Ever play Doom Eternal and think that you wish you could trade the heavy death metal for pulsing techno synth? Dream no longer because the boys at Reikon have thrown their hat into the ring with an unbelievably fast-paced first-person shooter. The results are about as awesome as you’d think, considering how tight, polished, and stylish Ruiner was.
Set in a dystopian future where Earth is uninhabitable, and humanity’s consciousnesses are stored in “Cores” for potential resurrection. Players assume the role of an Aska, an advanced android “Hyper Unit,” sent to an orbital megacity now overrun by hostile robots and mysterious “Engineers.”
The story follows Aska’s mission to uncover the secrets of Project Eden, battling through cybernetic enemies using a Doom Eternal-like Zan-datsu mechanic, where Aska rips out enemy cores for grenades, health, or abilities. What is the measure of humanity? Can the soul be digitized? Find out in our Metal Eden review!
Metal Eden
Developer: Reikon Games
Publisher: Deep Silver, PLAION
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 (reviewed)
Release Date: September 2, 2025
Price: $39.99
Metal Eden makes a powerful first impression with its dazzling presentation and slick opening animation that evokes memories of Ghost in the Shell. “Oh man”, you’re thinking, “This is going to be a wild and deep science fiction exploration about the measure of the soul, packed into an explosive action game!”. Metal Eden is definitely an explosive action game, but the story is as run-of-the-mill cyberpunk fare as it gets.
Aska’s primary drive is to investigate the downfall of Moebius and secure the Cores, which store human consciousnesses in digital format, while battling rogue robots and Engineers. The mission hints at a larger conspiracy tied to Project Eden, but Aska’s personal stakes or backstory remain underdeveloped, making the character merely a vessel for the player’s actions.
Despite being a cyborg with a human brain, she may as well be a full-on robot because Aska only does what she’s told. The only other real character is Nexus, who goads Aska through the chaos of Moebius, urging her to “set the citizens free” by retrieving human consciousnesses stored in Cores. The moment he’s introduced, the game doesn’t try to hide the fact that this guy isn’t on the level and that he can’t be trusted due to his obviously evil line delivery.
The more Metal Eden tries to tell its story, the less interesting it becomes. Its plot leans heavily on tired cyberpunk cliches while doing nothing with them. One of the reasons why Metal Eden is hard to connect with is that Aska is a one-dimensional character. Ruiner had a cool protagonist because there was a sense of driving revenge and rage simmering underneath his faceless mask. Aska follows orders despite warning signs.
The story isn’t why anyone would play Metal Eden. It’s an afterthought compared to the absolutely outrageous fast-paced action. Movement is fluid, and Aska can boost, wall-run, and slide like she has a purpose.
It feels good and fittingly aggressive since movement is everything in Metal Eden. Aska can’t take many hits, and she will have to stay mobile because her foes are just as deadly and relentless.
The Core-hijacking mechanics that let you rip out enemy hearts for grenades, health, or a devastating super-punch. It’s a brilliant twist on Doom’s glorykill mechanic, injecting strategy into the chaos of precision gunplay. Ammo\ caps are tight, putting pressure on players to keep moving and hijacking as many cores as possible to cover the limited ammo.
The cores are essential because Metal Eden’s foes can’t always be shot to smithereens. Some robots will have barriers, and Aska will need to prey on fodder enemies (who can still put up a fight) for cores to soften armored enemies, exposing their soft, pulpy, yet juicy nougaty weakpoints. The fluid mechanics allow for chaining actions, like sliding into a hijack or dodging while unloading a magazine, creating a sense of flow that feels almost rhythmic.
Aska’s arsenal includes prototypical cyberpunk weaponry: plasma rifles, shotguns, and energy-based heavy weapons, each with satisfying feedback and distinct roles. Weapons are balanced to encourage switching based on enemy types and situations, making all guns useful.
Metal Eden feels solid to play and looks amazing. The setting is so intensely industrial and massive that you have no idea what you’re looking at. It feels as if the entire world is one giant factory or some kind of city-sized supercomputer, with endless mysterious containers moving around to god-knows-where. It’s not even clear if anyone lives in Moebius at all, making the setting feel utterly hopeless and devoid of humanity.
Metal Eden’s biggest fumbles are its level design. It’s a very linear shooter with minor platforming challenges serving as bridges between small arena-like areas. This structure becomes very predictable and tiresome.
Metal Eden may have done a creative spin on Doom Eternal’s combat, but it fails to understand the strength of the level design and how it lets players loose in a thoughtfully structured playground with secrets and encounters.
It will take less than eight hours to reach the end of Metal Eden, and there isn’t much replay value. Getting all the upgrades is all well and good, but the absolute relentless pace and lack of variety make it hard to return to the game.
Metal Eden is a respectable “one and done” experience that might be fun to replay years later, but the initial experience will leave players wanting more. It’s too bad that the game is too stingy with itself.
Metal Eden was reviewed on PlayStation 5 using a code provided by Deep Silver. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. Metal Eden is now available for Windows PC (via STEAM), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
