Developer: Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo Release: 12/1993 Genre: Action
Battle Clash was one of the best reasons to own a Super Scope 6. While most light gun games were cut down arcade ports or simple games Battle Clash was a full length experience with depth. It was enough to make me buy the peripheral which says a lot. Metal Combat: Falcon’s Revenge takes everything that made its predecessor great and dials it up to eleven. More play mechanics, better presentation, and a longer campaign combine to make Metal Combat a hidden SNES gem.
The game’s story continues where the first game left off. Three years have passed since Mike Anderson defeated Anubis. In that time mankind has begun to rebuild in this new age of peace. But suddenly Anubis reappears with a new set of Viscounts to terrorize the planet once again. However this is just a prelude to a much bigger threat….
Metal Combat begins with a mandatory tutorial and with good reason. There are a number of new mechanics to learn that are critical to the game. Turbo shots can be fired rapidly but these are not the only ones this time around. When at rest your ST will begin to charge one of three meters. At one full meter you can release an energy bolt that is more powerful and can either destroy the enemy’s own fire or cancel their attack. If you wait for the maximum three bars the treble shot is available. The treble shot not only wipes out all projectiles on screen it deals damage and will reveal the enemy’s weak point. This gives a brief window to inflict significant damage and destroy part of their ST.
The list of secondary power-ups has been expanded beyond simple bombs and shields. Homing lasers, disruptor bombs, and the return of the V-system make the system deeper. Some items such as the plasma bomb need to be charged first. Others like the Neutron bomb sacrifice health for a big kamikaze attack. You receive one bomb after every match and can carry five. While you can hold every item in the game you are only allowed to carry two into battle. This forces some tough choices as the right item can be the difference between victory and defeat.
With the new offensive and defensive options Metal Combat has the flow of a Punchout match. As you watch your opponent for opportunities to strike and trade blows it almost feels like a rhythm game. The game is more intuitive in terms of being able to read your opponent; certain attacks will cause their weak points to flash. You can also expose them using a treble shot. Your strategic options with the different shots give the game far more depth. As much as I like Battle Clash it was relatively straightforward. Now it is possible to end each fight in less than twenty seconds with skill and the right items. The same also applies as the bosses are a lot tougher.
A boss rush title is only as good as its mayors and in this regard Metal Combat excels. There are a few returning favorites from the first game but they have all new tricks. The new characters are more unique such as Siamang and his simian ST and Arachnus. I love that the game varies its bosses to give you many different ways to victory. Carlos and his ST Viscount has a bazooka and shield. But his actual weak points are his chest and legs. There is a very clear divide: the game is more grounded in its first half. But when the plot twist occurs it becomes more fantastical as you travel the solar system. The size of the ST’s puts the biggest in Battle Clash to shame. The last few even have new mechanics to throw you off. In spite of that the game still always remains accessible.
Metal Combat puts up a fight yet despite how steep the challenge may seem it is always fair. Whether you break down each boss piece by piece or exploit their weakness both are viable strategies. Sometimes destroying an important piece can back fire. Destroy Arachnus and he goes berserk and is near impossible to kill. While the different charge shots can turn the tide the bosses attacks are just as strong and if you miss it can be catastrophic. I love the back and forth and even when you die you still learn something in the process. There is a spike in the game’s second half but the Earth based bosses serve as an excellent training ground for it. I don’t know how they managed it but the game’s balance is near perfect in my opinion.
In Closing
Metal Combat: Falcon’s Revenge is a fantastic game and highly underrated in the SNES library. It bests its predecessor in every category and in my opinion has the gameplay and mechanics to entice non light gun fans. With its stronger presentation and variety of modes it also has more replay value. It is a crime that there have not been more games in the series, the quality warrants it.
