Armed Emeth (Metal Saga)

[ZelionCormac]

No doubt when I started playing Rusted Emeth and then this Armed Emeth which is now available on Play Store, I knew these games had a boatload of similarities to the Metal Max series, specifically PS2's Metal Saga, an unforgettable game that I played a long time ago.

Metal Saga is an RPG game set in a post apocalyptic world. Started off as a bounty hunter, you look for ways to earn Gold and XP and buy items and equipment for your characters and tanks you find in dungeons or towns. It's unique HP and BP health bars makes it different from other RPG games. It's like having 2 lives before you die. Equipment for characters and tanks are also separate, allowing you to customize your weapons and special ammunition however you like. I like that it has Rental Tanks in towns if you don't have a tank or enough gold to upgrade your current tanks. Bounty hunting is more interesting as there are side storyline connections associating with the town or characters. For example, in order to get the boat or acquire a unique tank, you have to defeat the bounty terrorizing the town or trigger certain events that leads to them. The game offers more event triggered interactions with NPCs which is another reason to speak with them. The downside is with the main story however, which does not have a predetermined path, which also means you can travel wherever you want with caution to your current level. This makes travelling rather mindless until you approach a new town or dungeon, but it can also be extremely dangerous as you will encounter enemies beyond your level, especially bounties. A level 160 bounty roaming in a level 30 area can spell disaster for the entire team if you're underpowered. A lot of focus is required in order to play and figure things out in this game due to the nature of the game. That's what makes this game a little unforgiving. The forgiving part is when you die, it's not entirely game over. You get revived at the coroner's office. The beginning of the game is difficult, but it gets easier once you have your first tank and ally.

Armed Emeth however, is like a baby version of this Metal Saga. The plus points is that it's easy to play and understand. It also has HP and BP health bars for the characters and golems respectively. You hunt, level up, collect Gold and purchase items and equipment while customizing the skills and golems you find in dungeons. Bounty hunting is also relatively simple because their information can be acquired at the bounty office which helps you locate them with ease. The towns and dungeons also do not require any exploration in searching for hidden item boxes because all you can do is open the menu, look at the map and any exclamation, box or golem icons will instantly appear on the map. The story has a predetermined path so you won't mindlessly travel around the world without progressing through them. The weakpoints lies in its overall simplicity. The golems here, are the same to the rental tanks in Metal Saga. As soon as the BP goes to 0, you instantly get ejected out of the tank, rather than having the tank parts damaged and can be repaired in the town. Interaction with other NPCs beside the bounty office isn't necessary to trigger any side events or even defeating bounties (Excluding the Shipeater bounty which is the similar to the Krak Cannon bounty in Metal Saga, but that's just part of the story progression, not a side event). The items also have a limited number of usage, which is kinda weird but I guess it's just part of the difficulty? The use of special ammunition makes the game way too easy to complete. With the understanding of how each special ammo works against specific enemies, you can practically cheese through every boss and bounty fights.

Overall, I'd say Armed Emeth is a successful game replicated from the Metal Max Series, but on a phone. The addition of a story adds more focus into the game and brings that nostalgic sensation I had when playing Metal Saga.