My Most-Played Game Demo of 2022

I’ve played a lot of demos this year but there is one in particular that stands out. One that reminds me so much of the games I spent half of last year playing.

That demo is Metal: Hellsinger.

Never heard of it? It’s a rhythm-based shooter where you play as the Unknown slaying demons in Hell and other realms to the beat of heavy metal.

I didn’t realize until I got further in the demo that the Unknown is actually female, is she demon or half-demon, we won’t know until the full game is out. The game is narrated by Paz, a floating skull who serves as a weapon and companion for the Unknown in her journey. There is very little we know about the story but the demo goes all the way to, what looks like, the first boss who tells the Unknown that this is not the first time she has defied her.

It takes a while, for me at least, to get used to slaying to the rhythm instead of going at any pace I like as if I’m playing DOOM Eternal again. I mean you don’t have to slay to the rhythm, but if you want to do this game’s version of a glory kill then yes, you have to.

The more you match the beat, the more intense the music sounds. Speaking of which, this game has made an original metal soundtrack with a selection of metal vocalists, but after viewing who they are, what bands they’re from and hearing some of it from the demo, I am, admittedly, not feeling it.

They all come from mainly death metal, metalcore, hardcore punk, and bands from America that I just am not really into. Yes, I did listen to Trivium briefly but over time I simply lost interest. So you know what that means, most of the vocals are going to be those deep growly vocals that I’m not a fan of when it comes to metal (Mark Jansen from Epica I make an exception for). I did get to hear some of Alissa White-Gluz and she was all right but I’m not holding my breath. These are mainly bands that my brother might listen to, or some of my other Metalhead friends, but not me.

I would rather slay demons while someone like Tarja, Simone, Seeb, or even Marc Hudson sings! (note to self: listen to DragonForce more) Yeah I know, I prefer cleaner lead vocals that I can sing, and since I mentioned Marc, power metal is a genre that makes me want to kill demons as a character like the Unknown, but sadly that doesn’t seem to be on the devs’ agendas.

Oh well, I don’t have to like the vocals, but maybe I’ll enjoy the score. You can’t always get what you want, as they say. That’s my only complaint about this upcoming game.

The point of video games is not everything will cater to every player. The game will be out in mid-September. I won’t be playing it on day 1, (Bear and Breakfast and Stray are out but I’ll let them patch them a little before I play them) I never play a game on day 1 due to bugs. I only make exceptions for games very dear to me, as you know.

Other than that, the other demo that I’ve played a lot is for A Little to the Left, it doesn’t have a release date yet but I do hope it’ll be out this fall, it’s such a cozy puzzle game that gets me cleaning up everyday items.

What’s your most-played demo(s) of 2022? Does it meet most or all of your expectations?

👽Emily