Metal Max Xeno Reborn

As unlikely as it seemed for a game as niche as this (especially in the West), Reborn just proves how deserving Metal Max Xeno was of this sort of reimagining. Despite some flaws, the original game was an intriguing game with a lot of neat ideas, and this rebirth does a fine job of polishing up a diamond in the rough.

Metal Max Xeno Reborn is that hidden gem that needs time to be discovered. It proposes the player to create his own story with loose fragments; It will keep you digging through the desert looking for upgrades, and its combat system will be quite a challenge.

While it might seem like our gripes outnumber the improvements in Xeno Reborn, this is still a weird, unique, and overall enjoyable entry point into the Metal Max world. Squad-based, single-player tank-centric games (set in a post apocalyptic world) are few and far between, to put it mildly, so this is still worth your time. And to their credit, instead of simply moving on to a sequel (which they’re doing as well in Metal Max: Wild West), Cattle Call and 24Frame took the time to improve on the foundation laid by Metal Max Xeno, to ambitious if flawed results in Xeno Reborn. You can’t fault the teams for the effort made, and whether they were totally successful or not, the whole of Metal Max Xeno Reborn is still greater than the sum of its parts.

If you’re into the concept and come into the game fully aware that it’s very much a budget affair, I think you’ll have a good time with Metal Max Xeno Reborn. It doesn’t try to be more than it is, which is an RPG where you ride around a post-apocalyptic open world Tokyo in cool tanks and blow up weird mutated monsters. That’s either good enough for you, or it isn’t.

A charming but troubled post-apocalyptic title that I had fun with despite its best efforts, Metal Max Xeno Reborn is a good game dragged down by some silly design choices and a lacklustre presentation. But if you know this is your bag and have a little patience, there’s something really rewarding in here.