''Metal Warriors'' is a side-scrolling action- platform run and gun

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by LucasArts and published by

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

exclusively for the

Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...

in North America in April 1995. It is often confused by many to be a direct sequel to ''

Cybernator , also known as ''Cybernator'', is a 2D mecha action game developed by Masaya and released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The second entry in the ''Assault Suits series,'' it is a prequel to the first game, '' Target Earth ...

'', which was created by NCS Corporation and released earlier in 1992 on the console. Set in the year 2102 where

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...

Venkar Amon has waged a war against the United Earth Government for three years, players assume the role of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Stone from the titular freedom-fighting group taking control of several mecha suits in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the Dark Axis military force on

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

. Its gameplay mainly consists of action and shooting mixed with mission-based exploration using a main seven-button configuration. ''Metal Warriors'' was created by most of the same team who previously worked on '' Zombies Ate My Neighbors'' at LucasArts, including designer Mike Ebert and

programmer A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software. A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...

Dean Sharpe, and uses an improved version of the same

game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...

that was previously implemented in the latter. Development on the project was immediately approved by Kelly Flock after release of ''Zombies Ate My Neighbors'' in 1993 to positive reviews and took influence from various mecha

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series and video games, most notably ''Cybernator''. It was originally intended to be published by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

as a

first-party A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...

title during Christmas amid the 3D era before publishing duties were ultimately handled by Konami instead, who produced a limited run of copies in total as a result. ''Metal Warriors'' garnered positive reception upon its release from critics, who praised various aspects of the title such as its presentation, visuals, gameplay and multiplayer but some of the reviewers felt divided in regards to the difficulty, sound design and lack of passwords for game saves, while many also drew comparison with ''Cybernator'' due to its similar mechanics. Nevertheless, it has since gained a

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, in addition of being referred by publications like ''

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'' as one of the best titles for the Super Nintendo.

Gameplay

''Metal Warriors'' is a side-scrolling action-platform game with run and gun elements similar to ''Cybernator'', '' Front Mission: Gun Hazard'' and ''

Metal Mech ''Metal Mech: Man & Machine'' (known in Japan as ) is a 1990 video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Summary The player controls the driver of a vehicle that is similar to the ED-209 of the ''RoboCop'' franchise.''Metal Warriors'' instruction booklet (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, US) During gameplay, the players are able to pilot six different types of assault suits, each one having their own melee weapons and featuring a distinctive mechanic from another, and can also use more than one suit in the same stage. The six different suit types are the Nitro, Havoc, Prometheus, Spider, Ballistic and Drache. Each unit is equipped with a backpack mount that allows collecting and using side power-ups for their advantage. These backpack power-ups are the

rocket launcher A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile. History The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few in ...

, the

grenade launcher A grenade launcher is a weapon that fires a specially-designed large-caliber projectile, often with an explosive, smoke or gas warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated firearms firing unitary grenade cartridges. The mos ...

, the

mine layer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing controll ...

and a gravity inverter. Players can also collect various upgrades for the suit's primary gun that alters their shot as well as health power-ups, which instantly restore a damaged suit to full health. Both the powered-up ranged gun and the backpack items may be disabled if the suit suffers a significant amount of damage. At any given time or when it is almost completely destroyed, players can abandon their suit and scramble around the stage to find a new one, allowing to remain in the game even if their assault suit was destroyed. While ejected from the suit, players take control of Stone, who is armed with a

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

that is useless against all mechanical enemies with the exception of

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

s and

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

s lacking armor, in addition to a

jetpack A jet pack, rocket belt, or rocket pack is a device worn on the back which uses jets of gas or liquid to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and became widespread in the 1960s. ...

that enables him to fly in a similar manner to the Nitro but slower. During certain points in the game, the players would be required to eject from their suit to switch between units and activate switches to open doors. Stone can also fit into smaller spaces and scout ahead without attracting the attention of most enemies, as some of them ignore unsuited marines. However, being outside of a mech suit is an extremely risky proposition, as Stone can be instantly killed by a powerful enemy fire and enemy soldiers can also steal the player's current mech suit to use it in their favor. A notable feature of the game is the lack of

GUI The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...

