Metal Thunder

My strategy instincts kicked in the moment Metal Thunder presented its first level-up choice: do I upgrade the 105mm howitzer's reload speed, unlock white phosphorous, or drop a friendly tank on the field? That three-option decision, repeated every time you earn enough XP, is the engine that drives the whole experience, and whether it keeps you engaged for run after run depends almost entirely on how often the RNG serves up interesting dilemmas rather than three underwhelming options. The setup is immediately legible to anyone who logged hours in Vampire Survivors or similar horde survivors. You play as the gunner of an AC-130 circling above a ground objective, watching thermal-image blobs pour in from every edge of the map. Your job is to keep the objective alive for 20 minutes. Each kill earns XP; each level grants a pick from three rewards, which can be weapon upgrades, new armaments ranging from a 20mm cannon to white phosphorous, or ground-support units like tanks and APCs. Four maps are currently in play, unlocked progressively by accumulating total kills across runs. The visual presentation flips between infrared, standard, and night-vision camera modes, which adds a layer of battlefield atmosphere that keeps the loop from feeling sterile. Where the decision-making gets genuinely interesting is in how you sequence your arsenal. Opening with a fast-firing rotary cannon to handle early rushes, then layering in area-denial weapons for mid-wave pressure, is a different strategic line than front-loading the heavy ordnance and relying on friendly tank spawns to plug gaps. The problem, and this is an Early Access problem that the developer has acknowledged on the roadmap, is that the reward pool variance is wide enough to occasionally starve you of meaningful choices. When three consecutive level-ups offer nothing that complements your current build, runs unravel not because of your decisions but because the loot table did you dirty. It is the central tension of any roguelite, and it is not yet fully resolved here. Content breadth is the other honest caveat. As of Early Access, Survival is the only playable mode. A campaign is on the roadmap alongside expanded weapons and a deeper upgrade system, and the developer, who is working solo, has been updating the build with notable regularity. Steam user sentiment sits positively, which for an Early Access indie at this price tier is a reasonable signal that the core loop is functional and the developer is responsive. That said, players expecting a complete, polished experience right now will hit the content ceiling faster than they would like. There is also a worth-flagging note that some store and in-game render assets use AI-generated imagery, which the developer discloses openly but may matter to some buyers. For strategy and sim-leaning players who enjoy dissecting upgrade synergies, Metal Thunder's roguelite skeleton is tighter than its current content breadth suggests. Think of it as a proof-of-concept that already shows the spark of a satisfying build-crafting loop. If the campaign and expanded weapon tiers arrive as planned, this becomes a considerably easier recommendation. Right now it is a low-commitment buy for patient early adopters who want to shape an evolving game rather than consume a finished one.

Diego · Scout Team

Strategy & simulation

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