Metal Wolf Chaos XD
The country is in peril as President Michael Wilson defends the nation against a full-scale rebellion led by Vice-President Richard Hawk and the mechanized legions he commands. As the 47th President of the United States, it is your sworn duty to take your country back by any means necessary and end this unjust coup d'etat! Battle in your advanced mech – armed to the teeth – across iconic American landscapes including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Grand Canyon, and the front steps of the White House. FromSoftware originally released Metal Wolf Chaos in December 2004, appearing exclusively on the original Xbox and only in Japan. The game went on to become somewhat of a legend as it was hard to acquire and even harder to play outside of Japan with most fans experience of the game through YouTube videos and the occasional screenshot. Devolver Digital and FromSoftware have partnered together with developer General Arcade to modernize Metal Wolf Chaos with updates to the game including upgraded visual fidelity, refined controls and gameplay, a new save system, and 4K + 16:9 support for modern displays.
Game Discussion
Steam User 30
Donald Trump and Joe Biden should get in their giant mechs and have an epic fight while fireworks and explosions go off in the background.
Steam User 16
It's brainless fun. Not particularly challenging.
I wish America was half as cool as the Japanese apparently think it is.
Steam User 20
Liberal media (commie propaganda) doesn't want you to know the REAL solution (a bazooka) to the problems in America. Don't fall victim to their deception!
Steam User 14
Overall I give this game 5 Richarrrrrrrrds out of 5!
It;s mindless action, with amazing (terrible) voice acting. It's so full of camp, this game should come bundled with a tent. Really enjoyed my time with it.
Steam User 13
''God is made of steel."
Good
+ Dialogue out of a patriotic fever dream.
+ The most interesting approach to a weapon wheel I've ever seen.
+ Otogi levels of environmental destruction, which makes sense this was made by the Otogi team.
+ Many levels offer a comparatively free approach to tackling objectives.
Bad
- Only a fraction of the varied weapon types are truly useful.
- An overall lack of rewarding challenge - enemies can be swatted aside with ease and their damage output is abysmal.
- The last few achievements are based around grinding.
Final Thoughts
Memes aside, Metal Wolf Chaos is a good game trapped behind an okay game due to design decisions seeming endemic to From Software. Much like Armored Core at the time, Metal Wolf Chaos is awash in weapon categories but likewise shares a meta that distinctly favors only fraction of what's on offer. Also, like Armored Core at the time, the level and enemy designs fail to create compelling gameplay in and of themselves - many levels are semi-open and your operator even suggests relocating to other objectives when resistance in one area becomes too great, but standard enemies are so flimsy (a complaint that has persisted all the way to Armored Core 6) that such a tactical possibility will never be necessary nor even cross your mind. What could have been an interesting game of cat-and-mouse within an urban environment, utilizing your suit's enhanced mobility to dive in and out the fray through back alleys and the like never materializes but is so painfully close. You can actually see From trying to take a another swing at this particular concept years later with Armored Core V. A bright spot beyond the story is the comparatively reactive environments, there are so many destructible props that almost every trigger pull feels rewarding if for no other reasons than the shower of debris produced. With all that said, Metal Wolf Chaos isn't actually bad. In fact, its reminiscent of Ace Combat in that its ultimately inoffensive gameplay is elevated by its bonkers narrative and eclectic soundtrack.
If you like quirky action experiences and can stomach some early-aughts design pitfalls, you'll definitely like this.
Pro-Tips
Here's the online manual:
Here's a papercraft model of Metal Wolf:
Invest in Machine Guns and Bazookas only.
Do not play with AMD Smart Access Memory active.
Steam User 11
saw this game on fromsoft's game and realized it was the only thing on here i haven't played by them, so i got a key for like $12 and said fuck it, looks fun. turns out, this is top 5 funniest games i've played. the graphics/gameplay do feel pretty dated, as it's a remaster tho. either way, the story is cool, the dialogue is hilarious and the missions are actually engaging and lots of fun. i thought it would be geared more towards what armored core is like and it definitely shares some similarities but only a japanese game studio would make an american game...but actually funny and fun asf. i highly recommend this if you like action games/memes and just all around want some good laughs for 5-10 hours worth of a playthrough!
Steam User 5
May very well be the funniest game I've played in years. Not particularly fun, but funny! Funnier still is that this oddity comes to us from the FromSoftware, the established traffickers of decrepit worlds and crestfallen heroes.
The gameplay is fine and I honestly don't have anything interesting to say about it. If you've dabbled in any of the Armored Core games - especially from Generation 1 to Generation 3 - then you should already be well acquainted with the gameplay loop: you arm yourself (smartly if you'd like), you do a mission, you get scored and paid, repeat. The thing that sets this game apart is how streamlined it is. All you'll ever be able to equip or buy are GUNS. Guns, guns, guns. You don't get to touch the mech's hardware beyond that. What this means is that you can field up to 8 of whatever the hell your heart desires, weight and power draw be damned. It's wonderfully(?) brainless like that.
The dialogue and characters - however - is where the cash money is.
The 47th POTUS Michael Wilson (the player character) flip-flops from this dignified leader of men whose heart bleeds to see his great nation suffer and a wise-cracking wacky woohoo pizza man who likes to party. Truly a man of multitudes.
Jody Crawford - the stalwart secretary to Michael - is there to brief the player on what they'll be up against each mission, every line delivered in a cheery monotone. Her other duties include: offering guidence, making jokes, telling you to lock the fuck in if your health drops below certain thresholds, etc.
Every time Richard Hawk - the rogue Vice President fronting the coup d'état against Michael - flapped his haughty gums I was spellbound. He's a deeply silly person with not a serious bone in his body. The US of A is plunged into chaos and he's horsing around, setting the controlled demolition of Lady Liberty into motion by way of a gargantuan steel juggernaut bedecked with a dizzying amount of heavy ordinance all the while he flies off to drink some delicous Darjeeling tee (it's his favourite).
It would not be too crazy, I think, to liken him to Senator Armstrong of Metal Gear Rising fame. Matter of fact, both gentlement subscribe to the belief that "might makes right" and they are unafraid to break a few (thousand) eggs to make America great again. It's just that Hawk makes no attempt at persuading Wilson to join his cause and he's awfully flippant for a revolutionary. I don't know. If I was trying to cure an ailing society I'd probably take my mission a little bit more seriously. Then again, there is something of a saturday-morning cartoon villain about him: the cackling, putting damsels in distress, the works. He's wonderful. I love him very much.
In conclusion, even if you're not too keen on mecha games it's well worth bearing witness to this most unexpected aspect of FromSoft.
- voiced by Ryan Drees
- voiced by Julia Yermakov
- voiced by Jeff Gedert, the sombre narrator of the Ace Combat 4 cutscenes