But really it is a tough single-playerfighting gamewith stealth bits attached.
It is closer in design to kung-fu brawlerSifuthan it is to any of Solid Snake’s various mischiefs.
Like that very pretty but questionable cake,Raw Metalfeels a little underbaked.
You are a sneaky person infiltrating a sci-fi mine.
Only the “how” is significant here.
In time-honoured stealth tradition, sticking to shadows keeps you from enemies' sights.
Crouch-walking will keep you quiet.
Cameras will slowly swivel from one side of a room to another.
And tip-toeing directly behind enemies will grant you a sneak attack.
The catch here is that sneak attacks do not outright kill your target.
This is not a game of silent neck-snapping.
Instead, dealing a stealth blow to unsuspecting enemies will halve their health for the subsequent fight.
Any enemy who catches you off-guard, by contrast, will require a heavier beating to defeat.
This is not the kind of game in which enemies “take turns” launching attacks at you.
Their baton strikes or taser shocks come whenever they damn well yo.
As a result the dodging and parrying does not always feel reliable.
Trying to single one enemy out and prioritise them can be difficult.
You biff with a bevy of light punches, heavy punches, light kicks and heavy kicks.
It feels very fighting game-y, the wallsplats and juggling reminiscent of arcade fighters or 3D ragers likeFor Honor.
I like fish and chips a lot.
I like ice cream a lot.
I don’t want to eat them together.)
Your fragile body makes even seemingly straightforward fights difficult.
Our hero can only stomach a few strikes before being knocked out cold.
This will either be a source of grouchiness, or a beautiful red flag to Sifu-likers.
For me, it’s the former.
But this is deceptive.
A sneaking-only approach doesn’t feel truly viable.
Running away when discovered is not wise, for example (you just end up attracting more attention).
And tough bosses are mandatory.
The parry window is narrow, the fight space is cramped, the camera often compromises the brawl.
And that’s before you even get to the spongey bosses who barely flinch at many of your strikes.
Here, the stealth elements are, intentionally or otherwise, secondary to the combat.
Enemies run as fast as you do and corner you quickly.
While getting caught is not an insta-fail, it is an insta-boxing match you are expected to play out.
In other words, I found it hard to identify what this game truly wanted to be.
For example, it is not a roguelike, but it sometimes looks like one.
But at no point does the game tell you this is part of the whole shebang.
At times it weirdly reminded me more ofHotline Miamithan Metal Gear Solid.
But the most imaginative of these is a “tear” grenade that warps guards to another random room.
It feels deliciously smug to eject an enemy from an already crowded fight, evening the odds.
But that’s the only gadget that I felt excited to use.
That lack of excitement extends to the wearable gear with bonuses.
You might find gloves that increase the effect of concussion grenades.
Helmets that negligibly increase your chance of finding certain items.
One thing the game has in spades is style.
From the grim industrial colour scheme to the Persona-like menus, it can be a very swish-looking thing.
The fighting animations are punchy in more ways than the obvious.
“NICE” the game yells, textually.
“SICK,” it announces.
And, perhaps with a knowing wink to the industry as a whole: “VISCERAL.”
But for all that style, I felt a lack of motivation.
You descend further and further into these futuristic mines.
Narratively speaking, there’s chatter.
Boss monologues to hear and audio diaries to find.
And although this develops slightly, there is no early hook to keep me moving.
Sifu had a basic revenge plot driving you from the opening moments.
There are… bad guys doing bad things?
And I return to that comparison with Sifu knowingly.
And it’s the same with Raw Metal.
I know there are more punitive pugilists who absolutely will have that patience and drive.
But like a certain bandana-wearing himbo, I’d rather hide than hit.
This review was based on a review build of the game provided by developers Team Crucible.
