often unfavorably. Against these odds, UnMetal manages to straddle the line of being both a parody and an exceptional example of a top-down stealth game more than able to stand up to such scrutiny. While the game’s inspirations are obvious, it’s the fact that it also stands out on its own merits which makes it special and worth playing for anyone longing for a retro experience or clever, enjoyable writing.
UnMetal was released on September 28th, 2021 for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Screen Rant was provided a digital Steam key for the purposes of this review.