100% Less Twisted
You think Hamster has already hit all of the shmups released in the late ’80s/early ’90s? Well, think again, buster, as the retro lovin’ publisher has added Taito’s eye-searing shooterMetal Blackto its mammoth Arcade Archives range, with the forgotten shmup now available to purchase on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
Released to the arcade market in 1991, during Taito’s “Loud & Vulgar” phase, (see also:Under Fire, Special Criminal Investigation),Metal Blackis a horizontally scrolling sci-fi shmup set against the backdrop of a damaged Earth, having fallen victim to a devastating meteor shower. In the aftermath of this event, an alien force attacks the weakened planet, leading to the surrender of humanity. However, one rogue pilot, John Ford, refuses to allow mankind to go quietly into the night. Hijacking prototype vessel “CF-345 Black Fly”, Ford embarks on a final bid to send the unwelcome visitors packing.
You can check out the action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuberAL82 Retrogaming.
Metal Blackconsists of six stages of frenetic sky-fighting action, with mechanics not dissimilar to that of Irem’sR-Typeand Taito’s ownDariusfranchise. As previously noted,Metal Blackcomes from an era of Taito that features somewhat ugly textures, slapdash scaling, and some brutal visual effects, which often renders the in-game action a little tough to follow. Regardless, this forgotten example does feature a pretty rad soundtrack, interesting boss designs, and a novel feature that sees the story come to one of two massively different conclusions, dependent on how the player fares on the final encounter.
Metal Blackis available to download on PS4 and Nintendo Switch now.
