Heavy metal and gaming have been closely linked for years, with metalheads often as avid about interactive entertainment as they are their favorite bands.
It should be no surprise, therefore, that metal culture has influenced many game developers over the decades, with some titles wearing their hardcore heritage on their sleeve for all to see.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few of the best metal-inspired video games that display their hard rock influences proudly.
Doom
The entire Doom franchise has been a love letter to heavy metal themes and aesthetics from the very start, and so it really doesn’t matter if you revisit the mid-90s original or dive into the 2016 re-imagining and its critically-acclaimed sequel, Doom Eternal.
From the riff-rich soundtrack to the hellspawn armies that players have to take out with shotguns, chainsaws or their bare fists, Doom is dripping with audio and imagery that will get any metal fan’s blood pumping.
Full Throttle
From a fast-paced first person shooter to a point-and-click adventure, it might not seem like the obvious genre to include in this list, yet Full Throttle is definitely deserving of a place here.
Created by adventure game stalwart Tim Schafer, it tells the tale of a biker named Ben who is falsely accused of murder and has to solve logic puzzles and overcome a few now primitive-seeming action set pieces to prove his innocence.
The soundtrack is one again the star of the show, with chunky riffs, wailing solos and superb drum fills upping the tension at all the right moments. And the Harley-riding hard-boiled hero is definitely in keeping with this subculture.
Ozzy Osbourne Video Slots
With a fully licensed set of tracks from the Prince of Darkness himself, this online slot is a must-play for acolytes of Ozzy who also like to gamble. And of course if you want to even the odds, reading books on gambling and games of luck will bring you up to speed.
The graphics are also appropriately themed, with most of the symbols sporting Ozzy’s unmistakable face, while the animations bring it to life.
Brütal Legend
Earning his second entry in the list, creative powerhouse and confirmed metalhead Tim Schafer broke the mould once again in 2009 with Brütal Legend.
Melding elements of third person action with real time strategy, it features an all-out metal storyline involving a long-haired roadie voiced by Tenacious D’s Jack Black who gets sucked into the artwork of heavy metal albums and has to battle enemies using the power of his electric guitar.
It sounds weird on paper, and in practice it is a scintillating mash-up of many different types of game play, all tied together by an obvious love of metal music and the movement surrounding it. Ozzy Osbourne also provided his voice acting chops, alongside other icons of the genre such as Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister.
Guitar Hero
While the franchise may have faded from the limelight, in its 2000s heyday, Guitar Hero was one of the biggest hitters in gaming, with annual releases and spin-off editions garnering millions in sales and also shifting huge volumes of plastic peripherals.
It is also a game which is responsible for introducing a new generation to many rock and metal classics, as well as bringing mainstream attention to previously obscure bands like DragonForce.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
Another game series in which the soundtrack proved more influential than the gameplay in the long term, Tony Hawk rode high on a mix of arcade-style skateboarding action and killer tunes played over the top.
The recent remaster of the first two games was a nostalgia trip for many fans, and while some of the mechanics of the game have not aged well, the songs featured on it still feel fresh. At the turn of the millennium, this was the first introduction to bands like Primus, Dead Kennedys, The Ernies and many more.
Quake
Grimier, darker, bloodier and more intense than Doom that came before it, Quake is another artifact from the 1990s that speaks of an era when gaming was more influenced by heavy metal than ever before or since.
With a score composed by none other than Nine Inch Nails, and a Lovecraftian world full of gross monsters to explore and slaughter, Quake was a thoroughly adult, gothic first person shooter at a time when most of its competitors were a little more light-hearted and colorful. It remains a landmark title to this day, even if it is tricky to dive back into and enjoy for newer audiences.