Tears of Metal

Tears of Metal is a medieval hack-and-slash roguelike for Windows PC developed by Paper Cult.



Set on a war-torn Scottish island, it places you at the head of a small battalion fighting to reclaim territory from invaders exploiting the supernatural Mother Dragon Stone.

The Tears of Metal game combines large-scale, Musou-inspired battles with run-based progression.

Players cut through dense enemy formations, complete battlefield objectives, recruit soldiers, collect artefacts, and create increasingly powerful combat builds.

It supports solo campaigns and online cooperative play for up to four players across more than 45 handcrafted environments.



The FileHorse gaming team recommends Tears of Metal to players who enjoy fast crowd combat, persistent progression, build experimentation, and cooperative action.

Features

Massive Battles: Fight large groups of enemies across open, objective-driven battlefields.

Solo and Co-op Play: Complete campaigns alone or with up to three online teammates.

Multiple Heroes: Choose between playable warriors with different attacks, abilities, and tactical strengths.

Roguelike Campaigns: Follow branching routes containing battles, rewards, challenges, and difficult encounters.

Build Customisation: Combine Emblems, equipment, Charms, upgrades, and more than 100 artefacts.

Persistent Soldiers: Recruit battalion members who gain experience and permanent skills between campaigns.

Settlement Expansion: Improve the village to unlock shops, upgrades, challenges, and additional gameplay systems.

Handcrafted Environments: Battle through more than 45 designed locations with varied objectives and enemy formations.

User Interface

The interface uses a bold illustrated style that fits the game’s comic-book interpretation of medieval Scotland.

Health, abilities, objectives, upgrade choices, and battalion information remain visible without covering too much of the battlefield.



Menus are generally easy to navigate, although the number of Emblems, artefacts, soldier upgrades, and settlement systems may initially overwhelm new players.

Combat effects are colourful and satisfying, but crowded cooperative encounters can sometimes make enemy attacks harder to read.

Installation and Setup

1. Open the Steam desktop client and sign in to your account.
2. Search for Tears of Metal.
3. Purchase the desired version and select Install.
4. Choose an installation drive with at least 10 GB of available space.
5. Allow the client to download and install the necessary files.
6. Launch the game and configure graphics, audio, controls, and accessibility settings.
7. Select solo play or invite friends to an online cooperative campaign.

A controller is recommended for smoother movement and combat, although keyboard and mouse controls are supported.

How to Play

• Select one of the available heroes.
• Enter the settlement and review permanent upgrades.
• Recruit or improve soldiers for your battalion.
• Choose a route across the campaign map.
• Enter a battlefield and follow the displayed objectives.
• Use basic attacks, special abilities, dodges, and positioning to defeat enemy groups.
• Protect your soldiers and eliminate dangerous captains, elites, and bosses first.
• Collect Emblems, artefacts, equipment, and temporary upgrades.
• Combine compatible bonuses to create a focused combat build.
• Return to the settlement after a campaign to unlock permanent improvements.

FAQs

Is Tears of Metal a single-player game?
Yes. The complete campaign can be played solo, although cooperative play makes large battles more manageable.

How many players are supported?
Online cooperative sessions support up to four players.

Does the game include permanent progression?
Yes. Heroes, soldiers, village facilities, equipment, and other systems can be improved between campaigns.

Is every campaign identical?
No. Routes, objectives, upgrade combinations, rewards, and combat situations can change between attempts.

Is the game fully finished?
It currently provides the complete core progression loop, including three acts and bosses, but remains in active development with additional heroes, equipment, balancing, optimisation, and quality-of-life improvements planned.

Alternatives

Dynasty Warriors: Origins – A polished large-scale action game focused on defeating enormous armies.

Hades II – A faster, story-driven roguelike with responsive combat and extensive build combinations.

Ravenswatch – A cooperative action roguelike featuring multiple heroes and challenging team-based runs.

Risk of Rain 2 – A replayable cooperative roguelike built around escalating difficulty and powerful item synergies.

Warriors: Abyss – A Musou-style roguelite featuring large enemy groups and extensive character combinations.

Pricing

Tears of Metal Early Access: $24.99.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

OS: Windows 10, 64-bit.

Processor: Dual Core 2.4 GHz.

Memory: 8 GB RAM.

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or equivalent.

DirectX: Version 11.

Storage: 10 GB available space.

Recommended Requirements

OS: Windows 11.

Processor: Quad Core 3 GHz.

Memory: 16 GB RAM.

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 Series.

DirectX: Version 11.

Network: Broadband Internet connection.

Storage: 10 GB available space.

PROS

• Large and satisfying enemy battles.
• Strong solo and four-player co-op support.
• Numerous artefacts and upgrade combinations.
• Distinctive comic-book visual presentation.
• Persistent soldier and settlement progression.
• Energetic soundtrack and Scottish atmosphere.
• Accessible combat with strategic build depth.

CONS

• Visual effects occasionally reduce combat clarity.
• Some heroes and upgrades require additional balancing.
• Minor bugs and stability issues may appear.
• Co-op performance can be inconsistent.
• Progression systems may initially feel overwhelming.

Conclusion

Tears of Metal successfully combines large-scale hack-and-slash combat with roguelike progression and cooperative gameplay.

Its powerful upgrade combinations, persistent battalion system, distinctive presentation, and energetic battles make each campaign entertaining.

Repetition and occasional technical issues remain, but the existing foundation offers substantial potential for continued development.