Gal Metal
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Arcade, science fiction, rhythm, music, visual novel, Nintendo exclusive, singleplayer
OpenCritic
A rhythmic-musical game that allows us to play the drummer of a school heavymetal band fighting alien invaders. The title turns the Nintendo Switch console controllers into drumsticks and allows us to play on our own to the songs prepared by the creators.
Videos and Screens
[1:34] Gal Metal E3 2018 trailer
NintendoWorldReport: 7.5 / 10 by Daan Koopman
You will play through it and be done after an hour or five. Beyond this, there isn't much to the package, though I do find myself replaying tracks a tiny bit. It really depends on what you're searching for, but as a music game, it certainly knows how to entertain.
Pure Nintendo: 7 / 10 by Kirstie Summers
Gal Metal is absurd and adorable in equal measure. There is no doubt it will find an incredibly passionate niche out there somewhere, but there's still plenty to entertain anyone with rhythm.
Nindie Spotlight: 7 / 10 by Nindie Spotlight
While Gal Metal won’t be for everyone it’s absolutely a unique title that caught me by surprise on multiple levels and that grew on me as I got more comfortable with its approach to the music. Much like real improv getting started with playing around in the music with different beats and combinations can be a complete mess, but with time and some confidence you can surprise yourself. While the story elements are completely bizarre they at least made me laugh, though I’d be curious just how much cultivating friendships and building specific stats influence things. Regardless, Gal Metal is a fresh take on music games and stands out from the crowd if you don’t mind its quirks.
Gal Metal Description
Story
Although Gal Metal is a music game, the creators also took care of its story layer, which was presented in the form of visual novel cut-scenes and comic book panels. Earth is threatened by an alien invasion. They want to take revenge on its inhabitants for spreading metal music through the Voyager probe that left the Solar System. The aliens intercepted the signal and could not resist the rock rhythms, which led to an epidemic of madness threatening their lives.
A small group of space invaders reach our planet and kidnap two Japanese high school students: the main character of the game and Rinko, a drummer of a female music club. The aliens need an emissary with whom they will discuss their revenge plan, but they cannot decide which teenager will be the negotiator, uniting their souls in one body. The couple must now learn to cooperate with each other and defeat all eight cosmic kidnappers with the help of music.
Mechanics
Between the story segments we take part in metal concerts. We take on the role of drummer Rinko and the main character trapped in her body. Unlike other productions of this type, when playing, the game does not display icons with buttons or notes, which we have to choose at the right time. Players have to beat the rhythm themselves using a standard controller or two joy-cons pretending to be percussion sticks. The game simulates the use of standard drums and plates. The creators have prepared an extensive tutorial, allowing us to practice the rhythm of the beat and the combination of different sounds.
Technical aspects
Soundtrack in Gal Metal consists of original metal instrumental pieces, as well as rock covers of classical music. The visuals use simple three-dimensional models of characters made with the use of cel-shading technique.
Last updated on February 17, 2020
Gal Metal Summary
Platforms:
Switch
