UnMetal Preview: Heavy On The Comedy
If you’ve seen the short film Kung Fury and played the Metal Gear series, then you have an idea what to expect from UnMetal. A parody of everything that is 80s action cinema, and you’ve been arrested for a crime you did not commit.
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This preview is a little different to the rest of the Steam Next Fest as I managed to bag an early preview of the game, so I took a bit more time with this. That’s a good thing, as I didn’t want this demo to end – it’s so entertaining.
From @unepic_fran and published by Verus Evil (Sockventure, Hitchhiker, The Hand Of Merlin), this is a 2D action title that focuses on stealth, but you’re free to scuff your knuckles up on the chops of the prison guards. They deserve it as you’re arrested for a crime you did not commit.
UnMetal Preview
Following every cliche known to the world of VHS, UnMetal knows the source material oh-so-well. You play Jesse Fox, who has been wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, but he doesn’t go on about it at all.
Armed with only a headband and hit wits, he manages to escape his cell and attempts to break out of the prison compound. The only problem with this prison is it’s a military one, and the guards are overpowered with machine guns. Guns beat fists. Sorry, spoiler.
As Fox, you sneak around the prison looking to get one up on the guards, which means beating them to a pulp. Well, you could apply stealth tactics, but it’s so satisfying hearing the beatdown and Fox’s account of what happened.
Grilling
It’s evident that Fox makes his escape, but as he uses an enemy vehicle for his getaway, he’s shot down by ‘the goodies’ and assumed to be a wrong ‘un. From this point, he’s grilled about his identity and what he’s doing there in the first place.
During this interrogation, taking place in the present, Fox, with his classic Hayter-like gravel voice, explains that he was wrongly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit and meticulously describes the antics used to secure his freedom.
What makes this so entertaining is the gameplay will shift to the classic Metal Gear aesthetic, and each time you complete a significant event (sometimes something mundane), we’ll move back to the interrogation, and Fox attempts to justify his actions.
Toilet Humour
Two of the accounts had me laughing hard. One involved an NPC asking for a toilet roll – which I delivered but promptly beat him up through the toilet door. Fox then gives a one-liner that is action hero gold.
The second was even funnier. After beating a boss, where Fox creates the fighting environment through his recollections, I was a bit lost on what to do next, so I attempted to pick up the corpse and throw it in a ditch.
Immediately this shifted to the interrogation room once more for justification of my actions. The developer knows their audience and the sadistic things we do to NPC corpses. I blame Hitman for that. Without a doubt, the humour is on point. It took a few minutes to get into as UnMetal seemingly tries too hard, but it excelled in the comedy department with the spot-on timing throughout.
The Straight Guy
But if you want to laugh your tits off, perhaps you should go and watch a Watch People Die Inside, or Eric Andre’s latest flick on Netflix. We want gameplay, am I right?
Fortunately, UnMetal delivers here too. It’s undoubtedly a throwback to earlier titles, so don’t expect cutting edge visuals or innovative gameplay. Instead, you get a play on classic inventory items – some useful, some surplus but somehow have a use.
Through progression, Fox can level up and invest some stats in health, stamina and striking power, but you get to make a McGyver-like ranged weapon using orbs you find along the way. I won’t describe everything as you should check the demo out yourself if you can.
Check out the gameplay video for those who want to see it in action and decide if it’s for them. Take into consideration it isn’t expertly edited to make me look good at the game as you’ll see I wander a little and bleed out unnecessarily.
Not bad for a crime I did not commit. Wait…
UnMetal is set for a Summer release on Steam. Wishlist it using the link below (or manually type it in – it’s not affiliated or nuthin’)