, as every action is visually represented; All of the mech suits show progressive battle damage when they take on enemy fire, while Stone displays how many hit points he has remaining after taking shots from enemy soldiers. The players have a limited number of continues to keep playing before the game is over. Prior to starting a playthrough, players can choose to adjust a number of default settings at the options menu such as the main character's name, control for each mech suit and disable cutscenes. In addition to the regular single-player campaign, there is a two-player

split-screen Split screen may refer to: * Split screen (computing), dividing graphics into adjacent parts * Split screen (video production), the visible division of the screen * Split Screen (TV series), ''Split Screen'' (TV series), 1997–2001 * Split-Scree ...

deathmatch Deathmatch, also known as free-for-all, is a gameplay mode integrated into many shooter games, including first-person shooter (FPS), and real-time strategy (RTS) video games, where the goal is to kill (or "frag") the other players' characters a ...

mode, where two human players battle against each other in order to emerge as victor of the match.

Plot

''Metal Warriors'' takes place in the year 2102, where the United Earth Government is under siege from the Dark Axis military force led by the dictator Venkar Amon, who has waged a war against them for three years on Earth, however the titular freedom-fighting group equipped with robotic combat suits are the few remaining people defending the

planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...

. Assuming the role of lieutenant Stone, players control him through a variety of missions that initially are set in space and completing objectives such as rescuing agent Marissa from Axis 5 and capturing both an enemy supply ship and a heavily guarded

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

base in order to obtain vital resources for the group, with the latter proving to be successful enough to promote Stone from lieutenant to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of his crew. However their recent success quickly attracts the attention of the Axis army, who engage in attacking the group's main ship with threatening enemy fire that Stone and his crew must defend with the stolen Prometheus units. After the recent event, the group is tasked with disabling an anti-

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...

cannon located in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

to ensure safe landing for air operations that would eventually lead to the removal of Axis forces on Earth. After stealing the experimental flying Drache machine from a jungle facility on

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, fighting through the bombed-out Dorado city, capturing subterranean mining Axis installations and obtaining a command key from an enemy

communication tower Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-made ...

, the group finally reaches the Axis command center where a super weapon is rumored to be in construction, with Stone and his crew leading the final assault. Once Stone reaches the depths of the center, he confronts Venkar Amon and defeats his super weapon in a battle between fully mobile flying armored suits, however Amon tries to escape with a hijacked Nitro suit but he dies incinerated alongside the base. Stone safely escapes from the explosion but his Nitro suit is wrecked after landing on the ground, marking an end for both Dark Axis and the war.

Development and release

''Metal Warriors'' was developed by most of the same team headed by Mike Ebert and Dean Sharpe who previously worked on ''Zombies Ate My Neighbors'' at the American studio LucasArts. Ebert had been a fan of mecha anime series like '' Gundam'' and '' Armored Trooper Votoms'', whose fascination with said genre would eventually lead him to form the anime-focused

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

''Animag: The Magazine of Japanese Animation'' before venturing into the

video game industry The video game industry encompasses the development, marketing, and monetization of video games. The industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs worldwide. The video game industry has grown from niches to mainstream. , ...

and influenced his decision to create a mecha-themed game project. LucasArts' Kelly Flock immediately

greenlighted To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead". Film industry In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...

work on the project after development process of ''Zombies Ate My Neighbors'' went smoothly without major issues and the positive critical reception it garnered, with Ebert himself claiming to be surprised at the company's decision. ''Metal Warriors'' shares the same game engine written by former

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technical director A technical director (TD) is usually a senior technical person within e.g. a software company, engineering firm, film studio, theatre company or television studio. This person usually has the highest level of skill within a specific technical f ...

Toshiyasu Morita as with ''Zombies Ate My Neighbors'', albeit modified and improved upon its previous iteration, which allowed its creation process to go fast and smoothly.

Artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

Harrison Fong, who previously worked on

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

'' Mecha'', was responsible for designing many of the mechs and cutscenes in the game, while Sharpe and Tony Hsieh were also responsible for the programming work in the project as well, in addition to

composers A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Classical music, Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. E ...

