Iron Meat | PS5 Review

Retrowave has quite possibly surpassed the nostalgia factor set by Konami back in their prime with their release of 'Iron Meat'. By bringing back the base Contra formula in a way that blends the hellish science fiction of 'DOOM', and the alien infestation of John Carpenter's "The Thing" the studio creates an experience hardcore enough by classic gaming standards, but also doable enough for the new-gen audience. 

In it we find a legend born in the guise of an armed soldier named Vadim and an equally armed salesman named Dmitry Vindgradov. Playing into the oldschool two player couch co-op tradition wherein the player controls one or the either as they face off against constantly spawning enemy creatures while avoiding hazards before confronting gory gargantuan boss-like behemoths of flesh and iron. All in an effort to save planet Earth from a Soviet moon experiment gone awry.

Though the arsenal, setting, and story in "Iron Meat" might be distinctly different from it's obvious inspiration the core gameplay loop comes off as very familiar. If you grew up playing the Contra series on the various retro consoles of the 80's 90's and early 2000's you'll find yourself taking a trip back down memory lane. This time with some bonus video and audio options that either let you experience the game as it would have been back then or by today's advanced measures. Giving the option for a CRT screen filter and a retro chiptune soundtrack if you so prefer.

The gunplay in 'Iron Meat' is play by play a mimicry of what Konami set in stone as the staple mechanics for the OG series. This includes the roll jump, multi-directional aiming, prone positioning, and a flooring drop down to nab those out of reach weapon power-ups and points. It is with these base mechanics that you'll put to use a swappable two gun loadout that lets you swap collected weapon power-ups with the press of a button. Buttons being something you can fully map out to your liking on a player by player basis. 

Among the weapon power-ups are lasers, machine guns, super shotguns, blue beam blasts, and other shot types that each take out specific enemies in sometimes advantageous ways. Unfortunately each time you get hit you not only lose a life, but you also lose one of your weapon power-ups supposing you have any. Making progress a little more trying with each failed attempt at a perfect playthrough.

Lives are generously assigned on a per level basis though, and are dependent upon the difficulty setting you chose from the start. This difficulty could be set to Easy, Normal, or Hard. Making the game as easy or as challenging as you'd like it to be. 

Once you expend all lives in a run through the game's nine stages on any difficulty you will be given the option to retry or give up. Retrying will start you back at the beginning of the last stage you were on whereas giving up takes you back to the dashboard where you can still pick up where you left off via stage selection, but choose a different unlocked skin that you earned through ranking.

Ranking in 'Iron Meat' is, more or less, based on a level and stage end tally of earned kill points that feed into a bar which leads to the next skin unlock inline. Some skins are comical in nature, and others adhering more to the game's lore than a fun mockery of it's serious overtone. You'll earn points for the number of enemies you kill, and will be deducted score based upon how many lives were lost per stage. Lives do reset for each stage though making the journey from start to finish one that is focused mainly on learning the static positions of everything. 

The Presentation ...

Iron Meat is a melding of iron and gore that has come about from an escaped alien presence captured upon the moon's Soviet space station. It infects the lab technician, and the lab tech then portals back home with his newly infected army of assistants that in turn infect modern machines and vehicles. Turning everything into a living fleshly terror that is out to stop you from stopping him. This leads to bloody, and gory battles filled with grotesque dismemberments and mutilations brought on by bullet spray and hazard impact. 

All of which is done on parallax 2.5D stages wherein the soundtrack of choice accents the fast paced action, and relentless bloodletting. A visual cornucopia of carnage with a techno-synth sound that plays into the sci-fi part of the game. 

The Verdict ...

Retrowave has done what Konami has failed to do with their own franchise. They have indirectly given life, through their own creative means, to a Contra killer that imitates the former games' formula while expanding upon it in all the right ways. It maintains the core challenge while providing those who want a more tame experience all the lives needed to make a run through each stage possible with applied effort. 

The fact that it brings with it the old two player couch co-op experience only further adds to this game's overall greatness, and replay value. It truly is a gem in a time of games gone astray. It brings back a much needed testosterone fueled nostalgia fix while making it relevant for today's gaming community. I cannot recommend it enough. It is worth owning, and playing time and time again. Do not miss out on this!!!