History VideoGame / MetalBlack

* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler: The game ends after a spectacularly trippy fight against what appears to be the leading alien. After defeating it, you are treated to effects on the level of a creepypasta and a view of the Earth getting sliced in two, cut to the image of the pilot of your spaceship in a fetal position, turning wireframe before another cut shows us a restored Earth, with a broken English text narration that implies the game's events were AllJustADream...]] Averted if you lose at the boss fight, however; see BittersweetEnding above.

Relevant games include: VideoGame/{{Border Down}}, the SpiritualSuccessor to ''Metal Black'', later installments in the VideoGame/{{Darius}} series (especially G-Darius, which features a similar final boss and ending, and focuses on the beam duel mechanics) and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_Seed:_Project_Trap Gaia Seed]] which shares some themes and mechanics.

In 2016, a Metal Black DLC was added to Dariusburst Chronicle Saviors. It features the return of the Black Fly spaceship with simplified and more user-friendly gameplay mechanics, and a level set inspired by the game.

* BigCreepyCrawlies: Daio & Gishiin (stage 2 bosses) fit here, as one of them is a rather ugly giant dung beetle.

* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler: The game ends after a spectacularly trippy fight against what appears to the be leading alien. After defeating it, you are treated to effects on the level of a creepypasta and a view of the Earth getting sliced in two, cut to the image of the pilot of your spaceship in a fetal position, turning wireframe before another cut shows us a restored Earth, with a broken English text narration that implies the game's events were AllJustADream...]] Averted if you lose at the boss fight, however; see BittersweetEnding above.

* GrandTheftPrototype: Long after Nemesis attacked Earth and the world's governments unconditionally surrendered, you steal an experimental space fighter and blast your way through the remains of local air force, then finally get to dealing with the invaders. [[JustifiedCriminal On the other hand]], after slaying the first boss, you'll have communications guiding you, and dying while fighting the final boss inspires the military to start fighting back.

* GrandTheftPrototype: Long after Nemesis destroyed Earth and the world's governments unconditionally surrendered, you steal an experimental space fighter and blast your way through the remains of local air force, then finally get to dealing with the invaders. [[JustifiedCriminal On the other hand]], after slaying the first boss, you'll have communications guiding you, and dying while fighting the final boss inspires the military to start fighting back.

See also ''VideoGame/BorderDown'', the SpiritualSuccessor to ''Metal Black''.

The year is 2042: Earth gets invaded by aliens intending to [[PlanetLooters plunder]] Earth for inorganic materials. Both the aliens and the star they came from became known as "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Nemesis]]". Earth's troops put up a fight, but were outmatched by the alien's powerful beam weapons. However, Earth's scientists managed to obtain the aliens' weaponry for Project Metal Black, which focused on developing at least 20000 human spacecraft with the same beam weaponry. The spacecraft was known as the CF-345 Black Fly.

* AlienInvasion: And the aliens actually win and succeed. The story takes place after they manage to ravage most of Earth.
* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9my8sMlw-Q final boss]] Omega Zone definitely counts.
* AttackItsWeakPoint: Most of the bosses have a single weak spot which you have to hit in order to damage them.
* BeamOWar: You SmartBomb fires out a giant beam laser when the button is held down. It is able to counter enemy shots, as well as the WaveMotionGun that the bosses use.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Daio & Gishiin, a mechanical dung beetle rolling a ball of scrap metal.

* ChargedAttack: Collect-type. You collect particles of "Newalone" energy to power up your beam cannons (which act as a SmartBomb or a WaveMotionGun).
* CollisionDamage: Against almost all enemies. However, averted by the FinalBoss (only his core can kill you on contact, his body and tail are harmless).

* EldritchAbomination: The Nemesis, as they are biomechanical monstrosities that resembles aquatic animals yet fully capable on traveling and fighting at zero gravity and the bosses explode in cascade of trippy colors after defeated. Especially the second boss, which are able to disguise itself as a moon, and the final boss, which can warp reality itself.
* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: Many of the bosses and enemies are based off aquatic animals as a homage to ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}'' series.
* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler: The game ends after a spectacularly trippy fight against what appears to be the Nemesis leader itself. After defeating it, it is shown that Earth inexplicably cut in half, cut to the image of the pilot of your spaceship in a fetal position, and a broken English narration that imply the whole story is AllJustADream...]] Averted if you lose at the boss fight, however; see BittersweetEnding above.

