Screen Juice is a new developer that has been hard at work providing players with a new experience in gaming. With many games in the rogue-lite genre,Morbid Metalis set to make quite the impact right off the bat. Fans of the genre are always keeping an eye out for more entries that can keep their attention, providing an interesting and new experience for them to sink their teeth into. Hardcore Gamer was provided access to the newest demo to see what this new game is all about.
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Shapeshifting Rogue-lite Action
While the demo doesn’t provide much in terms of the story that the game will provide, it does give us a good look at the action that will take place. After the initial start, you’re brought through the normal gameplay tutorial that action games will have to offer, allowing you to learn each mechanic separately before you’re tossed into the fray. You’ve got all the staples of action rogue-lite games here: double-jumps, dashes, dodge-counters, abilities and upgrades.
TheMorbid Metaldemo gives a preview of high-quality gameplay where you initially take control of Flux at the start. Flux is a fast-paced character that moves quickly, strikes fast and is great with 1-on-1 encounters. You get time with her and learn her abilities separately before you’re tossed into the meat and potatoes that the game has to offer. She has three skills to use while on the offensive and they’re all tailored around being able to take down singular enemies as fast as possible. Blinkstrike and Nano Blades are her two main abilities to use, with Blinkstrike taking you straight to enemies and Nano Blades throwing out a series of attacks from a distance.
After you’ve gotten further into the instance, you’ll also be met with a new character which is where the combat shifts to allow for even more variety. Shortly after getting comfortable with Flux, you’ll then be able to shapeshift into Ekku, who is the polar opposite of Flux. Ekku hits hard and has abilities that are geared towards taking down groups of enemies. The amazing part about having both of these characters in the demo is that you don’t have to commit to one or the other; you can reliably switch in the middle of combat to find a good flow between the two. It’s a fantastic system that allows for growth with mechanics and satisfaction with the overall gameplay.
The amazing part about having both of these characters in the demo is that you don’t have to commit to one or the other; you may reliably switch in the middle of combat to find a good flow between the two.
All of these combine into a fine-tuned dance to create the flashiest combo system possible, akin to how theDevil May Cryseries handles its combos. You’ll get a score in the top right of the screen; the flashier and better the combo, the better your score is going to be. The longer you spend doing nothing, the lower that score is going to go. This is always a great system to get players to jump head-first into combat, and be as aggressive as possible with the systems in place, rewarding them for going all-out in their encounters.
Carving a Path Forward
Continuing with the combat, you’ll have upgrades to your abilities, allowing you to augment how these characters are going to play. From providing Flux’s Nano Blades with a ricochet perk to deal damage to multiple enemies at once, to giving Ekku’s basic attacks a chance to strike twice when landing hits. No rogue-lite or roguelike game would be complete without cursed items as well. These are cursed upgrades that will provide you with an overwhelming bonus, while also providing this to your enemies as well. Cursed or not, all of these upgrades provide the perfect amount of variety for each run you go through.
One thing that should be talked about alongside the gameplay is the animations and sound design to pair with it. Both of these pair together perfectly, creating one of the smoothest and most seamless experiences. Combat is stellar, with animations having the perfect amount of weight to them. Or in Flux’s case, speed, making her feel lightweight and quick. You also have heavy or light sounds with landing hits that make the weight of Ekku’s hits feel even heavier as you rip apart groups of enemies. It’s a fine line in getting these to look and feel as good as they do, and Screen Juice nailed it perfectly.
This demo doesn’t have a large variety of enemies right away, but you do get to experience the most important thing right away: the combat.Morbid Metalis already shaping up to be a fantastic entry to the genre, pushing forward and creating a path to be a big name for players to talk about. While the demo only showed off the basics, it’s clear that there is sure to be a lot more to the game when the developer is ready to show it off in its full glory. Set to release on Steam Early Access in the summer of 2025, it’s hard not to look forward to what the game has to offer.
Morbid Metal
