An action game truly works when muscle memory takes over and the combat starts looking like a choreographed trailer. I spent a lot of time in my 20s chasing S-Ranks in Devil May Cry and learning every punishing frame of Ninja Gaiden just because I loved the way a clean combo looked.
When I first saw Morbid Metal, it looked like the kind of project that shouldn’t be possible from an individual developer. Now that Felix Schade has partnered with Ubisoft to bring this to early access, it’s clear that the big ideas here are real. I’ve been in the simulation for the last week, and while it’s still early, the foundation is something special.
Navigating the Void and Your Mission
You start your journey as Flux, an AI built for one purpose: destroying your own kind to transcend what is left of mankind. A voice called Eden guides you through the simulation, though most of what happened to the world is hidden in lore files you find while you’re out there. You can review these documents back at your home base, a place called the Void Hub. This is where you prepare for each iteration, which is what the game calls a trip into the simulation.
The Void Hub houses the meta progression that keeps you going. There are three main shops here that light up orange when you have enough credits to buy an upgrade. You use these credits, earned from your time fighting in the simulation, to buy permanent upgrades called Corpora or new skills known as Protocols. It’s a straightforward way to manage your power, and the orange lights make it easy to see exactly when you can afford to get stronger before heading back out.
The Art of the Hotswap
The hotswap is why you’re here. You aren’t just playing as one character; you’re managing a team of three that you switch between instantly using the D-Pad. Flux is your starting point, using a sword to deal high damage to single targets with shockwave attacks. Once you unlock Ekku, you get a heavy hitter with a polearm that handles large groups with ease. Later on, you add Vekta to the mix, who acts as a ranged specialist.
The combat really opens up when you begin combining these different styles. You can start a combo with Flux to deal some aerial damage, swap to Ekku mid-air for a ground slam, and then switch back to Flux to keep the pressure on. It makes the fighting active because you aren’t just waiting for a single cooldown to finish. You can also find universal buffs like “Leak,” which causes enemies to take damage over time with every hit you connect. You’re constantly moving between different ways of fighting to find the best way to clear a room.
Surviving the Simulation
The two biomes currently available show off a world that is as beautiful as it is broken. The Sublime Garden is full of drooping trees and temples, while the Steel Sanctuary moves you into a ruined city. As you move through these areas, you’ll look for the Emporium, a safe spot where you can grab temporary buffs and items. There are also “Deal with the Devil” statues that offer a risk for a reward, and Operator’s Trials that give you extra credits if you can finish a specific challenge.
You’ll eventually hit a wall with the bosses, Saru and Prophet. Saru acts as a test to see if you’ve actually learned how to move and dodge, while Prophet is a much more powerful challenge that requires you to have a better handle on your character upgrades. The variety in these areas helps keep the exploration interesting, even if there isn’t a mini-map to help you find your way around.
Morbid Metal Is a Promising Start Despite the Early Access Realities
Being in early access means there are still a few hurdles to clear. The rate at which you earn currency to unlock new protocols is a bit slow right now, and the lack of a mini-map can result in you getting turned around in the larger levels. You’ll also notice the same enemy types appearing often, which can lead to the fights becoming a bit routine after a few hours. There is also no way to sell unwanted abilities back to the shop, which can make some pickups a waste.
Even with those hurdles, the core loop is interesting enough to keep you coming back for one more iteration. It’s clear that Felix Schade has a specific vision for how stylish action should work in a roguelite setting, and the partnership with Ubisoft gives it a level of refinement that most indie projects can’t match.
If you live for frame-perfect dodges and high style scores, there is already enough here to justify the jump. The foundations are sturdy. As long as the developer keeps the new content coming, this could easily become a game you start another trip just to see what else you can pull off. It’s a project that clearly matters to the people building it. I’m excited to see how the story with Eden develops once the full narrative is in place. For now, the mechanical complexity is the main draw.
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