This was a game I seriously got into back when it came out. It takes place on a fictional planet called Iron Star which is inhabited entirely by sentient robots. You play as Glitch, a mysterious stranger, who joins the Droid army, fighting against the Milbots. The Milbots are trying to enslave the Droid race. There is also another faction called the Morbots which is an ancient race of robots that live in the planets core. They supposedly were the origins of all the robots on Iron Star.
The lore of the game is actually quite good. The robots themselves feel like real people who just happen to be robots. As they get attacked, they don't just lose health. They might have malfunctioning arms or legs. It really makes it feel like you are shooting bullets at mechanical beings. Everything in the game is built around the concept of robotics. There is absolutely nothing biological. Animals are also robots.
As amazing as the lore of "Metal Arms" is, the game's story is pitched comedically. Everyone is very silly. Most of the voice actors are well-known for voicing popular cartoon characters. Rob Paulson is all over the place. You might remember him as Yakko Warner from Animaniacs. There was also Patrick Warburton who I pleasantly remember as Lemony Snicket from the TV series. All the voices are intended to make everyone feel very real and often very silly, but in a good way.
Warning, but this game is loud. It is a third-person-shooter, and things explode constantly. It is probably the only game I ever owned where I made it a habit of turning the volume down. I just don't wanna wake anyone up. The guns are loud. The metal destruction is loud. The explosions tend to build on each other to just about blow out your speakers. It's a chaotic mess, but it feels so good to go into this game and create havoc.
There is also a really great feature that you get towards the middle of the game where you can shoot a control tether into enemy robots and take over their bodies. This allows you to play at different robots with different abilities, at least for a short time. The way the other robots react to this is hilarious. They'll start screaming things like, "Why are you shooting me?!"
The soundtrack was also masterfully created. It's a combination of metal crossed with electronics that really compliment the game world. I actually own the soundtrack. I've had it since the game came out. Still love listening to it.
The whole point of "Metal Arms" is to have a great time. It gives you a creative world full of talking robots, puts them in a war with one another, and then they send you in to cause as much damage as possible. It is an absolute blast from start to finish with lots of charming and hilarious characters along the way.
Sadly, this game never got a sequel or any remakes. The company who made it were absorbed by people who didn't really care about this license. It's been buried and may never see the light of day again. But if you are really interested, there are still ways to play it. And naturally, I recommend it. "Metal Arms: Glitch in the System" was a game far ahead of its time. It deserved more games in the series. I'll always be sad to see it go.
This blog was written on July 1, 2024.
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It seems any idea is a good idea if it's loved. The love makes all the supposed silliness work. Makes it endearing, actually.
ReplyDeleteIn a lot of cases!
DeleteThere is a fascination with mechanical beings. We long for the ability to make what we build come to life. What tends to be ignored is what would be the plight of these robot people.
ReplyDeleteI have actually played a few different games based around robot people, and this one has always been the one I came back to.
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