Morbid Metal Review

From reddit prototype to Ubisoft-backed early access experiment.

Morbid Metal starts out in a way that isn't typical for small projects with big goals, but it's becoming more common. Felix Shade's project began as a one-man show of a short game on Reddit in 2017. It slowly grew into something much bigger. The prototype got a lot of attention for its smooth, fast-paced melee fighting, and it grew into Screen Juice, a small development team.

Over time, that side project grew into a full-fledged business. It even caught the attention of Ubisoft, which became the game's publisher and helped it get into early access. Despite corporate funding, the game still retains its scrappy roots. It is a short, experimental roguelite that emphasizes beautiful battle expression, animation-heavy melee mechanics, and mechanical originality rather than story intricacy.

This results in a game that is distinct from other games while also identical to them.

It appears to be a well-thought-out independent roguelite game that borrows heavily from character-driven action games like Devil May Cry. In some aspects, it is similar to the action roguelite genre. On the other hand, it is necessary to address the early access framework and the publisher's needs, which affect its speed, systems, and progress in ways that are both ambitious and uneven.

Morbid Metal does not make an effort to be very difficult to comprehend on a narrative level, but it does construct a solid framework for science fiction. You take control of the final artificial intelligence (AI) that was created by an all-powerful commanding being known as the Operator in this game. The Operator is mean and sarcastic, and he or she is always telling you to kill bad AIs that live in a simulated world that is falling.

The story is based on a simple but effective idea: a broken simulation with messed-up intelligence and a final AI trying to fix things or maybe end the cycle for good. Along the way, Eden, a mysterious and calming character who stands in contrast to the Operator's cold power, helps the player from time to time. Eden is both an emotional anchor and a hub for gameplay.

Between runs, it provides upgrades and a safe place called the Void. Players can think, open systems, and interact with lore fragments in the Void. It's also the main hub for meta-progression, where permanent upgrades, character improvements, and new systems are slowly revealed. 

While the story exists mostly as framing rather than a driving force, it adds enough personality to justify the simulation-based roguelite loop. However, like many games in the genre, gameplay remains the dominant focus, and narrative takes a secondary role behind mechanical experimentation.

In its most basic form, Morbid Metal is a typical roguelite game. In each run, the player goes through a series of fight rooms, branching events (which are often more linear than they look), shops, and upgrade stations. Finally, they face a boss.

During runs, players get temporary upgrades called "routines" that change how characters attack, use their powers, and interact with each other.

When used with character-shifting mechanics, these can significantly change how battles proceed. You also collect chips, which are in-game currency that you can use to buy things or upgrade points to make yourself more durable or deal more damage. Another key layer is "corpora," which are passive modifiers that influence how well something works overall.

These benefits include higher damage and health, shorter cooldowns on abilities, and better chances of survival. But it looks like the frequency of corpus acquisition is slightly inaccurate, which means their impacts vary from one run to the next.

Biome constructions can hide secret arenas, survival chores, and chests that players have to find their way through while they aren't fighting. These optional encounters reward risk-taking with additional loot or resources, but the overall structure remains relatively straightforward. In contrast to many current roguelites, Morbid Metal doesn't put a lot of emphasis on branching paths.

Instead, it tends to lead players through linear sequences with some dead ends. This design choice makes the pace more stable, but it can also take away from the sense of finding and long-term route planning that makes games like Hades stand out in their genre. The standout feature of Morbid Metal is its combat system.

Fast-paced melee fighting is at the heart of the game, and you can instantly switch between three different fighters, each with their own skills and roles. Flux, the first character you'll play as, is a swift defender and an assassin. Flux excels at teleporting strikes, rapid blade assaults, and delivering burst damage, all while maintaining a high degree of mobility. 

Ekku, sometimes written as Ekko, is another important character who wields a big sword and specializes in controlling crowds, heavy attacks, and armor-based skills that protect against damage during execution windows.

A third character, often called Vetka or Vector based on their build, has more specialized abilities, including push-and-pull mechanics and ranged or control-focused skills, but this character seems less powerful than the others, according to some opinions.

Combat is all about effortlessly linking abilities between characters.

You might start a combo with Flux, then, mid-swing, switch to Ekku for a powerful slam, and cap it off with another character's move to really deal some damage. This setup creates a dynamic rhythm; swapping characters is just as crucial as the precise timing of each attack. 

