METAL EDEN Review for PlayStation 5

Metal Eden Review for PlayStation 5

I went into “Metal Eden” with fairly high expectations, mostly because Reikon Games already won me over years ago with their stylish cyberpunk shooter “Ruiner.” That game showed me they knew how to craft something fast, tough, and drenched in atmosphere. This time around, they’ve traded the isometric viewpoint for full-on first-person mayhem, and the result is a sharp, adrenaline-charged sci-fi shooter that constantly kept me on edge. It’s not flawless by any means, but when the combat is firing on all cylinders, “Metal Eden” is a seriously fun ride.

The setup is straightforward but intriguing enough: you play as Aska, an advanced hyper unit sent into Moebius, a vast orbital city that was once intended as a utopian home for humanity but has since turned into a death trap. The mission is grim: recover the consciousness “cores” of the trapped citizens and uncover the truth behind Project EDEN. The story touches on big ideas, but honestly, it’s more of a background justification for the relentless action. While the lore surrounding the Engineers, the Hive Tower, and the mysterious city of Vulcan adds flavor, I was far more invested in what was happening moment to moment with the gameplay. And the gameplay is where “Metal Eden” shines brightest. Right from the start, Aska feels incredibly mobile. Wall-running, grappling, dashing, and jetpack maneuvers give you constant ways to stay moving, and mastering these tools is essential because standing still is a death sentence. The parkour system makes arenas feel like playgrounds, and chaining movement skills together while under heavy fire creates an intense, almost rhythmic flow. The transformation into an armored ramball is a nice touch too, letting me smash through enemies with brute force when agility wasn’t enough.

Combat itself is fast, punishing, and rewarding. Enemies hit hard, but the game always gives you multiple tools to turn the fight in your favor. Ripping energy Cores from enemy units and using them to disable shields or power yourself up becomes a central mechanic that feels both satisfying and strategic. One fight might have me darting across platforms with my gravity hook to stay alive, while another could see me charging into the middle of the chaos to unleash devastating close-range power. It reminded me of a hybrid between a boomer shooter like “Doom” and the kinetic flow state of something like “Ghostrunner,” where twitch reflexes and aggressive tactics were the only way to survive. The variety of enemy types kept things fresh too. Facing off against agile mechs, shielded troops, and elemental machines meant I couldn’t just rely on one weapon or tactic. Instead, I had to mix up my approach constantly, and that variety really helped the arenas stand out. The weapons themselves aren’t wildly original, but they’re fun to use and fit nicely into the game’s hyper-fast loop.

The world of Moebius is visually striking in concept, with towering brutalist architecture and the sense of a monolithic city high above the planet’s surface. However, the execution isn’t always on par with the ideas. While I appreciated the stark and imposing look of the environments, the visuals often felt flat or overly gray, and the atmosphere wasn’t as rich as I’d hoped. “Ruiner” had a very strong stylistic identity, and I sometimes missed that here. Additionally, I’m sad to say, the technical side doesn’t always keep up with the ambition. On PlayStation 5, I ran into noticeable framerate drops during heavy action sequences, which undercut the otherwise fluid feel of the combat. There’s also the matter of voice work, where AI-generated performances were used for some dialogue, and it shows. The delivery lacks nuance and occasionally pulled me out of the immersion. Neither of these issues makes the game unplayable, but they’re distracting, and they hold the experience back from greatness.

What kept me pushing forward despite these flaws was how well the actual gameplay loop works. The arena battles are intense and demand full attention, but they rarely feel unfair because the game equips you with so many mobility and combat options. Even when I was overwhelmed, I always had some maneuver or weapon swap that could swing the momentum back in my favor. The combination of constant movement, creative mechanics like Core extraction, and the relentless pace of fights is where “Metal Eden” really finds its identity. That said, outside of combat, the game doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression. The narrative doesn’t dig very deep, and exploration feels secondary to the big arena battles. Once I finished a run, I didn’t feel the same lingering pull to re-examine the story or soak in the world the way I might with other sci-fi shooters. Instead, this is a game that delivers raw, high-octane action above all else, and it succeeds when judged on that level.

“Metal Eden” ends up being a bit of a mixed package, but one I’m glad I played. It doesn’t quite reach the atmospheric heights of their previous title for me, nor does it deliver the polish of the best arena shooters. But when you’re sprinting along walls, grappling between platforms, and ripping enemy Cores in the heat of battle, none of that matters much. Reikon Games has proven once again they know how to make action feel exhilarating, and even though the rough edges can be tough to ignore, the sheer intensity of the gameplay made it worthwhile for me. If you’re looking for a sci-fi FPS that emphasizes mobility, speed, and creative combat mechanics, “Metal Eden” is absolutely worth checking out. It might stumble in presentation and technical execution, but its core, pun very much intended, is strong enough to carry the experience.

7.5/10

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Nick Navarro

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Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87

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