If MetalCore can get the gamers in, its PvPvP mode could really take off, writes Polemos game expert Cavan “Caveman” Roe.
MetalCore is a game jammed full of FPS action and warfare combat.
I got an opportunity to test the game’s private alpha build this week and playing it, I felt like I had put on some Warhammer space marine power armour and marched into an active war zone.
The setting is the metal-rich alien planet of Kerberos, where three factions fight for resources and territory.
Players can join one of the factions and participate in various modes of gameplay, such as massive PvP battles, cooperative PvE missions, and open-world skirmishes.
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MetalCore combines infantry and vehicles to create the experience of a futuristic battlefield map, but the gun-feel and shielding bring an entirely different global warfare style of gameplay.
The mechs and aircraft are particularly satisfying. Missiles and rockets hit really hard. When you lock on and/or just hit the target, the explosions and gravity of the impact make it feel like your missiles did some major damage.
Most infantry die instantly and you feel like a god in the vehicles – until you meet an opponent in a separate vehicle. Then the shielding gives you some play back and forth to show off your skills. The zoom on the mechs is also good, and it really feels like you are locking on to your enemy.
The game uses NFTs (unique digital assets) on the Polygon blockchain to represent items such as vehicles, weapons, skins, pilots, blueprints and land.
Players can craft new items from blueprints, rent or borrow items from other players, and sell or trade them in an open marketplace. By playing the game, players can also earn rewards such as tokens, resources, and land.
MetalCore is developed by a team of experienced game developers who have worked on titles such as MechWarrior 2, Mortal Kombat and Gears of War. The game also features stunning graphics and sound design by Stephan Martiniere, who has worked on Magic the Gathering, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, God of War and Sky.
This game brings a new and unique feel by having three-way combat to battle over zones. Picking up loot from the dead bodies of your enemies is also a fun and engaging way to integrate an economy and the blockchain.
These resources you acquire are then used to build up your “garage” of vehicles and weapons. When it becomes possible to trade these resources on the blockchain, I can envision a cool player-driven economy developing.
Overall, MetalCore is a fun game where I could choose to either do side quests or jump into the PVP matches. In one match, I got locked into a 10-minute dogfight with one opponent. I was completely immersed in this fight to the death and felt like I was in the cockpit.
I did find the infantry combat a little lacklustre and the servers were quite dead. There only seemed to be six people in there, at most.
It would have been great to experience a 30 vs 30 vs 30 giant faction war. If they can actually attract a large population of gamers I can see MetalCore really lifting off.
