Description: Heavy Metal Thunder is an Android game that certainly tries to stand out from the crowd. In a game market that’s full of mobile games that try their best to be that new Xbox or PlayStation game, Heavy Metal Thunder tries to be something else entirely. An RPG adventure that’s part eBook, part Dungeons & Dragons, part Art Gallery and mostly awesome-looking Heavy Metal Thunder is a game that puts you in t he shoes of a space soldier that’s lost his memory. With humanity on the brink of extinction, it’s not a good time for something like this to happen, and through your choices and with a lot of luck, it’s up to you make sure that you find out what happened to your ship and your crew in what’s the first part of a sure-to-be memorable trilogy of adventures. With so much hype and seriously appealing promo material, can Heavy metal Thunder possibly be as good as it seems?
How it Works: As with everything else, you’ll first need to download Heavy Metal Thunder from the Play Store. Once you’ve done that, yo’ll be introduced into the artworld of Heavy metal Thunder with one of the best menu screens I have seen on an Android game in a long time.
Getting started with Heavy Metal Thunder is a joy, and there’s none of this create a profile, or choose a name nonsense. You’re thrown in at the deep end during the Prelude, and this is all for the better, after all the story does hinge around the premise that you’ve lost your memory.
Pretty much straight away, you’ll realize that this is in fact a sort of interactive book type of game, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Right away, the story from Kyle B. Stiff feels right at right home in a sci-fi game like Heavy Metal Thunder. It’s cool, matter-of-fact and helps the player feel more like the person in question right from the get go. Moreover, the artwork is absolutely fantastic and it isn’t too long until you come across some of it, interwoven into the text.
As this is an adventure game, it’s no surprise there are parts where you’ll need to decide the fate of certain attributes and such. It’s done in such a way that it works into the overall text of the game, and I didn’t feel like it was out of place or anything like that.
Soon enough, you’ll come across what I call the Dungeons & Dragons part of the game that essentially involves digital dice, and the need to hit a certain value.
I’m reluctant to share much more of the story or the artwork here, but let me tell you that this is a good-looking and engaging game. After just a little while I was already hooked and while the below look at my profile shows I’ve only just begun, I’m already drooling at the prospect of more.
Opinion: I enjoy reading, and in fact reading is one of the few pleasures I have that isn’t to do with PC gaming, smartphones or anything digital. However, I’m willing to blur the lines for Heavy Metal Thunder and I can happily see myself playing this in bed just like I would read a book, the only problem is that I might not be so relaxed by the end of a couple hours of adventuring through space. I really enjoyed the artwork here, and it was a real treat to come across key parts of the story rendered so beautifully. It’s not often that we’re treated to such a great voice in games (and here I’m talking about a writing voice, of course). The writing is cool, detached and right at home for something like this. It’s descriptive, and certainly well written, but what I’m trying to say is this is the exact sort of writing style we need in an adventure like this. As games go, the mechanics are fairly simple, and well-trodden, but they’re put together well and worked into the overall story nicely, so nothing really feels stale and the game mechanics are plainly explained to you as you keep on reading.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – Heavy Metal Thunder runs really nicely and the pacing is great for relaxing with or if you prefer to take things a little slower.
- Features (5/5) – A game as gripping as Heavy Metal Thunder is, this has some fairly standard mechanics, but the storyline and narrative make up for that. This is such a breath of fresh air that it’ll really make for a change of pace for a lot of players.
- Theme (5/5) – With excellent writing and some excellent artwork, Heavy Metal Thunder is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the brain. The artwork is detail, poignant and really helps to bring you into the storyline.
- Overall (5/5) – If you’re looking for something different, then this is something to take a look at. if you’re an RPG and Sci-Fi fan, then there’s no real reason why you haven’t already downloaded and played through this yet.
Pros
- Excellent artwork that really jumps out at you and helps immerse readers into the key moments of the story.
- Great writing style that is well-suited to this sort of adventure and this sort of game.
- Nice change of pace from the standard sort of games that we’re subjected to from the Play Store.
- Element of chance helps create even more excitement.
Cons
- Rolling the dice can get a little tiresome, especially when you’ve come a long way with no hero points left.
- Character development does feel a little samey.
Conclusion: For fans of Sci-Fi, keen readers and gamers looking for something different, Heavy Metal Thunder is one of the better games I’ve played this year on Android. It’s full of surprises, it looks great and it’s also a good read, too. It’s refreshing as well, which is what helped it appeal to me so much. I’m tired of playing games that think they’re console games and Heavy Metal Thunder brings back memories of reader Sci-Fi stories from the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series and it’s altogether a pretty great example of what can still be done with good-looking artwork and a genuinely good story, without the need for crazy 3D effects and graphic violence.