Metal Stoker (PC Engine)

Arena
Checkpoints OFF
3 Difficulty levels
7 Stages
Ship speed fixed
- - - - - - -
Developed by Face
Published by Face in 1991

When done right, unscrolling arena shooters do have the potential to be engaging experiences. We've come a long way since T.A.N.K. and Commando, some of the most recognizable forefathers of this particular branch in the shooting genre. The glut of cheap imitations that followed and are still being made to this day unfortunately diluted and eventually killed the appeal of these types of video games. They're either too generic or too cluttered with influences from other genres, especially the ones of the pedestrian type. At least from my limited perspective, military tank-based games fare a little better though.

For home consoles Metal Stoker is a clear example of an honest and decent take in this subgenre. It's not outstanding in any way and it doesn't come off as crisp or energetic as Mega Drive's Granada, which came out a year earlier, but gets the job done and delivers a good level of variety in the stage design. It's also possible to glimpse both in the graphics and in the soundtrack some of the creative spark seen in Hani in the Sky, the only other shmup made/published by developer Face for the PC Engine. In my opinion the background music for stages 3 and 4 are definitely standouts. And just like the game of the flying haniwa, Metal Stoker is yet another example of a shmup that has no scoring system.

Without scoring and the consequent push for a killing spree and without any sort of timer to put pressure on players, this game is perfect for those who prefer to move about carefully and at their own pace, be it in tight maze-like environments or in open space areas.

Meet the boss of stage 6

Players take the role of a female pilot immersed in simulation combat across several areas connected together in individual stages. In each of these areas you must guide a tank and destroy a particular set of enemies to proceed, from simple static generators to specific enemy flocks or a series of mid-sized captains and bosses. It's nothing complicated, except for a few sections where you must navigate through corridors with fast moving drones or find your way out of an energy barrier maze. Shooting is accomplished with button II, whereas with button I you lock/unlock the shooting direction of the tank. By pausing it's possible to choose one of the five weapons available (once they're firstly acquired), and by pressing SELECT you trigger a special attack that consumes one power level of the weapon that's being currently used.

Each life comes with four energy/shield units shown at the top right corner of the screen. With every hit the energy goes from green to yellow, red, blinking red and then a life is lost (fortunately with no downgrade to the firepower). Item containers are scattered around the stages and reveal either energy/shield refills or power-ups for any of the five weapons in the game. Besides the default vulcan shot there's also laser, mines, sonic barrier and homing missile. All of them except for the vulcan need to be activated with the first power-up before being available for selection with the START button. Then all further power-ups upgrade the weapons individually up to five power levels.

It goes without saying, but handling the resources in Metal Stoker is easily done by avoiding to take damage. However, this is even more important for the extend mechanics because if you take an energy refill item with a full energy gauge (green) you'll get an extra life instead. Extra lives are also granted after completing stages 3 and 6, whereas the energy meter is fully refilled whenever a new stage begins. Apart from that, memorization is important in order to not get lost in the action during those levels with a large number of targets found through warp gateways. The number of mirrored sections is a bit excessive but in the end I guess it helps to understand the flow of the game faster. Most of the time indicating arrows show where you need to go, often accompanied by scratchy voice fragments that remind you of the early voices from Mega Drive games.

Your assignment begins now
(courtesy of YouTube user The VideoGames Museum)

While I did get through Metal Stoker without recurring to special attacks, the ones related to the mine dropper and the sonic barrier are actually quite useful, unlike the weapons themselves which are pretty much useless. The special attack for the mines make you hover in place so that you can avoid enemy fire and pummel away whatever lies below. As for the sonic barrier, it makes the tank invincible for a good while, hence allowing you to ram into enemies and make them have a taste of their own medicine. More than the 4-hit shield special of the vulcan, they're certainly a great way to deal with bosses that tend to corner you.

All in all, the joy of playing Metal Stoker might be a feeble one, but the game is a valid diversion within the shmup library of the PC Engine. It's just a pity that players don't have any sort of metrics to measure their mighty performances. However, should you fancy a tougher challenge there's always the possibility of getting access to a hidden menu with a special code that allows you to change the default difficulty: during the start screen with the buzzing effect press I, I, II, II, ←, →, ↑, ↓ and SELECT four times, then press I + II at the same time.

For posterity, below is a photo of the moment of revelation in the game's story. During the end credits you get to know that you were not in a simulation environment after all. It was all real, as is our neverending thirst for more shmupping adventures, which I must now quench by moving on to my next assignment. Cheers!