The sequel to the Metal Max games, Metal Saga, takes place in the same post-apocalyptic environment as its forerunners. This world is inhabited by bounty hunters, rangers, bandits, and mutant monsters. Metal Saga was released in 2016. The player assumes the character of an unnamed young guy, the son of a well-known and well-respected retired bounty hunter named Eddy, who resides in a place called Junkyard. The young man decides not to become a mechanic, which would result in a peaceful but uninteresting life. Instead, he decides to follow in his father’s footsteps by adventuring worldwide in search of dangerous criminals in exchange for rewards.
Much like its predecessors in the series and contrast to most role-playing games from Japan, Metal Saga features a non-linear gameplay structure and an open-ended universe. The core plot is relatively scant and understated but grows by the tasks the player chooses to complete. These missions, in turn, lead to additional events, ultimately leading to various alternative conclusions. The player can ignore this plot and instead simply adventure over the world map, going to different cities and other places of interest and completing missions to gain wealth and notoriety. Because of those activities, the hero must first achieve a particular level of the hunter profession for certain events to occur in the game.
During the game, the protagonist could cross paths with other characters who eventually become his allies. The active party is comprised of four characters, some of whom are humans and some of which are various breeds of dogs that can wield mounted firearms. Combat is turn-based and occurs in dangerous places and on the world map, where enemies spawn randomly. Every character, except the dog, can engage in combat on foot or within a tank. Either tank must be purchased in specific regions, or they can be rented. They are susceptible to being damaged and broken. Still, it is possible to maintain and modify them by tracking down components dispersed worldwide and putting together new versions using those parts. The tank model determines the types of weaponry, cannons, and accessories that can be attached to it, yielding a possible variety of hundreds of configurations. It is even possible to give tanks a personalized paint job that is then stored on the memory card.
