Metal Drift is a First Person Tank-driving game, wherein two teams of high-speed Hover Tanks compete to deliver a ball into each other's goal while defending their own. It was developed and published by indie house Black Jacket Games in October of 2009, and is their first title. It can be found on Steam, and the other PC distribution platforms.
As near as can be told, it's The Future and the most popular sport is this one, hosted live every night in a massive, multilevel complex that contains several arenas of play. The two teams are Triax (Red) and Athalon (Blue), though from the player's perspective, you are always on Athalon facing Triax.
Prior to each match and between lives, you can select one weapon and one ability from a range of each. You start out with only one each and must accrue Experience Points for kills, goals etc. and Character Levels to unlock new weapons and abilities.
It can also be thought of a spiritual predecessor to Rocket League.
Metal Drift provides examples of:
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Friendly tanks are always blue, enemies are always red.
- Energy Weapon: The Pulse Cannon, Ion Cannon and Temporal Cannon, to name a few.
- Enemy-Detecting Radar: Also shows the positions of the ball, goals and repair pads.
- Everything Sensor: The Sensor ability improves your radar, shows the positions of all enemy tanks on your HUD and allows you to detect cloaked tanks.
- Death from Above: The Plasma Launcher, if aimed correctly, has the potential to rain grenades on almost any point in a given arena.
- Deflector Shields: Every tank has them.
- Gatling Good
- Grenade Launcher: The Plasma Launcher.
- Flash Step: The Hyperspace ability allows you to warp near the ball, or to an repair station if you are low on armor.
- Healing Factor: You begin the game with the Repair ability, which allows you to replenish your armor using your Energy Meter. There is no cooldown on the ability, so if you mash the button fast enough you can use it to keep yourself alive a bit longer in combat, or to retreat.
- Hover Tank: Sleek, fast-moving and lightly armored.
- Invisibility Cloak: The Cloak ability.
- Mana Meter: Your have an energy meter that slowly builds over time but builds much faster if you damage enemies. It is used for Nitro Boost, Quad Damage and certain abilities. The Power ability makes the meter much longer, allowing you to store additional energy.
- Nitro Boost: You can boost for as long as your Energy Meter lasts. Certain arenas also have "Speed Tunnels" that serve as a shortcut to the enemy goal.
- One-Hit Kill: A powered-up Ion Cannon shot has the potential to one-shot an enemy tank.
- Quad Damage: You can use your Energy to power up your shots.
- Tank Goodness:
- Teleportation: The hyperspace ability helps teleport the player to the goal, ball or repair station. It has a quirk, where teleporting to a ball on the bridge will cause the player's tank to appear underneath the bridge.