* GrandTheftPrototype: Decades after aliens destroyed Earth and the world's governments unconditionally surrendered, you steal an experimental space fighter and blast your way through re-animated carcasses of Earth's military forces that didn't survive the alien invasion while attempting to escape into space to fight the enemy hordes. The game has multiple endings depending on if you win or game over in a certain stage, and one ending involves the governments being motivated by your death into bringing another 20,000 experimental fighters into action.
* KaizoTrap: There's one section in the Stage 4 where the wall below will quickly rise and block your way, costing you a life if you haven't moved all to the right.
* MindScrew: The [[GainaxEnding "good"]] ending. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9my8sMlw-Q If you can make any sense out of this, you're good]]. (more pictures [[http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/d/metb.htm here]])
* OneManArmy: Justified, as the other humanity has surrendered to the alien forces and you fly one of the "Black Fly" spaceship in secret.
* PowerUp: Only one kind, which look like three coloured particles stuck together. These things power up your regular weapon as well as charging up your SmartBomb.
* SegmentedSerpent: Feeder, a giant mechanical [[Rat-tail fish]]. Attack its head in order to damage it.
* SmartBomb: Tapping and releasing your secondary attack button will allow you to shock the whole screen in energy.
* SoundtrackDissonance: "Born To Be Free", Stage 1 music. An upbeat, hopeful tune played over the landscape of an Earth utterly devastated by aliens draining the planet's resources to near-exhaustion and infested with not only re-animated remains of Earth's military forces that fell during the invasion but also organisms of the said alien occupiers.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Gun Frontier'', technically. This game is referred to as ''Project Gun Frontier 2'' in the credits, and both were indeed developed by the same team, as seen in their unique palette style and the music used in the attract demo's opening. However, ''Metal Black'' plays almost nothing like ''Gun Frontier'', instead employing the "beam battle" weaponry that would reappear in the ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}'' series.
* ThatsNoMoon: You see a moon in stage 2, shortly after leaving Earth. Turns out that you see the ''real'' moon after that, and the first "moon" is the egg of Feeder, the second boss.
* TranslationTrainWreck: Strangely, all of the texts are 100% in English even in the Japanese version, and they're spectacularly awful, even by Taito's Engrish standard. For example, your ship's sole power-ups, "Newalones", are actually supposed to be Neurons.

Your ship is able to collect many small power-ups to build their weapon's power. Players could then unleash a large beam attack or a screen-filling energy burst that would drain their power level back to zero.

The year is 2042: Earth gets invaded by aliens intending to [[PlanetLooters plunder]] Earth for inorganic materials. Both the aliens and the star they came from became known as "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Nemesis]]". Earth's troops put up a fight, but were outmatched by the alien's powerful beam weapons. However, Earth's scientists managed to obtain the aliens' weaponry for Project Metal Black, which focused on developing at least 20000 human space craft with the same beam weaponry. The space craft was known as the CF-345 Black Fly.

Ten years after the invasion, Earth unconditionally surrendered to the aliens and promised to keep all of Earth's remaining forces from attacking. This applied to Project Metal Black as well and sealed the Black Fly space craft from the people. The aliens ended up devastating Earth anyway via draining its natural resources, and the dying planet's capacity to sustain its population was rapidly diminishing... it was only a matter of time until someone discovered legacies of Project Metal Black and struck back.

* DeadlyWalls

* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler: The game ends after a spectacularly trippy fight against what appears to be the Nemesis leader itself. After defeating it, it is shown that Earth inexplicably cut in half, cut to the image of the pilot of your spaceship in a fetal position, and a broken English narration that imply the whole story is AllJustADream... Averted if you lose at the boss fight however, see BittersweetEnding above.]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Gun Frontier''. However, this game has very little to do with ''Gun Frontier'' apart from the unique palette style that both Gun Frontier and Metal Black uses.

----
!! '''This game has examples of:'''

* EldritchAbomination: All of the bosses after the first as they are something that resembles aquatic animals yet fully capable on traveling and fighting at zero gravity and most of them explode in cascade of trippy colors after defeated. Especially the second boss, which are able to disguise itself as a moon, and the final boss, which can warp reality itself.

