Game Reviews

Eternal Descent: Heavy Metal Heroes

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Eternal Descent: Heavy Metal Heroes

To those who aren't into heavy metal music, it can come across as tiresomely predictable, outdated, repetitive, and vaguely ridiculous.

Such terms can be used just as readily to describe Eternal Descent: Heavy Metal Heroes.

And they apply regardless of your gaming or musical tastes.

Repetitive riffs

This is a hybrid of endless-runner and scrolling beat-'em-up elements in a similar vein to Punch Quest and God of Blades. Indeed, with its knowing winks at an esoteric strand of rock music, the comparison with White Whale's ode to prog rock is fitting.

Unlike those aforementioned gems, however, Eternal Descent: Heavy Metal Heroes is as tiresomely dull as a ten-minute drum solo.

The controls, as your Thor-in-denim protagonist automatically runs from left to right, are simple. You tap the left side of the screen for an uppercut, knocking your opponents into the air with your guitar; or right for a straight slap.

Holding these commands charges up a more powerful attack, which is useful for sending baddies careering into their underworld-spawned comrades.

Bum note

While the developer has already updated the game to fix the original version's woolly, laggy controls, the combat still feels scrappy and imprecise, and it quickly grows repetitive. There are only so many times you can punch or uppercut a scampering monster before the process becomes boring.

There are cameo appearances from real-life rockers like Joe Satriani and Andrew W.K., whether as temporary power-ups or boss characters, but this will be a brief novelty kick for dedicated metal fans (or fans of the comic book from which this is taken).

Indeed, it's quite possible that metal fans will get rather more enjoyment out of Eternal Descent than I did. It's certainly got name-dropping credentials and a nicely detailed 3D comic book art style on its side.

But I doubt that metalheads will be any more willing to overlook the game's severe limitations than non-metalheads.

Eternal Descent: Heavy Metal Heroes

A truly dumb endless-runner with a gimmicky heavy metal theme and sluggish, limited gameplay
Score
Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.