Devolver Digital tease Metal Wolf Chaos's possible return
RICHAAAAAAAARD!
FromSoftware's Metal Wolf Chaos is a true game of legend. Under the cold, metallic shell of an Armored Core-esque mech shooter beat a heart of pure stars, stripes and apple pie. Starring an American president single-handedly thwarting a coup with his personal mech-suit, it was so American that not even America could handle it, and never left Japan despite being exclusive to the US-centric Xbox. Long have people cried for a sequel or port, and publisher Devolver Digital might just be teasing it.
Earlier today, my Twitter feed practically went nuclear, as just about every huge mecha-nerd I follow (and I follow a lot) started sharing a tweet from Devolver Digital. A black background, and the emblem of the President of the United States; a proud eagle holding aloft a minigun and missile. Could it be Metal Wolf? Could FromSoftware (fresh from their rise to glory with Dark Souls) be pining for their sillier days?
While I was initially skeptical about this - it could just be a similar emblem, and I don't quite recall the original image having the heavy weaponry - I cast my mind back to the dark ages of 2016, when Devolver teased the possibility of them licensing it, or at least freeing it from the shackles of history. They even had a hashtag for it: #freemetalwolf
Okay, yeah. Suddenly this is a lot more plausible. It also wouldn't be unprecedented for an obscure Xbox game to make a surprise return on modern PC storefronts. The utterly risible Drake of the 99 Dragons was brought back from hell itself recently. They even improved the controls somewhat, although at the expense of the protagonist's arms no longer flailing like Kermit The Frog in a wind tunnel due to the lock-on system barely working.
Now, for a bit of a reality check; Metal Wolf Chaos isn't a great game. It's a good one, and often hilarious, but it's a bit short, easy and repetitive. Even if it did get a brand new PC port, I have a feeling it would shine the harsh light of day on its slightly cracked and worn plating. That said, it's still a hell of a ride, and I'd love to see it get a modern remaster. When the action got hectic on the Xbox, performance would chug, anyway.
One other possibility is that this could be an Xbox One exclusive, thanks to its now-improved backwards compatibility which recently opened the door to a true HD port of Panzer Dragoon Orta, so the PC might not even be on the cards. So, what do you lot reckon? Is this going to be the surprise hit of E3? Devolver's (undoubtedly bizarre) press conference is only a few days off. Are we even ready for this? I know I'm not.