Recently, the Metal Max series has become more or less forgotten. The last time we ever heard of it was 2 years ago, when CyGames bought the IP rights from Kadokawa Games.
However, one last game that was made before that was Metal Max Xeno Reborn, a game that promised to remake the original Metal Max Xeno, originally released on PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. There was also a Metal Max Wild West sequel game that was planned, but it ultimately ended up being canceled.
Which brings me to this feature piece. I’ll be blunt: Metal Max Xeno Reborn…is definitely not a good game. Not only is it severely watered down when compared to the original, t has some bugs, many of which weren’t fixed, even when the international version was published years later.
Today, I would like to showcase two hilarious bugs that you can still encounter to this day. So if you do end up finding a used copy or purchasing the game for yourself for cheap, you can try them out yourself for the kicks. Some of these bugs were spotted originally on Japanese forums such as this one, and I’ve translated some of them for your convenience.
The Engine Selling Balance Bug
In Metal Max Xeno Reborn, your main base of operations is the Iron Base. It is here that you can interact with the characters, but it’s also where you go to maintain and build your tanks to go into Sorties.
Now, in order to equip your tanks with strong weapons, you need an engine capable of supporting the weight to match. And in the Iron Base, you can buy the Engines you need, then Reinforce them through the Garage, which is in the same menu.
However, if you buy the OHC Carmen engine for 128,000 G, upgrade it to the Rocket Carmen engine for a total of 24,375 G, its value increases to 216,000 G when sold. After accounting for the amount you spent to upgrade it, you’re still left with a 63,625 G profit.
This can be repeated multiple times, and…you see where I’m going with this? Yes, this is essentially an infinite money glitch, one that you can repeat over and over, meaning you basically only have to earn that 128,000 G initial price, which makes it trivial.
Amusingly, every engine has this balance bug, with the exception of the Slipheed Alpha, which is the strongest engine of the store. Buying that one and upgrading it gives us a net negative of 55,000 G.
Blocked Passageways? Bus Time!
Scattered across Dystokio exists a series of shutters. Now, normally…the way you’d get through these is by alighting your allies from their Tanks, taking the elevator, then dangerously trying to find the card key that would open the shutter so you could grab your tanks from there.
This is not so much as a “bug”. Moreso a funny oversight in my opinion. Across many places in the game, you can find some abandoned tanks. These tanks can be repaired, and then taken back to the Iron Base, allowing you to use them. One of those “tanks”…er, if you can even call it one, is the bus. For some reason, the bus’s collision fits just right on the shutter’s tabs.
Since only the controlling character’s tank is rendered, you can essentially enter the shuttles without the need of a card key. Of course, you can grab the card key yourself and then open the shutter, but it has to be said…this is a pretty funny oversight, and I’m surprised they left it in.
With both of those bugs still unpatched, it does make me sad that we might not see a proper Metal Max game until much later. Hopefully CyGames can breathe some new life into the IP…
