Metal Wolf Chaos XD

Metal Wolf Chaos is an old game with a wild reputation, and though it lives up to it in some ways, it's not good in general. At best, it's a curio that helps inform the story of From Software's trajectory over the years. At worst, it's a frustratingly shallow experience that fails to capitalize on it's best qualities. The From Software of yore deserves applause for punching up so confidently, and in style, to a degree, but Metal Wolf Chaos doesn't live up to the hype that's been building for well over a decade.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD should have been the perfect title for me. It’s as dumb, over-the-top and self-aware as possible, just the way I like it. Sadly, not only did its gameplay age more than expected, but its audio quality is so poor that I wasn’t able to listen to the game’s magnificently horrendous dialogue at any given point.

Metal Wolf Chaos needed a remake instead of a remaster. The general premise and FromSoftware’s commitment to its ridiculousness is almost worth the trip in and of itself, but the levels tend to be either offer no challenge or such a steep one that players will have to grind to get past it. Yet despite this, it’s still great to see it being released worldwide for the first time.