Parents' Guide to

Metal: Hellsinger

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Rhythm shooter puts gamers in hell fighting demons.

Game Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Windows 2022
Metal Hellsinger box art

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

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What’s It About?

METAL: HELLSINGER combines the genres of first-person shooter and rhythm games to create a heavy metal-fueled adventure through Hell. Players take on the role of The Unknown, a violent demon carving a path of destruction through brimstone and monsters on her way to face The Red Judge and claim vengeance. She wields a variety of weapons -- mostly fantasy-themed guns, such as Persephone, a shotgun that can shoot right through enemies to take down multiple foes in a line -- that become more powerful if the player repeatedly fires in rhythm with the beat of the game's hard rock soundtrack. As the damage multiplier grows, the music transforms and becomes more layered, with driving vocals eventually added once the player hits x16. New songs and weapons are introduced as players move through the game's various "hells," each of which consist of a series of areas where waves of demons and monsters spawn before culminating in a boss fight. Once players have completed a level, they can replay it with an aim to improve their rank on online leaderboards.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (3):

Designed to appeal to players who love heavy metal, first-person shooters, and rhythm challenges, this is the very definition of a niche game. But the good news is that if you happen to fall into this select group, Metal: Hellsinger is probably going to rock your world. The music is the main highlight. Featuring gifted vocalists from bands including Lamb of God, System of a Down, Trivium, Arch Enemy, and more, these carefully crafted songs are remarkably effective in the way they increase the player's adrenaline, with crescendos that sync up perfectly with crests in the gun battles. And it's not just the shooting that impacts the music and multiplier, but also other activities such as dashing, finishing moves, and reloading. Indeed, the game encourages players to feel -- and respond to -- the beat in virtually every action they take, making for a surprisingly emotive adventure (at least if you happen to like heavy metal).

The rest of the experience isn't quite as original, but it is competent. The first-person shooting feels polished and satisfying, with fun little extras like ultimates -- special attacks for each weapon that slowly charge through battle -- thrown in to provide mini-goals and keep things interesting. Firing on beat rather than firing whenever you feel like it is a little disconcerting to start, but most players should have a pretty good sense of the timing required by the time they finish the first level. What might turn off some budget-conscious buyers, though, is the short play time. Most people will be able to easily finish the game in under five hours, and replaying levels for better scores only goes so far. Metal: Hellsinger provides a welcome new twist by combining a pair of long-established genres, and it's fun while it lasts. It'd just be nice if it lasted a little longer.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in games. Is the impact of the violence in Metal: Hellsinger affected by the musical score of gameplay? How does the music attempt to enhance the emotion players feel while shooting weapons by pairing the violence with powerful music. What relationship do you see between violence and music?

  • How do you feel about stepping into the shoes of a character that clearly isn't "good" in the traditional sense? Is it more difficult to root for them?

Game Details

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