In my search for more promising games seeking crowdfunding, I came across an upcoming title that caught my eye as an avid Brutal Legend Fan; Metal Tales: Overkill. Developed by an indie outfit from Span, Zero Uno Games, Metal Tales Overkill is a top-down action-adventure rogue-lite heavy on combat and heavy on metal. Players customize weapons by finding new guitar parts and modifying them to take advantage of new abilities and increased attack power, giving the game a plethora of variety. The game boasts 4 playable characters, 6 stages, 8 boss fights, local multiplayer, and a soundtrack consisting of various international heavy metal bands. Eager to find out more, I contacted Zero Uno Games and arranged a Q&A with co-founder Juan Cañete for more information on this exhilarating-looking new title. Here’s what Juan and the game’s publisher had to say about Metal Tales Overkill:
What were the influences behind your game?
Brutal Legend, Binding of Isaac & Furi.
What has the developmental process been like?
It took over 15 months to have the game finished, and it’s taking like 6 months to do the ports, so it’s been complicated.
How close are we to seeing the finished product?
We need to finish the ports to consoles, but the game is already done and working.
What has been the most exciting aspect of development?
Being able to have real bands music and doing a rogue-lite game.
What has been the most challenging aspect of development?
The music part has been quite challenging, but it was worth it.
How well has the game been received so far?
Publisher: We think it has had a good reception. It got financed on Kickstarter in only 8 hours… and we are now on Indiegogo. We have to work hard to let the world know we are here.
What platforms are you looking to bring the game to?
PC, PS4 & Switch.
Which heavy metal band’s songs have been included in the soundtrack?
Publisher: We have talked with Eclipse Records to add some interesting songs. Here’s a poster with the bands:
Have there been any ideas at this stage of development that has since been scrapped or reworked?
Yeah! a lot, starting with some bosses (we had designed a boss compounded by Twins) and some items. At the start, there was a more Guitar Hero-like approach to boss fights but it did fall through quickly.
As one heavy metal fan to a group of others, what are the team’s favorite metal bands and how did their music help to shape the game specifically?
Basically, in the team we had a metalhead which was the designer, He is more into death metal: Carcass, Entombed, Wormed, Avulsed. The lead programmer was more into power and progressive metal and also we had some people with other influences outside the metal world.
How have the company’s prior developing experiences helped to shape Metal Tales: Overkill?
We started with mobile games, and then we jumped into Metal Tales. Our prior experiences helped up working together as a team.
If you had the opportunity to develop a game with any company or any franchise, which would it be, and why?
We’d love to make a game for the band Ghost.
Do you have any advice for aspiring developers that may be reading this?
Play games and make games. Participate in gamejams to improve gameplay concepts and to challenge yourself trying to finish them.
Where on the Internet can people find you?
Zero Uno Games’ social media and Web Page, also on Kickstarter and Indiegogo:
Do you have anything else to add?
Thanks for the interview!
Massive thank you to Juan and Zero Uno Games for taking the time out to talk to me about this awesome-looking game. Personally, I’ve been waiting for a long time to play a new game inspired by Brutal Legend, as it one of my favourite games, as well as my favourite Tim Schafer title overall. Metal Tales Overkill looks to have taken the overall feel of Brutal Legend to bring gamers an entirely new gaming experience, and I can’t wait to get stuck into this game.
Game on,
Scouse Gamer 88