Genesis indie game Metal Dragon is available for pre-order

Kai Magazine Software’s indie shooter Metal Dragon is now available for pre-order on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive.

Metal Dragon is an arcade-style shooter that parodies similar games from the ’80s and ’90s. Kai Magazine states their title takes cues from titles such as Mercs and Desert Assault. The new game is a port to the Genesis of their original MSX version released earlier this year. The Genesis port features many improvements over the previous version.

In addition, the story and cutscenes are direct parodies of the Metal Gear games. Kai Magazine puts the fast-paced action and satirical humor on full display in the gameplay demo uploaded to YouTube earlier this month.

What to expect from Metal Dragon

The story centers around the player being sent into enemy territory on a covert mission to rescue the president’s kidnapped daughter. The opening text highlights the Cold War tensions of the time. The opening cutscene also places a strong emphasis on the importance of stealth to avoid the conflict breaking out into a world war.

Naturally, the game’s level-headed protagonist contemplates the best course of action to handle this delicate situation. Obviously, he decides the only thing to do is charge headfirst into battle and shoot everyone in sight. After all, his strict orders to take no casualties did sound pretty boring.

The ensuing gameplay takes major cues from retro run-and-gun titles like Commando. The game’s first two stages vary gameplay between top-down and side-scrolling shooters of the 80s and 90s. Throughout each stage, the action remains fast paced, with bullets flying everywhere. It’s up to the player to shoot all the enemies, while picking up new weapons and dodging their fire.

Graphically, Metal Dragon’s 16-bit image transports the player back to a simpler time in gaming. Those unfamiliar with the title could probably be fooled into thinking the game released in the early 90s during the Genesis’s heyday. The sound design is also great and features an array of screams and explosions. The awesome background music also deserves strong recognition.

You can pre-order Metal Dragon on the SEGA Genesis today for 55 €. Kai Magazine states shipments will begin between the middle of December to the middle of January. They believe it will take between one to two months to ship the games depending on the amount of pre-orders.

Via Kai Magazine