Review for Gal Metal. Game for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 02/11/2018
Back in the distant 2005, teenagers (or young adults) all over the world had been captured by the eternal Guitar Hero, a gigantic mass phenomenon that has been able to grab attention and hold it for years. Competing titles such as Rock Band and Rocksmith followed, games in which, armed with guitar (or bass, depending on your choice) we were called to strum notes of rock, metal or punk music. Tough stuff.
Year 2018, XSEED and Marvelous awaken our metal side with Gal Metal, a music game released today, November 2, on Nintendo Switch in Europe. If, however, until now the protagonists have almost always been guitarists, bassists or singers, this time our Joy-Con will transform as if by magic into the sticks of a drum.
Kimi no na wa
Describing the story of Gal Metal in a nutshell is more complicated than one might think. The narrative simultaneously follows three distinct tracks, but united by the same protagonist, a boy who suddenly finds himself having to live in a girl's body, just like in the well-known Makoto Shinkai movie “Your Name”. Everything is handled with simple gags and jokes, but suitable for the context and certainly not unpleasant, which will make you smile on more than one occasion.
From this base starts the second track of Gal Metal, narrated through text messages on a mobile chat that exchange the (or "the", you decide) protagonist and the other girls in the band, in a teenage riot of problems and after school dates. The use of a common language, with slang and abbreviations for young people, and of emoticons and stickers could make the older ones (and bitches, like the writer) turn up their noses, giving a good and healthy feeling of cringe.
What on earth could be missing from a solid plot base of this kind? Obviously the alien invasion narrated through comic strips. Extraterrestrials invaded planet Earth driven by resentment towards mankind, guilty of having made known to their population ... the Metal. A musical genre that clouded the mind of the alien race and destroyed the foundations of society, stupefying the population. No, don't ask yourself any further questions.
The warriors of metal
Gal Metal's young girls have only one weapon to defeat the fearsome alien threat that looms over the world: their Metal band. Our protagonist will be the drums, which can be played in three different ways: with the JoyCon motion sensor, with the normal front keys and with the touch controls.
We do not go into the last two types of command schemes because they are functional and simple to use, without any particular merit or defect. They just work. A different speech must instead be made for the motion sensor, which is not always precise and flawless, at any distance from the screen, often making completing a very frustrating and anti-climatic stage.
Even more of a shame to have to consider just that playing with the motion sensor is the funniest way to face the title, especially in the more advanced chapters where the songs will be more excited and full of rhythms to be used. It must be said that the lack of precision, however, will not make the title completely unplayable, especially considering that the medium difficulty level is rather low and relatively low scores will be enough to pass an internship. However, if you want to try your hand at more titanic feats and reach several million points, the movement commands are highly discouraged.
Gal Metal also consists of a management part in which we will have to coordinate the activities that the protagonist will carry out after school, each of which will give her characteristic points (five total: Morality, Kvlt, Guts, Activity, Passion) useful to improve it in the various aspects of the songs, from accuracy in drumming to secret rhythms to be discovered in the various live shows. We will therefore have to decide, based on our daily stamina, whether to practice with drumsticks, go to work in different places, meet up with the other girls in the band or simply hang around. A rather simple and not exciting component, but one that makes you detach from the various concerts and gives a sense of progression, albeit minimal.
To complete the whole there is a gigantic gallery of stickers to collect by completing the various stages or completing the different rhythms over and over again, unlocking special events or situations. It is so vast and elaborate that we assure you that collectors maniacs can only be satisfied with it.
The graphic style carefully designed to be colorful and captivating, able to combine 2D cartoons, text chats and 3D concert sections (but above all to hide the obvious technical limitations of the title), combined with a fairly varied and original tracklist, they make it even more enjoyable and fun to watch and play.
Gal Metal is a title you don't expect. If at first glance it seems the classic B series title destined to be relegated to mediocrity, once you have picked up your Nintendo Switch you will absolutely have to change your mind. Colorful and funny, with a story sometimes hilarious at times, unfortunately, quite cringe, it will still keep you glued to the screen with a half smile on your face. Too bad for the lack of precision of the movement controls with the Joy-Con, which do not allow you to play for higher scores than those necessary to simply pass the stage. Recommended for lovers of music and metal!
► Gal Metal is an Adventure-Musical type game published by XSEED for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 02/11/2018