David Warhol and Eric Swanson co-writing the soundtrack, among other people collaborating in its development. It was also influenced by several games such as '' Blaster Master'', '' Super Mario World'' and most notably ''Cybernator''. Ebert has explained in recent years that the team had originally desired to implement a split-screen two-player co-op mode in ''Zombies Ate My Neighbors'' but it was not possible due to the engine not being fast enough at the time, however they were able to do so on the project. The game originally was previewed by ''

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'' in their July 1994 issue under the title ''Battledroids'', which proved to be difficult to obtain due to being an official terminology from

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...

' ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

''. It was initially intended to be published by Nintendo, who requested the team several features to be implemented before release but Ebert stated that due to the arrival of the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

and subsequent decrease in the

16-bit 16-bit microcomputers are microcomputers that use 16-bit microprocessors. A 16-bit register can store 216 different values. The range of integer values that can be stored in 16 bits depends on the integer representation used. With the two mos ...

market for Super Nintendo titles led to the former terminating all upcoming Christmas releases under their brand, including the game and some of its requested features were later scrapped, however there were rumors of Nintendo dropping the deal due to similarities with the aforementioned ''Cybernator''. Its development was quickly rushed to completion and publishing duties were instead handled by Konami, who requested the game to be renamed as ''Metal Warriors'' and produced an estimated run of 50,000 copies in total, although Sharpe has stated the team was happy in getting the game on store shelves regardless of the events. ''Metal Warriors'' was first showcased to the public during Winter CES in 1995, before being released exclusively in North America on April of the same year. It is often confused for a direct sequel to ''Cybernator'' by many people, as it bears some similarities to that game and both were published by Konami in the west. Sharpe has since stated that a version for the

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would not have been possible without his involvement due to several programming tricks used in order to run the game on the Super NES, before the idea was ultimately scrapped after Nintendo picked up the project for release. Shortly after ''Metal Warriors'' was published in stores, both Sharpe and Ebert would depart from LucasArts because of internal issues that occurred within the company with Flock's departure to form their own studio, Big Ape Productions. A Game Boy Advance

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

was in development by

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...

Leonard Robel at LucasArts without the original team but it was never released due to internal conflicts.

Reception

''Metal Warriors'' was positively received upon release, earning praise for its level designs, graphics, two-player deathmatch mode, diverse selection of playable mechs and ability to leave one's mech suit. ''

Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...

'' said that this last feature "adds a whole new level of playing to the game, making you think through the missions on two levels; where can I take my mech and where can I take my pilot." Since its initial release, it has gained a cult following. In 2011, ''

'' placed the title on their Top 100 SNES Games list at #33, praising its originality and two-player versus mode. Most critics described the game's difficulty as extremely challenging without being frustrating, though a few complained at the lack of a password system. ''

VideoGames Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedback ...

'', which was most vehement about this complaint, nonetheless added that "''Metal Warriors'' is still a white-hot game", and applauded it for giving "a lot of leeway" in how the players can explore the stages and engage enemies. Some critics noted ''Metal Warriors'' is similar to earlier games, though this typically did not lower their opinion of it. The four reviewers of ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...

'', for example, acknowledged that the game is very similar to ''Cybernator'', but judged it to be an outstanding game due to the heavy challenge and simple controls. ''

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'' likewise called the game "a new and improved ''Cybernator''", praising the detailed and uncluttered graphics, variety of equipment, and the general fun of blowing up enemies. ''

Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...

'' stated that "there's not an original thought in ''Metal Warriors cybernetic head, but it's done well for what it is."

References

External links

''Metal Warriors''
at

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''Metal Warriors''
at Giant Bomb
''Metal Warriors''
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Metal Warriors 1995 video games Action games Cancelled Game Boy Advance games Cancelled Sega Genesis games Konami games LucasArts games Multiplayer and single-player video games North America-exclusive video games Platformers Run and gun games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Super Nintendo Entertainment System-only games Video games about mecha Video games developed in the United States Video games set in Alaska Video games set in Chile Video games set in the 22nd century Video games set in the future