Metal Hellsinger Release Date, Trailer, And Gameplay - What We Know So Far

For those still enamored by the fast paced, high-octane action of titles like "Doom Eternal," it's known that there's a sort of rhythm for success in old-school style shooters. It's not enough just to have good aim and ammo, players need to stay on their toes, always moving and reacting to the action. In a lot of ways, it's not unlike playing a music-based rhythm game, waiting for the right opportunity  — or beat — in the action before making a precise move, and it's made all the better by the inclusion of a soundtrack that keeps adrenaline high and players feeling pumped up.

Well, the team at The Outsiders and publisher Funcom felt the same way, and now there's a title that fuses the non-stop action of a retro shooter with the constant beat of a rhythm game. It won't be enough for players to simply sit back and enjoy the music while they're blasting away all manner of enemies; they'll need to move and attack to the beat to excel at "Metal Hellsinger." Here's everything players need to know about the metal music-infused FPS.

Those thinking that "Metal Hellsinger" will scratch that FPS-meets-metal music itch won't have to wait in the dark for too long — players can already give the title a shot now. "Metal Hellsinger" is slated to release Sept. 15, 2022. But for those who want to get in on the action as soon as possible, a demo has been made available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. It seems players downloading the demo have been so thrilled with their experience that they've taken to social media to express excitement directly to the team behind "Metal Hellsinger."

Responding to a tweet from the official "Metal Hellsinger" Twitter account celebrating over 666,666 demo downloads, fans took the opportunity to share their goodwill with the title's creators. One commenter said, "Can't wait to play the full game, that demo was epic!" They weren't the only ones, as plenty of other fans commenting and applauding the upcoming title themselves.

For players who still want a better look at the title before downloading the demo, there's no shortage of video content for "Metal Hellsinger." There's an official trailer offering a bit of narrative background before jumping into an action showcases. Several different biomes are shown off in addition to a wide array of weaponry including shotguns, duel pistols and even some dark magic. A more focused gameplay trailer — which also highlights the soundtrack's inclusion of new music from Serj Tankian of System of A Down — has also been released. This clip offers a better look at different encounters and weapons available in the final game, as well as some samples of Tankian's work.

Most recently, a "World Premiere" trailer was shown off during Summer Games Fest, which included even more snippets of gameplay and a peek at the many other metal musicians that contributed to the project. Heavy hitters like Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy) and Matt Heafy (Trivium) are involved in the project, among others, marking "Metal Hellsinger" as a real gem for real metalheads.

Players should have a pretty good idea about how "Metal Hellsinger" will play between the several trailers and the free demo that's been released. Like "Doom" and its sequel, "Metal Hellsinger" aims to present a fast-paced and punishing challenge to players as they blast all manner of demons. To aid in this, "Metal Hellsinger" borrows from countless rhythm games and offers a visual aid to help players time their in-game actions.

From the left and right sides of the screen, UI elements that resemble an aiming reticle will move toward the center, eventually eclipsing a player's crosshairs. Timing this overlap will help players keep pace with the fast metal beats and relentless riffs the title boasts to pack. Nailing a shot while these crosshairs are aligned awards additional points, does more damage, and adds to the difficulty of combat encounters. Players who are more adept at keeping rhythm will likewise find their foes getting faster and stronger.

In addition to the rhythm mechanic, "Metal Hellsinger" is complete with splashy enemy executions, special abilities, and even some traversal skills to add some variety to all the bloodshed. All in all, "Metal Hellsinger" is looking like the perfect game for those who'd ever sunk hours into the "Doom" series and wished there was a reward for matching their performance to the sick soundtrack.