On-rails missions have been a staple ofCall of Dutybasically fromCOD2onwards, but few of them felt quite so unexpected and impressive asCOD4: Modern Warfare‘s awesome AC-130 sequence. What if you took that and made it into a standalone game, though? That’s exactly whatMetal Thunderdoes.
Metal Thunderis an indie project kickstarted by Dumbbell Games, a fresh indie developer with no prior projects under its belt. A potential cause for concern, to be sure, but the good news is thatMetal Thunderis already out and about. Sure, it’s an Early Access title, but it’s priced at a fairly humble 10,79 EUR (with 15% off to celebrate the release), and it’s already got an assortment of positive reviews to prop it up. So, is it any good, or is it just trying to nostalgia-bait those of us who remember how mind-blowingModern Warfarewas back in the day?
Metal Thunder takes an iconic Call of Duty mission and runs with the concept
Metal Thunderis admittedly not the first game to have attempted to expound upon this concept, but it sure as heck seems to be the best one yet. Even in Early Access,Metal Thunderruns great and feels great. Heck, it’s a perfect fit for the Steam Deck, as some reviewers have been happy to point out.
AsMetal Thunderonly just released in Early Access, there’s not a huge amount of content. More than enough to keep you busy for a few hours’ worth of time, but still. The good news is that Dumbbell Games has a pretty extensive roadmap in place that’s going to begin rolling out in very short order. Players can expect:
And, after the 1.0 version ofMetal Thunderreleases, there’s going to be a dedicated Zombies Mode to fiddle about with.Metal Thunderwas released on November 1, and the plan is for the game to launch its 1.0 build in the next 6-12 months. Pretty darn quick, all things considered. We do all know how Early Access tends to drag on, however, so I wouldn’t put too much stock in this.
Yet,Metal Thunderis already quite fun and quite cheap, so why not give it a shot, if you’re into the concept?
