Bringing together two titles from Kai Magazine Software, cartridge 42 in the main Evercade console range is Metal Dragon/Life on Mars.

Let’s take a look at Metal Dragon first. When the game begins, it feels like it’s going to be a ridiculously over the top parody of Metal Gear. However, it doesn’t take long for alarm bells to ring, as the Codec-style conversations between characters aren’t as amusing as they think they are, and rapidly resort to unnecessary, repeated swearing. It just feels really juvenile.

And then the disappointment really kicks in, when the game begins. Instead of a Metal Gear-style experience, it’s a poorly designed, top down run and gunner with incredibly repetitive design, as well as boring stages and enemies. Its only saving grace is how short it is; it doesn’t take any time at all to reach the end, so I suppose there’s some satisfaction to be had in completing it.

So not only was it not what I was expecting, but it’s also not even a very good example of its genre, with terribly unfunny attempts at comedic dialogue to boot.

So it’s up to Life on Mars to salvage this dual game cartridge. Does it?

You bet it does. A super atmospheric, Metroidvania-style title, Life on Mars is relatively brief, but unlike Metal Dragon it leaves you wanting more. There’s a nice open-ended feel to how you grind for which upgrades you want to purchase, with the choice of pumping up your stats or equipment whenever you get to an appropriate terminal.

Though it’s frustrating at first, and the grinding to be able to power yourself up enough not to get obliterated by the smallest of enemies can be a bit long winded, it’s nicely designed and well worth persevering with.

Metal Dragon/Life on Mars is the first dual game cartridge which has seen me roll credits on both included games; though I wasn’t really a fan of Metal Dragon, I guess it could be said that it was entertaining enough for me to see it through to the end!

Life on Mars, however, really does make this cartridge worth a look for fans of new, retro-styled games.

You can buy Metal Dragon/Life on Mars from Amazon.

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