Metal Bringer

Play it on: Windows PCs (Steam Deck YMMV)
Current goal: Defeat the AI

Metal Bringer immediately caught my eye back during the most recent Steam Next Fest. Its striking graphical art style can best be described as isometric Mega Man Legends, while the gameplay is a mix of arcade bullet hell and Diablo hack-and-slash combat (you collect crystals dropped from enemies to level up a la Vampire Survivors). Make it far enough and you go head-to-head against massive mech bosses that can be surprisingly brutal if you haven’t gotten powerful enough.

It’s messy and chaotic but surprisingly fun, helped along a lot by the nostalgic PS1-era look and chip-tuney soundtrack. You control an automaton controlling a mech fighting against AI forces who control humanity’s last hope to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. There’s also a lot of neat customization around the mech for stats, melee weapons, and guns. It’s not Armored Core, but there’s a whiff of that modular fantasy alive beneath its more retro run-and-gun sensibilities. — Ethan Gach