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Metal Max

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Metal Max is a RPG set in a futuristic world, where monsters and mechanical creatures roam the land and where many people live in huge underground caves. You play the role of a young boy who lives in a town with his father and his older sister. Your biggest dream is to become a "hunter" - to kill...

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Developer
Data East

Released on
1991

Size
1 Player

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Role-Playing

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Metal Max is a RPG set in a futuristic world, where monsters and mechanical creatures roam the land and where many people live in huge underground caves. You play the role of a young boy who lives in a town with his father and his older sister. Your biggest dream is to become a “hunter” – to kill the monsters that are roaming outside, and to receive rewards for that. Your father doesn’t approve of your dream, but you nevertheless decide to explore the underground caves surrounding your town, to learn more about the world you live in, and eventually become a true hunter and help to overthrow the evil that threatens the world.

The game is a Japanese-style RPG with random encounters and turn-based combat viewed from third-person perspective, like in Final Fantasy. You can also pilot various vehicles. You can participate in battles while riding those vehicles, performing various special techniques. You also upgrade the vehicles and get equipment for them.

Metal Max

Overview & History

Released by Data East in 1991 for the Famicom, Metal Max was a revolutionary post-apocalyptic JRPG conceived by Hiroshi Miyaoka. Set in a desolate, cyborg-infested wasteland following a global AI catastrophe, the storyline follows a nameless youth who is cast out by his adoptive father and resolves to become a legendary hunter. Unlike traditional fantasy quests, Metal Max broke genre conventions by introducing an open-world, nonlinear structure where players choose their own bounties and narrative progression. Though it never received an official North American release on the NES due to its unorthodox themes, it laid the foundational framework for a cult-classic franchise that prioritized vehicular combat and deep tactical customization over linear storytelling.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The game uniquely splits its mechanics between on-foot dungeon crawling and heavily armored vehicular combat. Players recruit eccentric companions—including a mechanic and a fierce soldier—and collect, buy, or salvage battle tanks (such as the iconic Mosquito and RVR-type chassis). Combat shifts dynamically; while on foot, characters execute standard sword slashes, martial arts, and item usage against mutants and rogue machines. Inside a tank, however, the interface transforms into a heavy-artillery exchange utilizing a diverse arsenal of main cannons, machine guns, and specialized C-Units. Economy and survival are tied to the Hunter Office, where players track down notorious wanted criminals for hefty cash rewards. Tanks require constant maintenance, repairs, and ammunition restocking, adding a layer of strategic resource management as players explore toxic wastes, traverse broken highways, and delve into sprawling ruined installations.