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Metal Garden has captivated my heart with immense brevity.

I must thank @kiri.sukeban.moe and @maraganger.bsky.social for reposted this marvel of a work that I had no idea existed. But the moment I saw the launch post, I jumped to buy the title and play it the next day. It rarely happens in the vast sea of information and constant releases that is the internet to find a gem that connects with you only through the feelings that only the trailer gives off.

It's a game more environmental than action, so talking about the former would be 90% of the speech, but it is really admirable how it establishes only in the first minutes of the game everything you need to know to put you in situation of the world in which you find yourself.

Of course, the feeling of ode to the work of Tsutomu Nihei that Metal Garden gives is palpable from minute 0 and knowing his work helps to establish a link with the game (although it is not mandatory at all, just a very nice extra touch). That vertigo produced by the immensity of an ever-expanding structure versus how molecularly small you feel hits you early on, which has quickly awakened in me a feeling of adventure, mystery and desire to explore every nook and cranny. A gigantic structure that only knows how to devour the space not yet occupied feels palpable when you find ruins wrapped in the very ruins of that expansion. Chef kiss.

Also, although information about what's going on is told in dribs and drabs, it's eerily constant, as well as a variety of extra zones that the game shows you in crescendo. This means that they may be obvious at first, but it appeals more and more to the curiosity you feel to explore the megastructure. And in my case it hit the spot, as I couldn't stop until I had gone through each area inch by inch. And, although it only happens on a couple of occasions, sometimes we are lucky enough to see two of the game's NPCs interact and get to see a little bit of the sensations of being located in this megastructure, and they really stay with you for the rest of the game.

Combat is basic, nothing to highlight beyond the fact that the weapon selection is pretty good for a game of this style. No automatic weapons, large devices or anything that would throw the few unfriendly encounters we have off balance. A pistol, a shotgun and a sniper rifle. Enough. And it's appreciated because you'll want to finish the fights soon to keep getting deeper into the build.

On the other hand, the sounds also play an important role in the immersion of the game. Metal sounds, heavy and occasionally some rumbling add up to envelop you even more in a decrepit, abandoned and brutal world that only knows cold metal.

Metal Garden has been for me a brief but intense metal oasis in the sea of releases these last few months that I was not expecting at all to incorporate in my list of 2025 games. Sometimes magic just happens and you just have to let yourself go.