Metal Storm
System: NES
Release Date: February 1991
Developer: Tamtex
Publisher: Irem
Genre: Action
Earth is in peril and you need to save it once again in Metal Storm! You heard about Pluto? That’s messed up, right? No, not that it’s not considered a planet, this game is set in 2501, that classification changed nearly 500 years before! I’m talking about the powerful laser gun mounted on the dwarf planet aimed directly at Earth! It’s already destroyed Neptune (that’s messed up), and the self destruct isn’t working, so it’s up to you to save Earth by stopping Cyberg and its undefeated streak.
You are in a big ol’ mech, an M-308 Gunner to be precise. There are several levels of gravity bending action in front of you. The gimmick here is your ability to invert gravity. By jumping while holding up or down, you will change the gravity in the opposite direction. This not only affects you, but your enemies, as well. If you’re hip, you can realize the layout of the levels will revolve around this. And honestly, it feels pretty good. Unfortunately, this is a one hit kill kind of game. You run through your three lives quickly, but at least there are infinite continues!
There are three different weapons that you can pick up. The most important of these is the Power Beam. This turns your pea shooter into something that has substance to it. If you can get this weapon, I hope you can keep it. There’s a shield powerup that deflects shots, but not lasers, so not super helpful. The G powerup is the Gravity Fireball that turns you into a fireball when you flip gravity. I didn’t find much use from it, though. An Armor powerup gives you an extra hit, which is wonderful when you can find it.
As you get further along, the straightforward levels give way to scrolling mind benders. These levels are actually pretty interesting. Nothing is easy, but you get the hang of it as you go along. Many times I thought to myself, I know what I want to do, but the reflexes just aren’t there. The end of each level pits you against a boss. Honestly, they aren’t too bad, but I did have trouble with a couple of them. The final level is a boss rush and then a final battle, which is incredibly easy.
You then get a password for hard mode. And boy was it hard! I couldn’t get past the first level, though I was three sheets to the wind at the time. Jump there and see how you can do!
Graphics: 3.0
Graphics are pretty nice and the scrolling makes for quite interesting levels.
Sound: 2.5
Music and sounds are better than average, but not by much.
Gameplay: 3.5
Moving through the levels is strangely satisfying. I think the weapons other than the power beam are useless, but I could be wrong.
Difficulty: 3.0
Infinite continues go a long way to making this game something you want to play to the end.
Fun Factor: 3.0
I had a good time playing and each time I died, I wasn’t so much angry as determined to do better next time.
Overall Rating: 3.0
Metal Storm earns a B. This is a solid game that I can recommend with gusto. Give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed.