Back into the groove this week. I never really played a Dynasty Warriors game, to the best of my knowledge, but if this is what I was missing, then I am game to play the hundreds of games available.

This week is the Tears of Metal demo!

Tears of Metal is a hack-and-slash roguelike from Paper Cult. The game is slated to release on Steam in 2026.

A mysterious meteor, dubbed “the dragon meteor,” has crashed onto the Scottish island, bringing with it a host of foreign armies to pillage the unknown source of immense power. Their desire for power has left the Scottish island in ruins, and it is up to you to take back the island.

Just like BloodRoots, Tears of Metal returns with the action-packed, gratuitous violence. This time around, Tears of Metal is less focused on comical murder and instead focuses on larger-scale battles with minor objectives to satisfy in order to move forward.

Pick your own leader and warriors, who have special abilities and their own modifiers, before heading out. Once out, there is a map with icons that represent currency rewarded, modifiers, shops, boss fights, and random events that roguelikes have. The player has 4 abilities: A dodge (on a timer), light and heavy attacks, and a block. You can chain attacks to deal massive damage and block to prevent, until your stamina breaks.

Combat encounters are great. It opens up with the army running into battle, and the player takes over. The leader is able to cleave through smaller enemy ranks without issue, building up a special meter. Reinforcements usually drop in, accompanied by heavy soldiers close behind, who pose the real threat to the players as they hit harder and faster than the regular grunts. After completing an area, the player is rewarded with an ability that enhances an attack, like dealing more damage, gaining a dodge buff, or healing after each battle.

Battles are chaotic and fun. Though movesets aren’t varied, I had a lot of fun just jumping in, beating up a bunch of baddies, and leaving with their loot. The boss encounters give a good amount of difficulty.

Loot comes in the form of currency to facilitate the base-building mechanic and upgrade warriors to do more damage, and so on.

The look reminds me a lot of Bloodroots, and it has evolved. I really, really like the hand-drawn style; it makes the game just pop.

I can listen to the Scottish accent all day and never get tired of it. The metal/Scottish-themed soundtrack gets me going to want to murder endless bad guys.

I randomly had Tears of Metal in my Steam Library, and I am actually glad that it was because the demo had me hooked the moment I played it. The combat is really fun, the hits have weight behind them, the special attacks are sweet looking, and the boss fights are just great. I really liked Bloodroots, and I think I’ll like this one too.