Despite being a relatively niche genre, rhythm-based video games have been around for a long time. Most people agree that Parappa The Rapper, a PS1 game originally released in Japan in 1996, was the first true rhythm game of its kind. In the years since, gamers have been treated to the likes of the Guitar Hero series as well as the VR game Beat Saber, which allows players to hone their timing and skills while also burning some calories. Upcoming game Metal: Hellsinger from developer The Outsiders is looking to blend this rhythm-based gameplay with traditional FPS mechanics, and is throwing in lots of heavy metal music for good measure.
First announced back in 2020's Summer of Gaming event, at first glance, Metal: Hellsinger looks like a musical version of Doom. Since the soft reboot of Doom in 2016, the long-standing FPS franchise has found a new audience, and both Doom and its sequel Doom Eternal garnered strong review scores from critics. Metal: Hellsinger is looking to use the same template, with environments and enemies that would look right at home in a Doom game, but with a key difference. The game adds rhythmic gameplay and heavy metal music in, which will reward players who can time their shooting with the beat. Metal: Hellsinger will also be available on Xbox Game Pass immediately when it launches later this month.
Metal: Hellsinger Promises to Be An Action-Packed Experience
The main idea behind the game is that players will work their way through hellish-looking arenas, blasting demons of all shapes and sizes using an assortment of high-powered weapons. While heavy metal music plays constantly in the background, the player must try to time their shots rhythmically with the music playing. Doing so successfully will result in higher score multipliers being added, and more importantly, additional damage being done. Technically, Metal: Hellsinger is not the first game to combine rhythm-based gameplay with FPS combat. Bullets Per Minute, which was released for PC back in 2020 and then on consoles a little later on, used the same blueprint and a similar setting, relying on procedurally generated dungeons to keep players busy.
While the similarities between the two titles are vast, Metal: Hellsinger is looking to differentiate itself by scaling up everything that Bullets Per Minute did well, and interestingly, it also looks to be going down a more story-driven route instead of Metroidvania-style arenas. The player's mission is to fight through hell and dethrone 'The Red Judge', but no other details about this elusive character have been revealed. With the campaign narrated by video game industry veteran Troy Baker, famous for his wide range of voice work including voicing protagonist Joel Miller in The Last of Us and Sam Drake in Uncharted 4, the game certainly looks more geared toward having something resembling a cohesive narrative compared to the likes of Bullets Per Minute.
The title will be The Outsider's debut game, and the studio certainly hasn't played it safe in terms of going with something that would be classed as a highly unusual option. As well as promising some adrenaline-fueled, fast and furious gunplay, Metal: Hellsinger will also boast a talented cast of vocalists. The lineup so far includes Serj Tankian of System of a Down, Randy Blythe of Lamb of God, Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy, and Matt Heafy of Trivium as well as others.
Everything that players have seen of Metal: Hellsinger so far has been promising, and fans of the FPS genre as well as heavy metal have reason to be excited. The fact that the game will be available at launch for subscribers of Xbox Game Pass is very much the icing on the cake, and is another example of Microsoft adding exciting Day One games to its hugely popular subscription service.
Metal: Hellsinger launches on September 15 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S via Xbox Game Pass.