IRENA: Genesis Metal Fury

From everything I've seen, IRENA: Genesis Metal Fury is a massive love letter to that classic 16-bit era pulling inspiration from heavy hitters like Contra. The story sets you up as the pilot Major Celina Pelinsky, who has to dive into a hostile planet to break a magnetic field holding a mothership captive. It's got that classic sci-fi feel, like something from those 80's movies, which makes sense for a genre that's all about getting straight to the action. The devs even talk about wanting to build a whole franchise from this, which is a pretty ambitious move for a brand new studio.

It really seems to shine is in its gameplay mechanics, it's a horizontal shooter where you're dodging a ton of bullets and collecting power ups for your main weapon. You can also equip two modules, one for extra firepower and another that gives you a temporary shield. A feature that seems really smart is the ability to switch your ship's speed between three settings instantly, which you'd probably need to navigate the hectic enemy patterns. The special attack, which summons four dragons to wipe the screen, looks incredibly cool and seems like a real «save me» button for tight spots.

The presentation is a huge part of the appeal. The pixel art looks crisp and detailed, creating a world that feels genuinely hostile and alive, but the soundtrack might be the real star, it's an aggressive mix of metal and synthwave that's apparently pushing the Genesis sound chip hard. It sounds nicely, really selling the intensity of the action.

The demo from a few years back gives a solid taste, letting you play through the third stage. A common note from players tho, is that the difficulty is no joke. It's described as fast, unforgiving and pretty tough, I guess that tracks with the old school philosophy the developers are going for. They've mentioned they're aware and are aiming to make the final game challenging but accessible. The project is officially reported as being around 90% complete, so if things stay on track, I bet a full release could hopefully be coming around 2026.

The magnetic field around planet Xellia is destabilizing, pilot. Emperor Shungor's armada is mobilizing and the fate of the mothership rests on your trigger finger. Suit up in the cockpit of the Rayden MG323 and dive into the fray by securing the demo ROM through whatever means your mission parameters dictate. Once the binary is executed, the furious synthmetal soundtrack will scorch your speakers and the blast processing action will begin. If your sortie is a success and you make it back in one piece, remember that a few credits tossed to White Ninja Studio ensures the fight for freedom continues in a full explosive release.