A rhythm-based first-person shooter developed by The Outsiders and published by Funcom,Metal: Hellsingerwas first announced in 2020 and intended to debut in 2021, though it has since been delayed. Disappointing as that may have been for fans, the gamemade an appearance during The Game Awards 2021, showcasing new gameplay and revealing the list of artists with whom the developers are collaborating.
Introduced by part-time streamer and full-time screamer Matt Heafy, the lead singer of the acclaimed metalcore band Trivium, the new trailer offered up some brief insight into the lore ofMetal: Hellsinger, though, aside from the lead character being a demon themselves, the setup seems to be remarkablysimilar to that of id Software’sDOOM.
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New segments of the soundtrack were revealed, as well, with Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe laying down some ferocious vocals on an undoubtedly heavy metal-influenced cut. With combo meters spouting stylized digits and the player making every effort to synchronize their movements to the up-tempo beat,Metal: Hellsingerlooks to borrow fromDDRjust as much as it does from theDoomfranchise, and the newly-announced lineup of metal musicians will help to bridge that admittedly disparate gameplay gap.
Bjorn Strid of Soilwork, Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquility, Dennis Lyxén of Refused, Tatiana Shmayluk of Jinjer, Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy, and James Dorton of Black Crown Initiate will join Heafy and Blythe in an effort to bring The Outsider’s demonic visions to life. Based on the track heard in the new gameplay trailer, hard-hitting metal will be the focus of the game as opposed to the hard rock and industrial stylings ofgames likeBPM: Bullets Per Minuteand the aforementionedDOOMgames.
That’s quite a bit of star power for a smaller-scale game, and, shouldMetal: Hellsingerstruggle to attract a wider gaming audience, it will most certainly have the attention of metalheads. It also seems like the game’s soundtrack will be comprised of original music, which sets it apart from more well-known rhythm games likeGuitar HeroandRock Band.
Interestingly enough, as per Metal Injection,DOOMtook a similar approach to its soundtrack. While famed composer Mick Gordon was responsible for most of the music in the game, he tapped several established vocalists in the metal scene for help on a few tracks. Musicians from bands like Static-X and Abortedappeared as part of a “heavy metal choir” in the game, and right along with them was Black Crown Initiate frontman James Dorton. Given how few games embrace music’s more extreme edges, it’s incredible to think that one man was able to contribute to two separate games in the span of a few years.
Metal Hellsingerlaunches in 2022.
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