THE BEAST

Photo: Screenshot youtube.com/@PlayStation  

Many of the metal genres that first gained popularity in the 1980s shared aspects such as strong “double-kick” drum patterns, thundering basslines, harmonized tunes, and generally fast tempi. Video games were created in tandem with this musical style; action-adventures, platformers, and role-playing games (RPGs) adopted the distinctive elements of metal music and became commonplace in games across multiple genres. In addition, typical motifs utilized to construct the universes of these video games include allusions to the occult and fantasy and additional extra-musical issues related to the lyrical themes of heavy metal.

Numerous research pieces have been done on how these two “civilizations” are comparable culturally, how one kind of music relates to another how games work, as well as how rock is used in combat themes, especially when combined with sacred music. These illustrate how metal has permeated video game culture by dissecting the treatment of melodic contours, the arrangements, harmonic progressions of various titles, and rhythmic gestures.

The gothic horror moments in Castlevania, the Baroque grace of Yngwie Malmsteen, the fast-paced difficulties in Mega Man, the rapid pace of Iron Maiden, and the ways in which fantastical ideas found their way into power metal as well as video game design are all closely related. These games’ environments are based on their soundtracks, which are rooted in a synthesis of heavy metal cultural clichés.

But, the research pieces we mentioned above are not the topic for our blog post today. Below are the video games that Metal Devastation Radio thinks are best paired with heavy metal music. In addition to the iconic video games with heavy metal influences (such as Halo, Quake, Doom, etc.), we heartily suggest a plethora of other titles to fans of the genre. 

Let us get going! 

# 1 God of War

This game does not really need an introduction, in our opinion. 

We spent a few hours playing after purchasing it. We do not like map borders, therefore, it does not really suit us, but the metal horns are incredibly high during the entire playtime. The battle system exudes a strong Viking metal vibe, and the story is incredibly poignant.

# 2 Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Somehow, when we play this game, we forget that it takes place at a metal open-air festival or in Middle Earth because every location might be the name of a fantastic band, and naturally, the majority of them have been claimed (Gorgoroth, Carach Angren, Minas Morgul, and Cirith Ungol). 

Because the game takes place in Mordor and requires you to devise plans to kill Sauron’s army’s commanders and war chiefs in order to exact revenge on your family, the gameplay is also quite intense. Get this one if you enjoy stealth.

# 3 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The ominous atmosphere that the eerie marshes and hideous monsters create—which goes great with metal—is this game’s strongest feature. 

It would be a mistake to classify the combat music as symphonic death metal. The songs from the taverns and the Gwent card game have a distinct folk metal flavor to them. The Skellige Quest’s soundtrack is excellent, motivational, and has a lot of the same vibes as the opening to a metal performance.

# 4 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

This game is inexorably metal, just like Vikings. 

The part of the game where you route to Asgard and Jotunheim to retrace Norse mythology’s steps is, in our humble view, the most metal. The brutality of the battle executions makes it impossible to resist making the metal face whenever one occurs. The lead singer of Wardruna, Einar Selvik, wrote the majority of the soundtrack; “Out of the North” is by far their best song.

# 5 Total War: WARHAMMER

For metalheads, this well-known real-time tactical video game with epic fantasy battles is ideal. 

The second song off Wind Rose’s album Warfront was inspired by the Siege of Ekrund map battle that appears in this game. The game also served as inspiration for the video clip. The song is actually called “Gates of Ekrund”.

# 6 Burnout

Heavy metal and racing games do not usually mix well, but the old Burnouts’ crash mode—which is now replaced by the showtime mode in the newer models—is pure adrenaline.

Your task is to research the best way to produce a car accident that results in the greatest financial harm. Playing some Amon Amarth or Rotting Christ is the secret to getting the best record.

# 7 Horizon Zero Dawn & Horizon Forbidden West

In these two games of the Horizon series, the creatures are actually composed of metal. Large robots in the shape of animals were created to simulate the wildlife on a post-apocalyptic Earth. They move in a metallic manner and release eerie rattling screeches during their fiercest blows. 

The fight against the massive metal dinosaur (Spinosaurus-inspired combat machine) known as the Slaughterspine is the most metal aspect of the franchise. There is a spooky electronic tune playing that becomes louder and louder as it recharges to unleash its strongest attack. Playing with high-quality headphones and a monitor will really boost your excitement levels. We suggest watching one of these battles on YouTube if you do not intend to play this game anytime soon.

# 8 Far Cry 4

This game is a lot like one of the very first first-person shooters (FPSs) in the 2000s, Battlefield 1942, which, by the way, successfully released the latest version of the series in late 2022. This was the fifth installment in the well-known franchise, featuring large vehicle combat, map compilation, and cooperative achievements for the enormous eSports player base of over 55 million, as well as an extensive Battlefield base of betting aficionados who satisfy their passion utilizing the best-rated online bookies at Bookmaker-Expert.com .

The best part of it, in our opinion, is blasting some Sabaton or Powerwolf music while we speed across the Himalayas, dodging obstacles. In Shangri-La, a forgotten Tibetan paradise where evil spirits prowl, there are also various missions.

# 9 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

We are pretty confident you are already familiar with this particular title if you are reading this. 

Even though it is not metal, the “Dragonborn” theme is among the greatest songs ever composed, and the soundtrack as a whole is among the greatest ever. Numerous heavy metal bands were heavily influenced by this game when they were writing their albums; for instance, Wardens of the West Wind, the album of the above-mentioned Wind Rose from 2015. The song “Age of Conquest” actually refers to the war between the Imperials and Stormcloaks.

# 10 Xenoblade Chronicles

Because the fighting music in this game is truly metal songs, we want to feature it on the list and conclude with it. 

Although the Japanese have a tendency to use rock soundtracks performed on actual instruments almost everywhere, they intended to go more toward metal than rock for this game, whose publisher is Nintendo. The game’s maps are truly vast, and everything in it can serve as inspiration for metal songwriting. Massive creatures and mechanical demons are the antagonists.