The sincerest form of flattery
Back when I coveredCybernator, someone suggested that I try 1995’sMetal Warriorson Super Nintendo. It was touted as a sequel toCybernator. It’s not, but we’ll get to that. I said I didn’t have that kind of money to drop on a single game. Well, time makes fools of us all, as now I have a copy. Don’t ask.
Metal Warriorsis something I only knew existed because of its value. I have a whole book on the history of Lucasarts, and I don’t remember it even mentioning it (though it has been a while since I last cracked its spine). It was designed by the creators ofZombies Ate My Neighbors, a game that I am very familiar with. However,Metal Warriors’pricetag kept me away. Which is one of the biggest problems with the collector’s market.
Not to be confused withMetal CombatorMetal Marines
So, no,Metal Warriorsisn’t any sort of sequel toCybernator. It’s true that Konami published both, but it seems that the design was entirely up to Lucasarts. Completely unrelated developers worked on it, and it is not considered part of theAssault Suitsseries thatCybernatorbelongs to.
With that said, it certainly looks and plays like a sequel. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I guess.
Metal Warriorsis a side-scrolling mech game, and while there are differences, if you playedCybernator, this is going to be really familiar. The controls, mechanics, and movement are largely the same. The way the narrative unfolds is also It’s plain to see that it wasn’t built directly over the bones ofCybernator, but the inspiration is painfully obvious.
You gotta find first gear in your giant robot car
If there’s one big difference between the two titles, it’s thatMetal Warriorsseems absolutely thrilled to be here. WhileCybernatorseemed to have a dour commitment to the gruesome realities of war,Metal Warriorsfeels more like its design was based around the phrase, “wouldn’t it be cool if…”
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could get out of your mech and board unmanned ones? Yeah, that’s pretty rad, and they handle it really well. If you get out of your mech and a little dude gets near it, they might jack it from you. You also sometimes have to gun your way through guys on foot to reach your objective. It’s a stylish dash of variety, and there’s some strategy in trading out your armor for something a little less dinged up.
Wouldn’t it be cool if there was no HUD, and everything was communicated right there on the mech? Absolutely. There are visible indications that your stompy robot isn’t feeling well. It’s a lot less obvious how much harder you’re able to push your mech, while a health bar would make it apparent when it’s time to back off and find health.
Wouldn’t it be cool if your robot had a sword? Obviously.
Wouldn’t it be cool if your robot was hot rod red? Definitely.
Chicks dig giant robots
One thing that I wishMetal Warriorsdidn’t followCybernatoron is its limited continues. Both games required a certain amount of level memorization to get through cleanly, and it’s hard to gain that when you’re forced to start from the beginning after five deaths. One of the game’s nine missions only pops up if you manage to get through the previous one without using a continue, so you might not even see it if you don’t replay until perfection.
There’s a reasonable amount of variety among the levels. Each one usually folds in a wrinkle to keep you guessing. There’s also some opportunity for exploration, as pick-ups can be hidden in vacant corners of the map. Different paths can be taken to get to your objective. Mission five, for example, allows you to take a tunnel under the map to avoid some of the big guns at ground level. So, whileMetal Warriorsis a bit of a dick for forcing you to start over when you run out of continues, it’s hard to stay mad at it.
War is hell. However…
Metal Warriorsis just really happy to be here. While its narrative seems to imitateCybernator’s“space-war is hell” message, it doesn’t feel as sincere when each mission is bookended by some rad cutscenes. Even the opening where it shows the pilot firing up their mech feels flashy on another level.Cybernatorfelt like it was making a statement (even moreso in the unedited Japanese version), whereasMetal Warriorsjust thinks it’s the coolest.
Even the music, while a bit repetitive, has a high-energy feel to it in contrast toCybernator’smore cinematic efforts. It’s maybe not the best soundtrack, but it’s got some pretty good earworms mixed in there.
There’s also a versus mode, which I’m told is excellent. However, it’s difficult to convince my husband to play anything adversarial against me, and alternative company is hard to come by these days. There are certain hints in the game’s dialogue that make it sound likeMetal Warriorswas supposed to feature co-op, which would be cool, but that’s just conjecture.
Robo-flavor
WhileMetal WarriorsandCybernatorare irrefutably similar, they do have their own special flavors. Even ifMetal Warriorsis more feature-packed, I’d have a difficult time claiming one is better than the other. They seem to have been developed with different goals in mind, and both achieve them just as deftly.
One thing that can be said for certain is that Mike Ebert and Dean Sharpe clearly loved their creation. There’s an excitement that exudes from every facet of the game. It’s just a shame that it came and went without much of a splash. Nintendo was reportedly going to publish the game but dropped it. Konami picked it up but only published a small run of the title. I don’t want to speculate too much on the possibility of a re-release, but few games deserve one more thanMetal Warriors.
For other retro titles you may have missed, click right here!
