Iron Meat

I got a message from a buddy with a link to the Iron Meat trailer and an all-caps HELL YES and I had to send him a gif of Steve Austin doing a hell yeah in response as the game looked awesome. This is not out as I write this, but I have played the demo to absolute death. This is a retro inspired retro 2D run and gun shooter that is all about action and like something you would have played back in the 16-bit days, possibly the 32 at a push. Anyway, this is a game I am all in on and I wanted to try and get a few other folks excited about it too.

Beating Your Meat!

There is actually a bit of story at play here in Iron Meat that is pretty fun and very sci-fi in what it is doing. Basically, there is a scientist on the moon doing weird experiments and it has ended up unleashing this huge biomass on the world that is just engulfing and enslaving anything that it comes into contact with. It does have some cool cut scenes that have a bit of Super Metroid vibe about them and that is something I think is really neat.

Alien Rebels!

The presentation of Iron Meat is awesome, I do not see how anyone can look at this and not think of Contra III or if you are from the UK like me, Probotector as it is called here. It is great stuff and has some awesome pixel art. What I love about it is that it is not too over the top, it has a real 16-bit quality about it that I think is awesome. The sprite work here is great stuff, but the fluid animations are what really make this a game that is great. It is one of those games where it is not uncommon for you to die because you were checking out some kind of detail in the background.

Run, Gun, Die, Repeat!

The gameplay much like those gorgeous 16-bit visuals is very reminiscent of the 16-bit Contra games. It has a bit more of the Sega Contra about it actually. Anyway, you have extreme precision control over your warrior are you run and gun all over the stages. You have to mow down tons of enemies, pick up new abilities for your gun, and take down big bosses. The boss battles here are great stuff as they are still run and gun style gameplay, but there is a lot of strategy here where you have to learn the patterns in an old school kind of way which I love.

More Ways To Play!

There is no denying that Iron Meat is a game that has a ton of action packed gameplay and personality for those just wanting to blow through the game, however, there is a lot to keep you entertained here. For starters, there are multiple difficulty levels for you to test your skills with. There is also a boss rush which I am very excited about, especially as the bosses are designed to not just look cool, but also be challenging as well. Then we have the iconic two player co-op which I am sure will be made even more fun thanks to the crazy skins that you can get.

Pros:

• I think the sci-fi setting is cool
• The run and gun style action gameplay feels great
• This is the perfect game for old school Contra fans
• The whole 16-bit SNES/Sega vibe of the game is great!

Cons:

• As of me writing this, there is no release date for the game
• You will need some quick reflexes to get the best out of this!