Why Aren’t More People Talking About…Metal Eden
A new, irregular, feature with the worst acronym you’ve ever seen in your life, WAMPTA also shirks correct punctuation as it asks, “Why aren’t more people talking about [specific game], implied question mark.” Basically, here’s a game that I’m playing right now that either did well but isn’t being talked about any more, or it might be something that flew under the radar. Or both!
Today’s WAMPTA is…
Jump to:
Metal Eden
This was released in September 2025 across all major platforms, comes from Reikon Games (RUINER) and is published by Deep Silver (Kingdom Come: Deliverance II). The soundtrack is cool cyberpunk electronica by Sonic Mayhem (Deus Ex: Mankind Divided) and it was well-received at launch by players and critics, but then just…faded away.
You control ASKA, an android legging it through a techno-neon sci-fi base that looks like it’s caught in the act of being destroyed; debris hovers in the air while weird swirls of dust and light dance around the edges of everything. It’s just stylish enough to avoid being generic, but I’ve got to give props to the sheer scale of everything. There were a few points I looked down and felt a little sick from vertigo.
Metal Eden has drawn comparisons to the newer DOOM games and Titanfall 2, but to be honest I haven’t played any of those so I can’t speak for what might just be easy grab-bag references. What I can tell you is that I’m in the middle of playing it right now and it’s that rare game where you can tell that levels were designed around movement.
Very little of the architecture feels like it would have purposefully been built the way it is, with panels that allow for wall-running and hovering grapple points only ever used in ways that encourage forward momentum. In case that reads like a negative, it absolutely isn’t. Player movement in Metal Eden is the most fun I’ve had in an FPS in some time, as default movement speed is fast, you start with a jetpack that allows limited flight, and there are ample boost pads around most areas.
Rip Their Guts Out
Guns feel pretty meaty to use, especially a shotgun that can be upgraded to fire bouncing shards, and ASKA’s body can be upgraded at regular intervals with Cores collected on levels. I’ve unlocked a freezing shockwave every time my armor hits 50% and then hits zero, and the ability to rip Cores from enemies from a slightly greater distance, which also makes the enemy explode.
I can’t not mention how much I giggled like an idiot the first time I saw enemies erupt into chunky jam. Partly because it looks cool, but also because I thought they were all robots so it doesn’t make sense they’d be filled with meat. Maybe they’re cyborgs? In any case, you can pull their guts out and then throw this Core at another enemy and usually make them explode too.
What I do know is that ASKA is accompanied over the intercom by NEXUS, who seems to be a frenemy. He delivers helpful exposition with pithy disdain: there was some kind of conflict between Engineers and entities like ASKA and NEXUS (although ASKA is referred to as a “hyper unit,” with the suggestion being she’s a powerfully unique creation). Again, I’m only partway through so it’s not clear how things played out in the past or where the game’s headed.
Shocking Behavior
The story feels secondary to the action, really. Which is fine! Metal Eden is very much a modern arcade shooter, with regular arena battles and power-ups scattered about. Plus, you can turn into a robot ball and electrocute enemies, which is something you don’t see every day.
When I write the actual news I don’t do any affiliate stuff, so don’t take this as me recommending any particular platform or anything, but I’m playing Metal Eden because it’s on PS Plus right now for free. If you have played it, reach out on socials and let me know what you thought of it.
Also, okay, WAMPTA might not last as a feature name. Game Talk sounds a lot more sensible, right?