Because each character has different skills that have cooldowns, the best way to play is to switch between skills instead of just using basic moves. In fact, many players report that basic attacks become largely irrelevant once abilities and upgrades are fully engaged.

The ease of movement is one of the best things about it. With almost no input delay, the game feels quick, responsive, and tightly controlled. When executed correctly, dodging, counterattacks, and transitions between combos can be quite satisfying, particularly when combination ranks are maintained at a high level.

That said, a few problems persist with this approach. Some players struggle with animation recovery frames that aren't always reliable, especially after activating specific abilities. Certain enemies and bosses can capitalize on players during end-lag movements, creating the impression of unavoidable or poorly designed gameplay.

Still, when the pieces fall into place, the combat truly shines—it's raw, visually striking, and a real showcase of skill. There are two types of growth in Morbid Metal: long-term meta progression and upgrades that happen during gameplay.

Regular tasks, corpora, and weapon/ability factors help you get better during runs. These make changes to the game right away, like doing more damage, changing how abilities work, or adding status effects like "leak," a robotic damage-over-time effect that spreads to other enemies when one dies. This system encourages players to create builds and combine synergies, particularly when area damage and crowd control are paired.

Players collect "void meta" cash and "soul cores" from bosses when they're not on runs.

These are used to unlock permanent upgrades in the hub, such as new slots for corpora, improved abilities, and quality-of-life features like being able to enter shops or access crafting systems earlier in runs. But this is where one of the biggest problems with the game comes into play: the sense of success isn't always very strong.

Certain upgrades appear to offer minimal impact, and some players report a lack of noticeable improvement, even after extensively progressing through the skill tree. To make matters worse, some permanent unlocks can be obtained during a run, which means certain upgrades don't really do anything.

This diminishes the long-term motivation, and the core "get stronger each run" loop that defines roguelites loses some of its impact. So, even though the development systems seem extensive, they don't always fundamentally change how you experience the game.

Pacing is a common complaint. A run might drag on for twenty minutes, or even longer, before you finally encounter the primary bosses. Even though it's a common feature of this type of game, the similar room designs might make players feel like they're not making as much progress in longer play sessions.

These mistakes in action create a drag, disrupting the typically rapid-fire combat that unfolds in the corridors between encounters. It's nice to look at the background, but sometimes it feels like a transitional space rather than a fun place to play. There is a sense of repetition, made worse by the lack of real branching paths.

Many doors lead to dead ends, making it harder to plan an effective route when there is more than one. Performance is stable most of the time, but it's not perfect. Lag during heated combat can really throw off a player's rhythm. There are also accounts of bugs, like bosses that freeze, that make fights less important for a short time. 

One of the best things about Morbid Metal is its look. The game's style is a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, with stylized Japanese-inspired settings and sleek android characters. Each playable character has a unique silhouette and look, making battles easy to read even when things get chaotic.

There are about ten different types of enemies, ranging from small moving units to big bosses that take up most of the screen. Even though they aren't very different from each other, they all fit together artistically with the world's simulation theme.

It has good sound design, but it's not very striking. The combat sound effects are strong and add to the impact well, but the music doesn't always stand out. Voice acting for both the Operator and Eden, on the other hand, gives the story a strong personality. The Operator's cold, ordered tone works well with Eden's more calm presence.

Sometimes, performance and animation issues disrupt the otherwise smooth flow of battle.

There is one thing that makes Morbid Metal a great game: the way you fight. Being able to switch between three different characters in the middle of a fight makes the action feel fluid, expressive, and often thrilling. When everything works right, it feels quick, stylish, and very rewarding. But around that core is a framework that doesn't feel as well thought out.

There isn't much of an effect in progression systems, the different types of runs can get boring, and some mechanics don't always reward long-term engagement. There are some problems with the base, but it is still strong. There is a lot of promise here, especially if the early access developers work on making progression deeper, runs more varied, and combat more consistent.

As it stands, Morbid Metal is a stylish, fast-paced roguelite with a great fighting style that sometimes has trouble making a name for itself outside of battle. It might not be a masterpiece in its own right yet, but it is definitely a game worth watching. For roguelite action fans, it already has moments that feel truly unique.