Iron Meat has you playing as Vadim. You’re tasked with taking down the inter-dimensional biomass referred to as The Meat. A result of Yuri Markov’s deranged experiments that he carried out on the moon. Now it’s up to you to save humanity.
Iron Meat is a run and gun shooter that pays homage to other games that came before it. Namely, the game that comes to mind is Contra III.
Both this game and the previous game I just mentioned are run and gun, side scrolling shooters. The distinction that Iron Meat has over similar games is how tough and gory the game is. As you traverse through levels you will mow down enemies from mutated meat puppets to menacing robot combatants.
In addition to the standard enemy types I mentioned, you will also face multi-phase behemoth bosses that are truly a site to behold. Your weaponry consists of a wide variety and defensive pickups; with the weapons even being able to be upgraded if you pickup the same one multiple times. You have the choice to take on the invading horde alone or with another player in local co-op play.
Iron Meat doesn’t have the best 3D graphics but what it does have is stunning 2D visuals with a lot of detail. As you mow down your enemies you can see parts be blown off of robots, limbs being taken of off the mutant-humans. Explosions and blood spatter respectively is a nice touch and adds to the overall experience.
Beyond the gore detail, you also have some amazing environmental details. You have gorgeous looking animated backgrounds from humming industrial complexes to lush jungles with swaying trees. There are also things like dust that gets kicked up during the action and fog that can roll in. All of this adds a level of detail that isn’t seen too often in run and gun shooters.
Even with all of the detail the game offers, the fact that it’s a 2D run and gun shooter helps in the performance department. There isn’t any slowdown or performance issues of any sort, even with as much action and enemies you have coming at you all at one time. Performance really is an aspect that the developer was focusing on to make it a buttery smooth experience with the high octane action that Iron Meat delivers.
Music in Iron Meat is high energy and hard hitting. It’s a metal style soundtrack with a bit of grunge. It fits the game like a glove and am glad that they went this direction as opposed to something or should I say anything else. The music choice just sucks you into the game even more than the high stakes action of the game.
I thought that the sound effects might have taken a hit here given how amazing the music is, but that’s just not the case with Iron Meat. Explosions sound good and aren’t muffled even in the slightest. Screams from your enemies as they have their limbs shot off is satisfying, and in some instances you can even hear the blood pouring out wounds.
Iron Meat is in my opinion, a modern arcade masterpiece. It’s truly a phenomenal arcade run and gun experience and a must play. If you like run and gun shooters, or even if you’re on the fence, I encourage you to pick up this game on your platform of choice.
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.