Metal Saga
| Metal Saga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Createch |
| Publisher(s) |  Success Atlus Software |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | June 9, 2005 April 25, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Metal Saga ~Chains of Sand~ (メタルサーガ ～砂塵の鎖～) is a post-apocalyptic role-playing game developed by Crea-Tech and published by Atlus Software and Success. Metal Saga is the fourth game in the Metal Max series, and the first to reach the United States. It follows a non-linear style of gameplay reminiscent of western RPGs. The game received much criticism because of its dated graphics and unconventional gameplay.
Setting
Although taking place in a post-apocalyptic world, the title presents a much less serious take on the genre as compared to the more harsh Fallout titles or Mad Max movies. The environment of Metal Saga seems to be relatively unscathed, with a generally healthy ecosystem and no apparent areas of radioactive contamination. Rather than focusing extensively on mutants and ruffians, many of the enemies encountered are merely machines gone haywire. As a result, scavenging such machines and using scavenged parts to build equipment appear to be common activities.
Additionally, the game includes a good dose of western and militaristic qualities, with most of the game's battles being fought from within tanks (or other tank-like armored vehicles). In essence, the game is an amalgam of western CRPG and JRPG traits, with very little storyline, and mostly non-linear gameplay. The degree of non-linearity is nonetheless greatly limited by the game's JRPG roots, in that the player still lacks any sort of moral freedom. For example, one can't choose to slaughter the entire population of a town on a whim, but may choose to take on whichever informal quests one wants (or none at all). The title features more than half a dozen possible endings, several of which can be obtained less than an hour into the game.
Characters
Players can organize a team of up to four characters: the main hero (the "hunter"), a mechanic, a warrior/fighter (of some type) and a mechanized dog. Players are free to choose their own party from the available characters and to switch between them during the game. There are two mechanics in the game, three fighters (one of these is hidden, and can only join during the later parts of the game) and four dogs. Most of the characters in the game have some unique dialog and further story development during certain side quests.
During the game, players frequently have the option to purchase home furnishings and gifts which can be sent to both playable and non-playable (female) characters. These generally have no effect on game play.
Tanks
All of the characters, with the exception of the dogs, can be placed within tanks to further improve their combat performance. While fighting from within a tank, characters use the on-board weapons instead of their hand weapons, and suffer damage to the the tank, rather than to their person. This provides an additional layer of defense, in that characters can exit the tank and continue to fight if the tank becomes inoperable. When not in combat, one additional tank can be towed and used to store spare parts or used as a spare vehicle.
There are a total of 15 tanks in the game. While the game uses the term "tank" to refer to all such vehicles, several of them are not actually tanks. These include a fire truck (complete with ladder) and a bus. Nonetheless, most of the tanks are more traditional, such as a German panzer, or several varieties of anti-aircraft tanks. While the different tank models are generally similar in practice, they each have slightly different innate characteristics.
The tanks can not only be equipped, but also customized on a very sophisticated level. Players select and purchase primary guns, secondary guns (with unlimited ammo), and special-purpose weaponry. Each item includes a weight value, with the tank's engine only able to drive a certain total amount of weight. As such, a balance must be struck, since every unit of weight not used for weaponry can be used to add additional armor tiles. Furthermore, money can be spent to modify each part of the tank, e.g., to increase the amount of ammunition which a given weapon carries (again at the cost of a further weight increase).
Tanks can also be equipped with teleportation devices, which allow the entire party to instantly exit an indoor area or travel to a previously visited town.
The list of the vehicles that can be "owned" by the player is as follows;
1. Buggy (dune buggy)
2. Demag (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251 Hanomag)
3. Mosquito (Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty 3)
4. Gepard (Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard)
5. Wild Bus (armored passenger bus)
6. Panzer (Sturmgeschütz IV)
7. Barbarossa (Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. H)
8. Tiger (Panzerkampfwagen V Ausf. E Tiger I)
9. Wirbelwind (Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer IV Wirbelwind)
10. Rodina (T-34/76)
11. Abrams (M1A2 Abrams)
12. Leopold (Leopard 2A6)
13. Type Zero (Type 90)
14. Lulubel (M3A5 Lee)
15. Rommel (Jagdpanther)
16. Fire Truck (Fire Truck)
17. S Tank (Stridsvagn 103)
18. Merkava (Merkava Mk. IV)
19. Maus (Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus)
Further more, there are other vehicles of same designs that can be "rented" from various rental shops inside the towns.
A miscellaneous vehicle includes the Cargo Ship which lets players roam across the huge lake in middle of the map.
Game mechanics
The game mechanics are similar to that of most console role-playing games. Players travel between points of interest on an overworld map, during which point in time they can be attacked by randomly encountered foes. Within towns, players can rest, repair vehicles, sell items, and other typical activities. The "dungeons" in the title are usually caves or abandoned buildings. Such hostile locations are relatively small, with much of their complexity being due to their maze-like nature (and the lack of an auto-mapping feature).
Combat is individually turn-based, utilizing a staggered initiative system (e.g., characters on foot are faster than those in tanks). Any canine member of the party acts on his or her own, automatically attacking foes at random. For the remaining characters, players choose among a limited number of actions. While characters do have some skills which can be used during combat, these cost money to use (rather than using a separate mana/skill point pool) and often cannot be used when within a tank. As a result, skills are not necessarily as attractive as in other such games. Although certain weapons are clearly intended to be used against certain foes, characters cannot change arms or armor during combat.
Reception
Although the game's sense of humor and solid hours of gameplay won it some positive marks, the overall impression of the title was decidedly mediocre. Reviewers scoffed at the dated graphics, lack of plot, and missing feeling of progression. As a result, a considerable amount of time was often spent by reviewers and gamers alike simply wandering around, trying to figure out what to do next. While the game had all the classic trappings for the genre, complete with its own quirky style, it seemed to lack the polish required to stand-out. GameSpot noted "Metal Saga has the makings of a good role-playing game, but there's nothing to tie it all together."
External links
- Official Atlus Metal Saga website
- Template:GameFAQs
- Metal Saga at IGN
- Metal Saga at RPGamer
- Metal Saga ⚠ "
mbid" is missing! at MusicBrainz - Metal Saga Special Soundtrack ⚠ "
mbid" is missing! at MusicBrainz - Metal Saga at MobyGames