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UNMETAL
review | XBOX ONE
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Publisher: Versus Evil.
Developer: Francisco Téllez de Meneses. Released: September 2021. Genre: Stealth Adventure. Other versions: VITA; PC; PS4; SWI. Posted 13th July 2026. By Shane Battams © 2026 |
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The third release from Francisco Téllez de Meneses, formerly of Ubisoft fame, UnMetal sees the developer’s love for the MSX come full circle with this Metal Gear parody. Taking the core of Prisoner of War, a 2017 MSX homebrew title, and expanding it further, this top-down stealth game lampoons the ludicrous stories and their serious tone, as well as their propensity for piling on the twists, while adding modernised mechanics to the core experience. The result is a genuinely funny, mostly engaging outing that’s well worth a spin if you have any love for the series it takes gleeful jabs at, especially the MSX releases.
Jesse Fox, a bandana-clad action hero with gravelly voice, is being interrogated after his Soviet helicopter is shot down over US airspace. He recounts the tale of his false imprisonment, his subsequent escape from the base and interaction with characters such as a presumed-dead colonel and a love interest Doctor whose patient load piles up from Fox’s takedowns. It’s a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek take on Kojima’s iconic series: it playfully analyses tropes the series became renowned for, showcasing some incredible comedic timing and has some great running jokes, such as an early one where Fox refuses to reveal how he acquired a noose in a prison cell. There’s a lot of fun to be had with the structure of the story too, as Fox’s narration to his interrogator and another person of interest leads to some funny interjections.
While UnMetal parodies many of Metal Gear's quirks, it also channels a number of the classic stealth adventure's qualities
Across 10 stages, UnMetal sees you guiding Fox via a top-down perspective as he attempts to escape his prison. It will be immediately familiar to fans of Metal Gear as you move between screens while attempting to avoid detection from guards. Fox initially has only his fists to hand, but as you progress, you can eventually craft a slingshot that uses depleted uranium balls, a pistol and even mission-specific equipment, such as a flamethrower. Crafting plays a key role here, as you often are required to combine key items to progress, and you can even make items such as Molotov cocktails, which is a fun addition. It takes a bit of getting used to, as the cover system and sneaking mechanics carry over some stiffness from its inspirations, but plentiful checkpoints and manual save points found at toilets serve to hold most frustrations at bay. There are also three available difficulties and an Ironman single run modifier for the dedicated.
UnMetal has a wide spread of ideas, which mostly hit the mark. There are a few unique sections which pay homage to other classic 2D titles. A side-scrolling submarine section recalls Metal Slug 3, while a boat sequence which sees you duking it out with an attack helicopter imitates the likes of Spy Hunter. Bosses, in fact, come thick and fast throughout missions, with some housing multiple and most proving rather fun, challenging and sometimes very quirky. A “fight” with a Drill Sargent sees you trading dialogue rather than fisticuffs, and these kinds of dialogue decisions crop up every so often and can drastically change the difficulty of a following segment (such as how many tentacles an upcoming boss will have), or just lead to a gut-busting punchline. Not every segment lands, however; some awkward maze puzzles leave no room for error, but these prove fairly rare.
UnMetal has a wide spread of ideas, which mostly hit the mark. There are a few unique sections which pay homage to other classic 2D titles. A side-scrolling submarine section recalls Metal Slug 3, while a boat sequence which sees you duking it out with an attack helicopter imitates the likes of Spy Hunter. Bosses, in fact, come thick and fast throughout missions, with some housing multiple and most proving rather fun, challenging and sometimes very quirky. A “fight” with a Drill Sargent sees you trading dialogue rather than fisticuffs, and these kinds of dialogue decisions crop up every so often and can drastically change the difficulty of a following segment (such as how many tentacles an upcoming boss will have), or just lead to a gut-busting punchline. Not every segment lands, however; some awkward maze puzzles leave no room for error, but these prove fairly rare.
FOCAL POINT: EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY
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While UnMetal certainly pokes fun at aspects of Konami’s iconic series, it also manages to ape Kojima’s attention to detail remarkably well. Each level tallies you on secrets and experience earned, the latter only gifted when you take down a guard without detection. Secrets are often hard to find, perhaps requiring you to destroy a usually solid part of the environment, such as a wall. However, both systems are worthy of exploration, as the former can gift permanent upgrades such as health points, while the latter sees you levelling up and acquiring potent perks that can aid you during gameplay, such as being able to start a strike combo from a greater distance. The pacifist approach to stealth proves interesting, allowing you the option to take down foes with melee, utilise chloroform to knock guards unconscious, or even shoot them – provided you heal their wounds afterwards. Fox is not an assassin, after all. These systems will keep you replaying stages, seeking out missed Easter eggs and goodies throughout well-designed stages.
Odes to the past continue over into the presentation. Its visuals offer a mix of MSX-esque pixel art and more detailed hand-drawn cut-scenes and codec calls. They both look great, emulating Metal Gear effectively while offering flourishes such as smoother performance and amusing Vs. screens for when you encounter bosses. Animations look good, the gritty environments are well lit, and the top-down perspective showcases everything nicely. The sound is strong too, with a great deal of decent voicework helping every joke land. Hearing Fox trip over himself while retaining that gruff delivery is a joy in particular. The music mixes retro-styled tunes with more modern tracks, and both fit the experience well, while sound effects for elements such as striking, the Game Over jingle, and gunfire are on-point.
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Sneaking and storytelling, plus lots of Easter eggs and secrets to unearth
UnMetal is ultimately quite the delight: a rib-tickling parody of Metal Gear that also manages to be rather good fun in its own right. If you’ve played the series before, and especially the MSX entries, it takes you on a ride of meta jokes, great punchlines and amusing ribs on a myriad of classic games. Even those unfamiliar will enjoy its satisfying mechanics, enjoyable levels and constant plot swerves towards the end. It can be a touch frustrating at times, and some experiments don’t quite pay off. That said, if you can forgive these issues and are in need of stealth gameplay that keeps you laughing along the way, this is well worth the price of admission.
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VERDICT
"Despite a few frustrations, UnMetal is a delightful parody of Metal Gear. It also adds satisfying mechanics, enjoyably designed levels and amusing ribs on classic titles." OVERALL: 8/10 |
OTHER STEALTH ADVENTURES REVIEWED
Metal Gear (1988, NES)
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Red Ninja: End of Honour (2005, PlayStation 2)
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