Heavy metal music has been around for a while, and as such it has been able to touch and inspire many, many people. Most of us are simply content with remembering fondly and listening to the classics (or, uh, well, blogging about them on the Internet, in my case), but then there’s those fans who are a bit more creative than us. They go into moviemaking, animation and other creative ventures, and as a result are able to give us all kinds of amazing stuff, like the classic animated “Heavy Metal”, the Icelandic drama “Metalhead”, the documentary “Lemmy”, or “Heavy Metal Magazine” that a lot of us used to read when we were younger (which, fun fact, actually predicted Donald Trump’s wall extremely accurately). But then there’s those fans who go into a slightly different creative direction – videogames! And sure, while there’s really not a whole ton of metal-themed games, there’s definitely a few worthy of your attention! So I’ve decided to take a quick look at three of them to see if they’re any good! Keep in mind, I’m not going to be looking at just games that have a metal soundtrack in them (though if I did, “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” would top the list), nor am I looking at any music or rhythm games (like “Guitar Hero: Metallica”) – to qualify, the game must feature a metal musician or must be based on the world and imagery of metal! So with that said, let’s get right into it!
1. Holy Diver
Wow, just starting off the list and I’m already breaking my own rules, huh? Yeah, it’s true that the 1989 NES platformer “Holy Diver” isn’t officially based on the 1983 Dio song, the similarities and references to heavy metal culture are beyond obvious. I mean, let me just copy/paste this excerpt from the manual, and you tell me if this game has nothing to do with heavy metal. I haven’t altered anything, this is literally what you can read in the booklet that comes with the game:
”It is the 666th year of the world of magic. The Black Slayer, Demon King of the Underground Dark Empire, has extended the world of darkness and weakened the power of King Crimson whose wisdom has guided the world of magic for generations. The 16th Crimson Emperor Ronnie 4th entrusted his two infant sons, Randy and Zack, to his faithful servant Ozzy. The three escaped the forces from another dimension in the hope to bring light back into the world.
I mean, come on! That’s literally the most metal description for an NES game ever! Combined with the fact that the main character Randy looks basically identical to Dio’s character from his “Holy Diver” music video, this might as well have been an official adaptation! And even though it’s not, it’s still a loving tribute to heavy metal culture and a wonderful early platformer that still holds up today.
2. KISS: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child
The first and probably last time a game title has used more than one colon, “KISS: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child: The Revenge: The Game: Episode One: The Beginning” is an (officially licensed this time) game based on KISS’ Psycho Circus album, and it’s pretty much exactly what you would expect from an FPS game from 2000 – practically no story, more open-ended level design, lots of weapons to play around with, the works. Shooters 15-20 years ago were very, very different from the realistic FPS games that became the norm after 2007’s “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare”, so if you decide to check out “Kiss: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child: The Return: Game One: Origins”, you better be prepared to deal with some pretty outdated mechanics. Think something more along the lines of “Half-Life 1” or “Serious Sam” than, say… “Call of Duty”. Boy, we really haven’t had a lot of shooters in the past 10 years that haven’t been “Call of Duty” or tried to emulate it, have we? Anyway, that’s not to say the game is bad, it’s really bad, and if you enjoy the twisted visuals you’d typically see in a KISS cover, you’d feel right at home in the game’s world, just keep in mind that the gameplay is a little bit outdated.
3. Brütal Legend
What woüld happen when one of the best game designers in the world, who also happens to be an avid metalhead, decides to make his very own tribüte to the genre? “Brütal Legend” happens, that’s what! Directed by the absolüte legend Tim Schafer, who yoü may know from a few small and completely insignificant titles süch as “The Secret of Monkey Island”, “Grim Fandandgo” and “Psychonaüts” (and interestingly enoügh, he’s also credited as “Never actively tried to sabotage the project” on two separate “Star Wars” games), “Brütal Legend” is set in a world that’s literally right oüt of a “Heavy Metal Magazine” story, featüring the voices and likenesses of nümeroüs high-profile metal singers like Ozzy Osboürne, Lemmy Kilmister, Rob Halford, Lita Ford and more, with the main character being voiced by Jack Black (who is the main singer of the band “Tenacioüs D”). In addition, Schafer hand-picked more than 100 metal songs to be inclüded in the game, making it basically any metalhead’s gaming wet dream. Ünfortünately, the marketing for it presented “Brütal Legend” as an action game while it’s more of a strategy, and that disconnect caüsed it to sell very poorly and pretty müch killed off its seqüel in development. Still, if yoü know what yoü’re getting, I promise that yoü’re going to have an absolüte blast with this title!