One of the most technically impressive games on the entire NES. Gravity reversible at will, frantic action, stunning visuals. Little known outside Japan but absolutely remarkable. A hidden masterpiece.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player7+
Description
American version of the Metal Storm vertical shoot-'em-up featuring a ship using reversed gravity to progress. Published by Irem, released in the USA in 1992. Ship in top-down view able to reverse gravity, imposing mechanical bosses and careful level design. American version of Irem's technical masterpiece on NES.
Metal Storm review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Punishing"
Flip gravity at the press of a button: this brilliant mechanic turns every room into an action puzzle where ceiling and floor swap on the fly. Syncing your flips, dodging fire and reading lethal scenery demand reflexes as much as foresight. Inventive and demanding, this late Famicom gem rewards mastery with exhilarating flow.
A 1991 US NES Irem platformer, famous for its gravity-flip mechanic unique on the system and its accomplished mecha art direction. The US print was short and distribution limited, which makes US CIB in an intact box with manual and inner card one of the acknowledged grails of US NES action. Graded sealed prices climb sharply, sustained by real scarcity and the absence of any recent physical port.
An underrated gem
Flip gravity at the press of a button to walk on the ceiling: this Irem platformer builds its entire mechanic around that brilliant idea, smooth and exhilarating. Its late, limited release long kept it out of the spotlight. A little marvel of game design that fans of inventive platformers absolutely must try.
Is Metal Storm still worth playing in 2026?
Juuryoku Soukou Metal Storm, known in the West as Metal Storm, is one of the most technically impressive games on the entire NES. The ability to flip gravity at will opens a new vertical dimension to 2D action, and Irem's title draws a game design of rare precision from it. Frantic action, stunning visuals for the console, memorable soundtrack. Overlooked at the time but now cult, recently re-released digitally. A hidden masterpiece to absolutely discover today.