* MindScrew: The good ending. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9my8sMlw-Q If you can make any sense out of this, you're good]]. (more pictures [[http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/d/metb.htm here]])

* GainaxEnding: See MindScrew below.

* EldritchAbomination: All of the bosses after the first as they are something that resembles aquatic animals yet fully capable on traveling and fighting at zero gravity and most of them explode in cascade of trippy colors after defeated. Especially the final boss, which can warp reality itself.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Gun Frontier''. However, this game has very little to do with ''Gun Frontier''.

''Metal Black'' is an [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame arcade]] ShootEmUp released by Creator/{{Taito}} in 1991. It was originally supposed to be a sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Darius}} II'', but the developers decided to make it a separate game, though it is referred to as ''Project Gun Frontier 2''.

* DarkerAndEdgier: To ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}''. The game was originally meant to be a sequel to Darius II, where the Belser Army had managed to destroy planet Darius.

* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: Many of the bosses and enemies are based off aquatic animals. No surprise, considering that the game was originally meant to be a sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}''

''Metal Black'' is an [[ArcadeGame arcade]] ShootEmUp released by Creator/{{Taito}} in 1991. It was orginially supposed to be a sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Darius}} II'', but the developers decided to make it a separate game, though it is referred to as ''Project Gun Frontier 2''.

* SoundtrackDissonance: "Born To Be Free", Stage 1 music. A piece with an upbeat, hopeful tune played over the landscape of an Earth utterly devastated by aliens draining the planet's resources to near-exhaustion and infested with not only re-animated remains of Earth's military forces that fell during the invasion but also organisms of the said alien occupiers.

* BittersweetEnding: The bad ending. TheHeroDies, but inspires the rest of the military to fight. 20000 Black Fly ships set out for battle.

* GrandTheftPrototype: Decades after aliens destroy Earth and the world's governments unconditionally surrender, you steal an experimental space fighter and blast your way through re-animated carcasses of Earth's military forces that fell during the alien invasion while attempting to escape into space to fight the enemy hordes. The game has multiple endings depending on if you win or game over in a certain stage, and one ending involves the governments being motivated by your death into bringing another 20,000 experimental fighters into action.

Ten years after the invasion, Earth's peacefully surrenders to the aliens and promised to keep all of Earth's remaining forces from attacking: This applied to Project Metal Black which sealed the Black Fly space craft from the people. The Earth's natural resources were dying and the planet's population was thinning... it was only a matter of time until someone discovered Metal Black and struck back.

* GrandTheftPrototype: Decades after aliens destroy Earth and the world's governments unconditionally surrender, you steal an experimental space fighter and blow up most of the planet's remaining military forces while attempting to escape into space to fight the enemy hordes. The game has multiple endings depending on if you win or game over in a certain stage, and one ending involves the governments being motivated by your death into bringing another 20,000 experimental fighters into action.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Metal Black was originally planned as Darius III, where Proco and Tiat would return from Sol after the events of Darius II, only to find Darius horribly ravaged by the Belser Army. Taito, however, ultimately decided that this was too bleak a scenario for the Darius series, and so gave Metal Black its own setting.

* LastStarfighter: Decades after aliens destroy Earth and the world's governments unconditionally surrender, you steal an experimental space fighter and blow up most of the planet's remaining military forces while attempting to escape into space to fight the enemy hordes. The game has multiple endings depending on if you win or game over in a certain stage, and one ending involves the governments being motivated by your death into bringing another 20,000 experimental fighters into action.

''Metal Black'' is an [[ArcadeGame arcade]] ShootEmUp released by Creator/{{Taito}} in 1991. It was orginially supposed to be a sequel to ''{{Darius}} II'', but the developers decided to make it a separate game, though it is referred to as ''Project Gun Frontier 2''.

* DarkerAndEdgier: To ''{{Darius}}''. The game was originally meant to be a sequel to Darius II, where the Belser Army had managed to destroy planet Darius.

* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: Many of the bosses and enemies are based off aquatic animals. No surprise, considering that the game was originally meant to be a sequel to ''{{Darius}}''

* MindScrew: The ending. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9my8sMlw-Q If you can make any sense out of this, you're good]]. (more pictures [[http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/arcade/d/metb.htm here]])