UnMetal from Versus Evil and UnEpic Fran is a comedic stealth action game inspired by that other stealth game with Metal in its name. Check our UnMetal review!

 

UnMetal from Versus Evil and UnEpic Fran is a comedic stealth action game inspired by that other stealth game with Metal in its name. The story starts as you are piloting a Russian aircraft… and you are shot down and captured. As you are being interrogated, you explain that you were actually escaping from prison, where you were thrown into for a crime you didn’t commit – something that is repeated throughout the game. Thus, the person interrogating you asks that you explain how everything happened from the moment you began to escape. From there, the story will be explained as you explore each area, then into a cutscene, and then back to the gameplay segments, with the action narrated by your character.

The game is played from a top-down perspective, as was the case for Metal Gear and its sequel. You move around with the left analog stick from area to area. The X button is used to punch your enemies as well as to search their bodies by holding it down when you’re near the enemies you’ve defeated. The Circle button is used to roll around. The Square button is for using the item you currently have equipped, and you can also assign some of them to any of the four directions on the right analog stick to quickly swap between them. The R2 button is used for the weapon you currently have equipped, while L2 is used for your radio so that you can communicate with allies.

 

Ultimately, your goal is to try to escape. As you go from screen to screen, you’ll gather items that will help you to gain access to new areas. By opening your inventory with the Triangle button, you’ll be able to access your mission objectives as well as see the items you’ve collected, either to equip them or to combine some to create new items. For example, the first weapon you’ll have will be a slingshot that you create with an eyepatch that you stole from an enemy… from whom you also take his glass eyeball. You know, to relieve some stress. At the end of each stage, you’ll also have a boss fight, and they’re always presented in a humorous way.

Visually, the game has that perfect retro feel and a nice balance between the storytelling scenes in the interrogation room and the gameplay. There’s also a funny way in how scenes are described when your character narrates them because you start with a pretty much empty scene, and as he talks about the details in it, they are added onto the screen to recreate the location. It also creates some funny moments, such as after fighting a grenade-throwing guy that’s across a ditch, where you narrate that there was a bridge to cross over the ditch… a bridge that was not there during the fight.

 

I’ve always been a fan of the Metal Gear series, but I eventually found them to be a bit overwhelming and pretty intense to play. Having said that, I was pretty curious to see how this game would turn out. UnMetal sets a funny tone right from the start since you were thrown in jail for a crime that you did not commit. The game’s humor only escalates from there at a steady pace, keeping you guessing as to what will come up next.

As for the gameplay itself, it’s a great mix of action as you fight against soldiers, mutated piranhas, or the bosses, or take on stealth sections where you try not to be seen by enemies so that you can strike them down with a stealth takedown. You need to defeat enemies without them noticing you so that they can yield experience points so that your character can level up. Since leveling up gives you additional skills to pick from, it’s a nice incentive so that you can try to sneak your way through each area. The enemies’ field of view is explained at the beginning of the game so that you can learn from your mistakes when spotted.

In terms of trophies, the list is relatively simple to sneak your way towards a Platinum trophy. A lot of trophies are tied to the story and for leveling up your character, which you should get easily while playing. As for the other miscellaneous trophies, they are pretty straightforward, but there are a few that will be a bit trickier to unlock, and you do have to beat the game at the highest difficulty setting, which will take some practice.

UnMetal is a great love letter to stealth action games and the Metal Gear series, and it’s a whole lot of fun to play! It has solid gameplay mechanics, a lighter tone than the generally dramatic stealth games you might have played before, and a story that will keep you coming back for more. UnMetal is out on PlayStation 4 with a $19.99 price.

Disclaimer
This UnMetal review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Versus Evil.