This Robot is on it's last legs...Let it be known before starting that I knew exactly what I was getting into the moment I started playing the game for the review.
For those unaware of this game, Metal Walker was released in 2001 for the Game Boy Color.
For those with knowledge on video game history... you know what this means. It was one of the last games on the Game Boy Color.
As one of the last games... rather than leave a lasting impression, it faded away. I first heard about this game in an issue of Nintendo Power back when I was young. It stood out in my mind, since the magazine made the game out to be more than it really was... a shameless pokemon rip off, which doesn't even come close to what it's trying to emulate.
After a few years... I forgot about it. However, in 2010 I found Vizzed.com, and I found this game, and memories flooded back. I didn't play this game until early 2012 for a good reason. I was simply too busy. Once I played the game... I wish I hadn't. There was very little about it that made it worth playing.
I'll explain the rest as we go on... but I wanted to get some backstory out of the way first.
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Graphics - 4
For one of the later games on the GBC, you'd expect something special... but really, this game was one of the most cookie cutter, bland games I have ever had the misfortune of placing my eyes upon. The tile sets looked... I don't know the word for it, but everything just felt dull. I was uneasy about whether to grade it high or low for it. See, the game takes place on an island that had an accident 50 years ago. As a result, most of the greenery is gone. (It's really restricted to one "city" you find in the game)
In the end... I decided to say no to this, and leaned to the lower end. While it may have been intentional to look poor.... I don't grade high for that type of thing. Graphics shouldn't be entirely based on how pretty something is, but in this case, it looks very uninspired. Here are some screens... decide for yourself.
Sound - 3
I've never been more annoyed by a sound track. It wasn't that the tunes themselves were bad... but they were far too loud in some places. A little effort would have worked WONDERS for this game. Unfortunately, I think the developers tried to rush this out so it would be the last game boy color game they put out. As a result, the sound sort of suffered. As an RPG, you also hear the same tracks several times over, given the nature of the game. Normally RPGs have good music worth the listening... but I found that I had the game muted most of the time I was grinding, only turning it back up to see if it ever changed.
In general, just terrible, horrible, no good, very bad sound.
Addictiveness - 4
The game itself isn't all that fun, and wouldn't have gotten a 4 normally. However, I must say something stood out, which makes it entirely worth this score.
The battle system.
I'll explain the battle system here. See, you start the battle with your metal walker in a set position (normally the middle of the field). You can fight anywhere from 1 to 3 enemies (most often 3.) The enemies vary, but there's no real type advantage or disadvantage. There may be, but it's too minute to really bother checking out. Anyway, you (usually) go first, and you have a pool/billiards styled way of attacking. You choose one of 8 directions to attack in, and you set a power level. Once both have been set, you fire in that direction based on your movement score. You hit the enemies who either a) die, allowing you to continue moving through them, or b) don't die, and use momentum to move themselves (sometimes into other enemies) and continues until movement stops. This continues until either you or the enemies are defeated. If you lose, you lose half your money (pounds of metal) and get warped back to the last heal point. If you win, you get experience and money, and sometimes capsules. The capsules add further depth... so I won't go TOO in depth, but their effects range from healing, to offensive, to being a trap, or being defensive. It's worth playing around with.
Aside from the battle system, the game isn't really unique in any real way.
Story - 3
The story is nothing special. You are basically on an island with your father, and metal monsters attack you. You get separated, and wake up in a house on one corner of the map. You ask the people in there for help finding your father, and it becomes the obvious objective. Finding your father. You don't find your father... but instead find friends.
This guy
And this girl.
They follow you seemingly everywhere so get used to it. I think their names are Badoh and Emil. I didn't really like them, as they felt too sterotypical. Badoh is a dirty kid who is basically trying to beat you to Core Units (your way of leveling up). Instead of actually trying to find them though, he waits at the entrance of each dungeon and lets you get the Unit. Once you get the unit he whines and says he'll get the next one.
Emil is just a spoiled rich kid brat who I didn't like at all. She was flat out annoying, and often times I wished she would just go away.
Oh, and this guy helps you out.
Eventually, you get a second objective on top of finding your dad... saving the island by defeating the bosses, the Metal Masters, who seem to have information on your dad. You can see where this is going right? To find your dad you need to beat them. That's all I'll disclose... but the story is kind of lame.
Depth - 1
I feel bad giving it such a low score... but there really isn't much to do aside from the main game.
Time for Pokemon Comparisons!
What's the ultimate goal in Pokemon?
CATCH THEM ALL (151+ depending on game)
What's the ultimate goal in Metal Walker?
CATCH THEM ALL (there are 3 sky units, 3 aqua units, and 3 land units, which you can combine in any combination of 3. IE: 2 land and 1 sky, 3 aqua, 1 land, 1 aqua, 1 sky, etc...)
On top of that, you GET ALL THE UNITS IN THE STORY LINE. There is literally nothing to do once you beat the game... and spoiler, once you beat the final boss, you get stuck on the end screen forever, having to reload your last game. So there isn't anything to do AFTER the game either.
I suppose you could try to get ALL the capsules... but why would you want to? The only capsules you really need are the healing ones. Often times, the enemies beat you to your own capsules it feels.
Difficulty - 3
The game is a little harder than pokemon, even though it's way shorter. You can get through pokemon without whiting out once... but I'll be surprised if you get through Metal Walker without whiting out at least once. Not saying it can't be done, but the game is slightly harder. It's still not a hard game by any means, as it's a basic RPG.
You could say it's a beginner's RPG... but I'd rather see a beginner play pokemon. It's more entertaining.
Overall - 4.4
Overall, this game just misses the mark entirely. There's not a whole lot about this game that makes it worth playing, but it's also not the worst game I've ever played. The GBC RPG market is surprisingly weak.
Let's recap the best/worst I guess
Best
1. Unique battle system
2. Short game
3. More difficult than pokemon (is this an achievement?)
Worst
1. Terrible soundtrack
2. Dreadfully boring
3. Annoying characters
Graphics
4 Sound
3 Addictive
4 Depth
1 Story
3 Difficulty
3
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