If it’s a roguelite (or roguelike), there’s an exceptionally high chance I’m going to enjoy playing it. With their addictive, typically challenging “one-more-run” formulas, the likes of Hades, Dead Cells, Risk of Rain, Vampire Survivors, Enter the Gungeon, and so many others have collectively stolen hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of my time. These are extraordinary titans, though, in a popular, crowded genre where there is no shortage of choice, clones, or sometimes uninspired fodder.

Metavoidal then – an action roguelite (and NOT a rhythm title) from South Africa’s very own Yellow Lab Games – has its work cut out for it. Like the protagonist, a drummer attempting to join (and ultimately escape) a legendary, albeit evil, metal band, it needs to pull off a stellar drum solo to stand out and make some serious noise.

For the unfamiliar, roguelites revolve around a gameplay loop (called “runs”) where skills and abilities are built on the fly, and death means starting over. There are no checkpoints or quick saves to find here, although this is offset to some degree by unlockable permanent upgrades that can make things a little easier.

To successfully complete a run, players need to develop a deeper understanding of gameplay mechanics, enemy movements, and other nuances that can only be learnt through an investment of repetition and time. It’s certainly not every gamer’s cup of tea.

Those who crave that kind of challenge, however, will find that Metavoidal rises to the occasion. It hits all the right notes in movement: it’s fluid, fast-paced, and features an absolutely necessary dodge roll. The game’s structure is spot on too: a full run is broken up into smaller, bite-sized segments; slaying enemies yields currency that can be spent at shops between levels; chests and mini-bosses drop the aptly named EXPosure which can be exchanged for permanent upgrades; and all of this is punctuated by a steady drip of ability choices that allow players to build out their skillset.

That last point, in particular, is why roguelites are especially hard to put down: no session ever truly feels the same. And where Metavoidal starts carving out its own identity is in how a player’s offense is structured. On top of the ranged ability to throw drumsticks, players can customise a melee attack combination from a selection of drumming techniques, following the 1-2-3-4 tempo of a drumbeat.

For example, the first two beats might be a basic “down stroke” (1 damage, 0.5s to execute each). This can be followed by a slightly harder-hitting “flam” (2 damage, moderate 0.684s execution time), and concluded with the mighty swoosh of an “up stroke” (3 damage, with a longer 0.96s wind-up).

While I’m sure some combos are more optimal than others, I had great fun experimenting with all kinds of sequences. What I didn’t expect was many of them to be viable – whether they focused primarily on fast-hitting low-damage strikes, slower wind-up sluggers, or a random mix of both. Weirdly, I often found success with the most unconventional combinations.

Further feeding into this customisation are the ability choices I mentioned earlier. Or, as they’re presented in Metavoidal, music records.

These modifiers and passive abilities add extra elemental flair to a player’s arsenal through the power of four unique metal soundtracks: Firestorm Frenzy (fire), Oil Slick Armageddon (oil), Angelic Artillery (holy), and Volt Vortex (electricity). Only two can be equipped per run, granting access to their respective skills.

The chosen pair may seem limited, yet there are some hellishly good combinations waiting to be struck. For instance, during one of my sessions, my ranged attack applied the oil status effect, as did my dodge roll. Not only do these pools of slick ooze make enemies slip (buying valuable time to dispatch them before they can even act) but, surprise, they’re also highly flammable! With 100% chance of a certain other element triggering on my slot 1 technique, you best believe that entire run had big “Through the Fire and Flames” energy for its duration.

Speaking of good metal music, one area where Metavoidal undoubtedly hits a high note is with its excellent soundtrack. For a game revolving around a wicked metal band and their corrupted fans, I definitely had high expectations. Yes, even considering that metal isn’t my favourite genre (please don’t judge me).

Despite my personal taste, I can’t deny that I was thoroughly consumed by the songs. They slammed through multiple variations during my playtime, blaring in a highly satisfying harmony with the destruction I wrought with my own drumsticks. Even days after rolling the game’s credits (completing my first run, essentially), I can still feel several earworms assaulting my auditory senses as I go about my ordinary life.

Complementing the fiery soundtrack is a pixel-perfect aesthetic befitting this dark, yet playful setting. The environments you explore and the enemies you face are packed with neat, thoughtful touches. A special shout-out must go to Baroqtopus the Organist – one of the bosses you’ll encounter. Glorious retro visuals aside, the battle itself has all the hallmarks of a classic boss fight, complete with great music theme, well designed (and clearly signposted) offensive moves, and rock solid rhythm in terms of attack frequency and what’s expected of the player.   

This area, unfortunately, is where Metavoidal starts missing some beats. Next to Baroqtopus, the other bosses felt limited in variety, and even somewhat forgettable. With the exception of the final encounter (that I’ll get to shortly), their movements and attack patterns felt a little flat and predictable.

As for the big, BIG bad, it swings in the opposite direction, with a little too much going on, and no clear marker or hint of the pathway to success. I reached this last room many times, only to meet bitter disappointment because I simply could not outheal or outlast the damage I was taking. Adding insult to injury, the time I typically spent getting to this point averaged around 1 hour and 10 minutes, which is one heck of a time investment that hurts to see squandered.

On that note (heh), a run in any roguelite heading north of an hour is… too long. The sweet spot, I’d argue, is around 40 to 60 minutes. Anyway, even after figuring out what I thought was the right approach to the final boss, the sheer number of projectiles and enemies on screen at any given time ramped up the difficulty rather unnecessarily.

I’m convinced I only manage to triumph because I had an item that enveloped me in a protective bubble to take one instance of damage (refreshing after a cooldown), and a passive that gave a pretty high chance for enemies to drop healing. All it required then was me patiently chipping away at that large enemy health bar to finally hear that crowd roaring with approval when I got it down to zero.

These gripes are stumbling blocks in an otherwise strong showing, leading me back to my original question: does Metavoidal stand tall alongside other roguelite titans? Not quite. It’s an opening act for arguably bigger and better performances from others, but only because it doesn’t excel on every single front like they do.

Does that mean it’s not enjoyable, or something to skip? Not at all! Yellow Lab Games have put together a gig they should be proud of – one that I still thoroughly had a blast experiencing with my own two drumstick-clenched hands. What the studio needs to do now is spend time ironing out the kinks and adding new songs to their playlist. Whether through quality-of-life updates or DLC, I doubt this is the last we’ll hear of them.

Metavoidal was released for PC on 13 August, and launches on Xbox soon too (19 August).


Metavoidal review

Metavoidal may have a wobbly cadence at times, but it’s sure to strike a chord with roguelite fans. Those seeking all the classic genre hallmarks will bop their heads in approval, no doubt sticking around for additional runs fueled by the clash of addictive gameplay and the slam of a memorable soundtrack.

8
Metavoidal was reviewed on PC