Twisted Metal Black drags the saga into horror territory. Unhinged characters, morbid arenas and brutal car combat. Darker and more cult than its neighbours.
Your verdict
Category
Racing4 players16+
Co-op
Split screen
Description
A SingleTrac and SCEA racer released in 2001, the Twisted Metal Black entry, the first Twisted Metal on PS2. Armed car combat competition in a dark and unhinged atmosphere, with roster of 15 psychotic characters (Sweet Tooth the clown, Mr. Grimm the death) clashing in destroyed urban arenas. Signature vehicular weapons combat, dark narrative. Vehicular combat franchise peak on PS2.
Twisted Metal - Black review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Motorised combat of a delightful darkness: over-armed vehicles clash in devastated arenas, with missiles, mines and devastating special attacks. The fun lies in this constant chaos where every wreck becomes a threat. Brutal, snappy and atmosphere-packed, a car-combat of rare intensity, even more enjoyable in multiplayer.
The Western release of Twisted Metal Black, Incognito's dark, adult revival of vehicular combat, marked by its unsettling atmosphere, deranged characters and an arena chaos become cult on PS2. Still findable, its desirability rests on this status as the dark peak of a near-vanished genre and a strong nostalgia rather than scarcity. A prime piece for car-combat fans of the PS2 era, sought boxed.
Better with friends
Car combat in labyrinthine arenas where you hunt your opponent with missiles, mines and unhinged special weapons. The split-screen competition is gleeful chaos: setting ambushes, grabbing the right power-up and surviving the melee ramps up the adrenaline. Brutal and snappy, it turns every duel into a hilarious score-settling you restart at once for the rematch.
Is Twisted Metal - Black still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2001 on PS2, Incognito's project brings back vehicular combat with a striking darkness, in a world of asylum and tormented characters with a near gothic atmosphere. The weapon strewn arenas, the nervous driving and the variety of machines, each with its special attack, make for an explosive catharsis of great generosity. The dark art direction and the morbid stories of the contestants leave a lasting mark. The formidable difficulty and the absence of online servers weigh. A benchmark of motorised combat, recommended for fans of arcade chaos and of nervous couch play that revels in destruction.
