I’m not gonna beat around the bush: Iron Meat is friggin’ awesome! This was a game that never really entered my radar at all so I really had no idea what I was to expect. All I did know was that it’s another game from Retroware, the guys who published the Angry Video Game Nerd games, and that it was another retro style game. Gonna be honest, I’m so glad I went into this knowing very little cause, holy meat pie, this game is, like I said so eloquently at the beginning, friggin’ awesome!
To start out, the gameplay is, to be as blunt as possible, basically Contra but better. That is you go from one end of the level to the other end, destroying anything and anyone that gets in your way and fighting the end-stage boss, all the while avoiding enemy fire and hazards as one hit and you’re dead, though thankfully this game does feel a bit more fair than Contra in that regard. In fact, dare I say it? I enjoyed this game more than I did playing Contra. I guess that’s due in part to both the gameplay being, again, fair and the amazingly disgusting (In a good way) artstyle. Throughout the game, living meat covers the landscape, swallowing everything up like it’s the red weed from Mars turning machines and humans alike into these fleshy mechanical creatures from Hell: From humans with rocket launchers for heads to an entire building coming alive in a fight that reminded me a lot of the Bacoon fight from Star Fox 64, the enemy variety and designs are top notch. By the way, on a side note, I had no idea people didn’t like that level, which surprised me as I thought it was a fun change of pace from the rest of the game.
Anyway, back to Iron Meat? I will say that the building boss fight did have an annoying section with two heads, but it didn’t hurt the game for me in the slightest. Same goes with the last boss which HOLY S**T this guy was awesome! I won’t spoil it but the design was straight-up nightmare inducing, like a more grotesque version of Iron Maiden’s mascot Eddie The Head from the Final Frontier album, and I loved every second of it! Thankfully, it won’t take you that long to get to the last boss as the nine stages on offer here are relatively short and don’t overstay their welcome. Still, I found myself taking my time through each stage as they are beautifully crafted and designed with the utmost care and attention to details in both the playable area and background itself, with the background always having something going on to show just how screwed the world’s getting from this attack, with my favorite being the city stage and opening stage set in the jungle. The music itself, something I tend to be mixed on with these indie throwbacks, is pure audio bliss, with its glorious heavy metal soundtrack that I seriously found myself wanting to headbang to a few times. Lastly, I love how you can unlock new skins, which include a cowboy and a Wolf (A PROPER WOLF, not whatever that thing in that new Wolfman movie is) for your avatar just by playing the game and leveling up. Granted, they are just cosmetic changes and really don’t offer any changes to the gameplay itself, but the fact that I can play as a wolf as I rain hell upon meatwads is nothing short of a plus in my book!
I don’t really have any major complaints about Iron Meat, but I guess the biggest would be the aiming and this was something I never got used to, even in Contra. Front, back, upwards, and diagonal aiming work fine and all, don’t get me wrong, I’m just not a fan of how to shoot down and how stiff it feels. Personally, I would’ve loved a more fluid aiming system using the right controller stick but, again, I get why they went with this style, seeing as the game was inspired by Contra and all. My only other complaint, and this one is a minor one, is that, sometimes, the environmental objects you’re to avoid, like exposed wires, can blend in a bit with the background with how small they are and I did end up getting hit by them a few times. Other than those two issues and how some of the weapons you can get feel underpowered even when powered-up, I really don’t have anything major to complain about with this game as this was fun!
It’s rare for me to shower a game with this much praise like this, let alone an Indie title, so for one to come along and I’m able to do just that? Well, you know you got a hit on your hands! I think the last time I reacted this positively to a game was back in 2014 when Earth Defense Force 2025 released. Seriously, if you haven’t already, buy Iron Meat. If I can be unprofessional for one moment: This game is f***ing awesome!
Huge thanks to Retroware for the copy of the game to review! Check out the game's website!
