Metal Max Xeno Reborn [Review]
Metal Max Xeno Reborn is a watered-down version of the last entry from the PlaySstation 4, sadly removing features, cutscenes, story elements, and more from the game. To quickly sum up the general story of Metal Max Xeno Reborn, humanity has been practically eradicated due to the robotic uprising. So, let me get the bad things, or the things I don't like about the game, out of the way. This game, I feel, was clearly made for the PlayStation Vita and looks as though it was as well. All the colors and textures in the game look like Play-Doh, and the character models look like dry Play-Doh smeared with Vaseline. Don't get me wrong. Visually, the game would be okay on the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation Vita only because they are handheld devices, and I personally don't expect fantastic graphics from a handheld game. Although, this game review was done on a PlayStation 5, they had the audacity to do so.
Metal Max Xeno Reborn is riddled with so many bugs that many times I wondered if I was supposed to be fighting machines or the game itself. Many times I was unable to salvage scrap; I've fallen through the ground a couple of times and re-loaded the game because of this. I've had combat end countless times with the enemies not being defeated, so I was stuck in battle until I just reloaded the game. With the amount of times I've had to reload, the game should have been called Metal Max Xeno Re-load. Xeno in most languages has many meanings, and one of them is strange, so it's Metal Max Strange Re-load. It has a ring to it. This game isn't following any industry standard, having dated graphics and very poor explanations of the general mechanics of the game and status effects as well. I had to google many things to understand what was happening to my team, and on top of that, the English translation was subpar at best. This game is a JRPG, and yet it is the most linear one I've played in a few years. Side quests feel like padding and are meaningless, and the way they try to add replay value is a survival mode and harder difficulties.
The thing I do like about this game is that battling is very fun! I love using the tanks and various other machines and the character and enemy designs are cool. You also get a dog with a machine gun strapped to its back.
Also, the customization of the vehicles is a nice touch. You can change the name of the vehicles and the colors, along with the weaponry, the engine, and their general traits. For me, the character designs and the world are fantastic, which is what kept me playing the game. If you aren't as simplistic as me and are not a Metal Max fan, I unfortunately can't recommend this game. If you are interested in this game, play Metal Max Xeno for the PlayStation 4. It's the same game with more content and the same graphics. You get a good bang for your buck. Otherwise, a JRPG I can recommend is Valkyria Chronicles. You can pet the dog, though. That's a plus!
