Metal Max (video game)

Metal Max
Famicom box art
Developer(s)	Crea-Tech Data East Kuusoukagaku (SNES)[1]
Publisher(s)	Data East
Producer(s)	Shoji Masuda
Designer(s)	Hiroshi Miyaoka
Composer(s)	Satoshi Kadokura
Series	Metal Max
Platform(s)	Family Computer Super Famicom
Release	Family Computer JP: May 24, 1991 Super Famicom JP: September 29, 1995
Genre(s)	Role-playing video game
Mode(s)	Single-player

Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). is a role-playing video game developed by Crea-Tech and Data East and published by Data East for the Famicom. It is the first game in the Metal Max series.

Metal Max is set in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world, where the surviving humans cluster in underground villages and ruins while "monster hunters" fight the monsters and outlaws outside.^[2][3] The game got a sequel, Metal Max 2, and was remade for the Super Famicom as Metal Max Returns. A direct sequel Metal Saga was published in 2006 for Nintendo DS.

Metal Max was an early example of an open-ended and non-linear role-playing video game. It lacked a predetermined story path, but the player was instead given the choice of which missions to follow in whatever order while being able to visit any place in the game world.^[3][4] The ending can be determined by the player, who can alter the ending through their actions, complete the game at almost any time, and can continue playing the game even after the ending.^[3]

The gameplay is classic RPG fare: the characters travel from town to town, having random encounters on the way, upgrading items and tanks as they go. The object is to become a well-known and respected hunter by defeating the monsters with bounties on their heads, which can be done in any order the player pleases. There is a surprisingly rich storyline, but as it is not forced on the player it must be actively sought out. A large part of the game is customizing tanks: tank parts can be bought or found, and the parts, as well as the tank itself, can all be modified. The player uses a BS-Controller (BS-Con), a personal computer system, to track data about things such as towns, tanks, bounties and experience points. Combat is turn-based. There are a large number of miscellaneous items, weapons and upgrades, most with unique or uncommon capabilities.

Each playable character has their own character class, such as mechanic or soldier, and these characters fight in turn-based battles either on foot or using tanks. The player can create tanks, customize them and make a variety of modifications to them, remodel and enhance each part, strengthen the defense, repair damaged parts, and give them more shells.^[3][4]

A unique characteristic of Metal Max is the Vehicle system. In this game, each character can ride a vehicle and there are 8 different vehicles that can be collected.^[5] A vehicle protects the driver from physical damage and can be equipped with weapons.

Each vehicle has their own exclusive chassis. A vehicle's loading capacity is decided by the maximum power of the equipped engine. All parts besides plate armor have a certain weight so if the vehicle becomes overloaded or the engine is damaged, it will be unable to move.^[6] Every vehicle can be equipped with a C-Unit (Computer-Unit), a fire control system that affects the hit rate of equipped weapons.^[7] The above two are necessary for vehicles^[8] so if one of these becomes broken or unequipped, the vehicle will be unable to move by itself.^[9]

A vehicle can have between 0-3 slots on its chassis that can accept a certain class of weapon. The weapon's are divided into three classes: Cannons, Machine guns, and Special weapons. Cannons are powerful, but have limited ammunition. Machine guns have unlimited ammunition and can hit multiple enemies but are weak. Special weapons are both powerful and can hit multiple enemies, but can be heavy and tend to run out of ammunition very quickly.

The game is set an unknown number of years after the fall of modern human civilization due to actions of Noah. The survivors clustered into villages or began to live among the ruins, and those who fought the monsters and robots outside became known as monster hunters. These men and women salvage tanks and tank parts in order to defeat monsters and outlaws and collect bounties on them. Although the previous civilization has been ruined, the environment is not as desolate as many post-apocalyptic settings, with plentiful trees and water.

• The Hunter: The main character, a young man who dreams of becoming a monster hunter. His name is revealed to be Rebanna in sequel Metal Saga.
• The Mechanic: A young man who wants to travel the world and become a great tank mechanic.
• The Soldier: A rough woman who hopes to best her rival, Red Wolf.
• Hunter's Dad: A gruff tank mechanic who disowns his son over his wild and impractical ambitions.
• Dr. Minchi: A doctor who resurrects characters by electric shock.
• Red Wolf: A mysterious hunter who drives a bright red tank.
• Noah: A supercomputer that was made by scientists in the hope that it can work out a solution to saving the earth's environment. By analyzing more and more data and recalculating every possibility, it "awoke" and brought about the apocalypse upon the conclusion that destroying humanity is the only way of saving the earth.

• Mosquito: The first tank that the hunter finds.
• Buggy: Found at the derrick factory in the world's south-east corner.
• Van: Can recover character's HP while move in the world.
• Tiger: A WW2-vintage tank that is buried somewhere in the beach cave.
• LAV: An 6x6 wheeled APC that is found in Sol town.
• Abrams: A tank that is sold in the port of a slum.
• Red Wolf: Character Red Wolf's tank.
• White Muu: A Next-Generation MBT Prototype that is locked inside the Ghost Base.

The game was released in Japan on May 24, 1991 for the Nintendo Famicom home console and was published by Data East.^[10] A Super Famicom remake of the game, titled Metal Max Returns (メタルマックス リターンズ), was released on September 29, 1995.^[11][12] It features improved graphics and sound, new bounties and items, new and revised areas, references to Metal Max 2 and decreased difficulty. It also contains many elements that were later found in Metal Saga on the PlayStation 2. Metal Max Returns was later ported to the Game Boy Advance by Now Production in 2003.^[13] The original Famicom version was later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console on April 27, 2010, and the 3DS Virtual Console on January 1, 2013.^[10] Returns was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console on November 15, 2011.^[12]

Metal Max sold 150,000 copies in Japan.^[14] For Metal Max Returns, more than 170 thousand copies of this game were sold at a price of 12,800 yen per copy (the equivalent of US$165).^[15]

While Metal Max Returns was never released in the West, a full fan translation was released by Aeon Genesis in 2007.^[16] The original Metal Max was also fan translated in 2018.^[17]

• Crea-Tech's Metal Max Returns page (in Japanese)
• MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.^[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".^[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.^[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.^[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.^[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.^[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.^[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.^[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.^[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.^[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).^[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,^[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.^[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.^[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.^[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.^[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.^[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.^[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.^[17]

• IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

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• METAL MAniaX's Metal Max Returns database (in Japanese)
• A fan translation of Metal Max Returns

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