Metal Eden: Is This The 'Titanfall 3' We've Been Wallrunning Towards (While EA Watches)?
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
If you're one of the many gamers still pining for the fast-paced, parkour-heavy thrills of a new *Titanfall*, then *Metal Eden* from Reikon Games just might be the chaotic, wallrunning FPS that temporarily fills that void, despite a somewhat blurry story.
Right, so remember that gaping, Titan-sized hole in our hearts? Yeah, the one labelled 'Where is bloody *Titanfall 3*?' For years, we've been staring at it, occasionally poking it with a stick, hoping something, anything, would fill that void. Well, mate, I've been tinkering with a new arrival, and fair dinkum, it might just be the glorious, chaotic balm our souls need for the time being.
Meet *Metal Eden*, the latest brain-child from Reikon Games, the clever chaps who brought us the twitchy, neon-drenched mayhem of *Ruiner* back in 2017. And let me tell you, when I first hit a wallrun in this game, my brain did a little happy dance. You know, the kind where you accidentally summon a small, excitable imp and it starts juggling fireballs? Pure, unadulterated joy. Finally, a first-person shooter that lets me zip around like a caffeinated Spider-Man, all while raining down a spectacular amount of lead on some very deserving robots.
Now, let's talk about the world of *Metal Eden*. It's a paint-by-numbers cyberpunk affair, no surprises there. Steel architecture bathed in all the starter-kit neon reds, blues, and oranges you could ask for. Ominous synth scores? Check. And yes, bless its cotton socks, it attempts to Say Something profound about capitalism being, shocker, *bad*. But honestly, in a world where *Titanfall 3* is still a wistful dream, I'll take a bit of predictable dystopian gloom.
The premise, if you can catch it (and honestly, I blinked during the exposition dump), is wild. Humanity's cracked the code on indefinite life by uploading everyone's consciousness to the cloud, then sending them off to an orbital city called Moebius. You play as Aska, a 'Hyper Unit' – basically a superpowered android soldier, a Murderbot if you will – who can apparently be reconstructed ad infinitum. And voilà! There's your perfect, slightly cheeky justification for dying repeatedly while you try to nail that one tricky platforming section. It's a clever little magic trick, that. Though, for the record, the story whizzes by so fast you barely register it, and there's no in-game compendium to help you catch up. Most of the dialogue comes from a disembodied baritone spouting dramatic platitudes, which is about as easy to follow as a greased lightning bolt and just as hard to care about. But who needs a deep narrative when the action *freakin' rips*?
Because that's where *Metal Eden* truly shines, mate. A lot of games promise you the fantasy of being an unstoppable badass, but *Metal Eden* delivers it in spades. As Aska, there's absolutely zero ambiguity – you *are* a force of nature. The game's bullet-time mechanic is pure bliss, letting you briefly slow down the chaos to dodge incoming fire and line up those satisfying headshots. You've got an arsenal that would make a wizard jealous, all with multiple alternate uses. Think an electric weapon that freezes enemies solid (perfect for a quick *Shatter* spell, if you will) or an SMG that lobs Molotovs. Yeah, Molotovs! What happens if you combine those? Pure, glorious mayhem!
But it's not all easy pickings. Some foes need a good old-fashioned melee smack to strip their armour, which, yes, absolutely smacks of *Doom*'s glorious reboots. It’s a smart way to keep you in the thick of it, constantly moving and engaging. But it's the *movement*, oh the glorious, silky-smooth movement, that truly lets *Metal Eden* slide onto the throne left vacant by our beloved *Titanfall*.
Exhibit A: The wallrunning. Most combat arenas are bordered by walls, inviting you to run along them like some kind of cyberpunk acrobat, completely bypassing ground-bound enemies. Then you've got a thruster pack for double-jumps and brief hovering, letting you extend those aerial assaults. Many levels feature grapple points, a delicious little nod to *Titanfall 2*'s multiplayer (which, let's be honest, we all wished had made it into the campaign too). And for those rare moments your boots are actually on flat ground, a quick button tap lets you snappily dodge out of harm's way. All these ingredients swirl together into a combat flow where standing still is a death sentence, and survival is a ballet of constant motion. While it’s not a one-to-one recreation of *Titanfall 2*, the sheer speed and fluidity of *Metal Eden*'s action are undeniably reminiscent of Respawn's long-dormant gem. Oh, and the fact you spend a bloody lot of your time fighting giant robots, too. Just saying.
I'm a fair few missions in, and sadly, I haven't ended up piloting one of these gargantuan machines myself – a definite shame, but hey, maybe one day? You do, however, get an ability to transform into a metal ball, zipping around the battlefield like some kind of electrified Samus Aran. In this form, you can launch targeted missile barrages and shock enemies. To be honest, I haven't used it much; the reviewer mentioned it felt a bit ineffective, more nuisance than invincible death machine. But my curious gamer brain immediately wonders, what if you just used it to be really, really annoying in a hypothetical multiplayer mode? The possibilities for chaotic mischief!
And that brings us back to the elephant in the digital room: *Titanfall*. It's one of gaming's great lingering threads, isn't it? The original proved that giant mechs and multiplayer shooters could coexist, and *Titanfall 2* expanded on that, not just with a robust multiplayer but with a campaign that still ranks among the strongest FPS campaigns ever conceived. Yet, it reportedly failed to meet EA's sales expectations (released, as it was, between a new *Battlefield* and a new *Call of Duty* – a truly baffling decision). Instead of a third instalment, Respawn pivoted to *Apex Legends* and those excellent *Star Wars Jedi* games.
So, while the 'where *Silksong*' meme might have a bit more cultural saturation, 'where *Titanfall 3*' isn't far behind. *Apex Legends* occasionally throws us a bone with a lore reference, but it's just not the same, is it? The world wants more Titanfall! Is *Metal Eden* that glorious return? Nah, mate, let's be real. It doesn't even have multiplayer. But for the time being, it’s a bloody good stand-in, a genuinely innovative and exhilarating movement shooter that’s got me excited. It’s a bold declaration from Reikon Games, showing us what happens if you really lean into the magic of fast-paced, vertical combat.
Your move, EA. We're waiting. But while we do, you might find me zipping around *Metal Eden* like a digital wizard who just chugged too much caffeine, having the time of my life.
This excellent look into *Metal Eden* was inspired by a review from Ari Notis over at Polygon. Cheers for the intel, mate!
Tags: FPS, Sci-Fi, Action, Titanfall-like, Movement Shooter
Original article: Polygon