The Collection Chamber: HEAVY METAL: F.A.K.K.2

Years have passed since Julie defeated the would-be-God Lord Tyler on the battlefields of the Holy Land. She has long since put the pain of those days behind her and turned her eye to more pressing matters. On the long journey from the Holy Land to the Galaxy of the Twin Suns she gathered those without a home in the universe and brought them back to her homeworld of Eden.

As the colonists rebuilt their new world, they discovered something wonderful: the water of the new Eden is the beginning and end of all life. None of the colonists have aged in the past 30 years. They have protected their world with a powerful energy shield, and perhaps more effectively, they placed into orbit a F.A.K.K.2 (Federation Assigned Ketogenic Killzone) hazard beacon, alerting all who approach that Eden is a death trap. Knowing that the shield would keep possible attackers at a distance, and with the beacon hiding their secret under the veil of a fatal wasteland, the colonists have become happy and complacent in their comfort and safety.

From somewhere deep in space, a PlanetShip, a vessel which consumes entire worlds, approaches - its ancient leader Gith at the helm. In this Universe full of would-be-Gods, the machines of man alone cannot change the call of Destiny. There is one who must be called... The Starstrider.

Prepare yourself for Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2 - a 3D action/adventure experience that brings to life the twisted visions of the 20 year old cult classic Heavy Metal. As Julie (a.k.a. - F.A.K.K.2) you will explore your way through surreal landscapes - armed with powerful and sinister weaponry - against a cast of freakish characters.

Experience for yourself the hard-hitting graphics and heart-stopping action in what Details magazine calls "The Sexiest Game of the Year".
Experience movie-like storytelling with numerous in-game cinematics, powered by enhanced Quake II Arena technology.
Over 20 brutal weapons including combo based melee weaponry, conventional and futuristic tools of destruction.
Main character, Julie, has over 7000 frames of animation, including fighting game style multi-tiered attacks, which unlock throughout the adventure.
Explore massive and beautiful environments, full of mind-bending puzzles.
Two-handed combat system allows players to use 2 different weapons simultaneously.
Custom music soundtrack, over 3 hours of original Heavy Metal inspired music.
Dozens of fantastic creatures that adapt to the player's attack and change behavior as the game progresses.

~ from the back of the box

Hands up if you like tits in videogames? If you've raised your arms over your head the you're in luck. Heavy Metal F.A.K.K.2 has loads of them. Based on the second animated movie adaptation of the famed French comic, it follows the buxom Julie as she tries to save her idyllic planet Eden from nefarious forces.

The F.A.K.K.2 of the title refers to a shield orbiting the planted which not only protects it from incoming attacks, but also sends out a beacon warning others to stay away. The water found on the surface has life-giving properties so if this information gets out it will become a target for the unscrupulous and power hungry. But their safety is about to be threatened. A strange meteor shower damages the protective systems and the glowing green rocks it leaves behind turns the planet's wildlife into bloodthirsty monsters. It's a cool premise for a Tomb Raider styled action adventure which allows for some of the most inventive visuals ever to come out of the Quake 3 engine. For a game released in 2000, it's quite the package.

The tutorial detailing the the kind of weapons and items you can carry in the 6 different categories (left).
Shimmying across a ledge Lara Croft style (right).

Voiced by the penthouse model Julie Strain, it's not just the character's name the two share but their looks. Being married to Kevin Eastman, the editor of the American arm of the Heavy Metal magazine (and co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), there's no doubt in my mind that she played as muse for this particular storyline. Both the movie and the game play up her ample assets, dressing her up in a variety revealing costumes and giving her an acrobatic move-set that would make Lara Croft envious. She can do pretty much anything that raider of tombs can do and more, which includes being a deft hand at melee combat. Throughout the adventure, Julie can wield a number of magical swords which can be assigned to her right hand. To swing it, click the right mouse button but if you hold it she will perform a back swing as well. At this point, holding the left button as well as the right will unleash a multi-hit combo attack which changed depending on whatever's in your left hand. It looks impressive, but I found few instances where spamming the mouse button wasn't the preferable option. Most enemies are come in swarms and will not only attack at once, but can swiftly get out of the way. The long animations of a combo attack just leave you open.

Fortunately, you have a huge number of other weapons to collect. From guns to slingshots to a horn that blows out giant dragonflies, the are for the most part inventive and entertaining to use. Other than the swords which are reserved for the right hand, most other weapons can be held in either. You can equip two guns and duel wield you way through those enemies or give yourself a shield to accompany your sword. My go to was always a projectile in the left and a blade in the right giving me quick access to an attack no matter the distance. There are some weapons, like an ace or machine gun, that are double-handed. As cool and powerful as they are, I rarely used them for one reason; it's a bit of a pain to change weapons. Tapping a number on the keyboard doesn't quick change your gear, but cycles through a list of similarly themed machinery (1 is you swords and shields, 2 your slingshots etc). Once highlight, click either the left or right mouse button to equip it to your left or right hand respectively. All of this is done in real time so changing out in the heat of battle is a dangerous endeavour.

Water acts as a shield or stamina. Sit in a puddle, stream or waterfall and it will replenish up to half way (left).
Collect water bottles of various sizes to max out. The higher you go, the faster and more acrobatic you'll be (right).

But combat isn't all that Heavy Metal is about. Like Tomb Raider, there's a lot of exploration, platforming and puzzle solving. Although I enjoyed how they implemented each of these, I must admit that Core's classic series did each of them better. The levels give the illusion of an open-ish world, but are fundamentally linear. You can stray from the path for some powerups and it is quite exciting to do so, but you're just as likely to find a bunch of enemies as you are health or ammo. Getting to them can be a little of a pain too, as I never felt that Julie was particularly accurate while jumping. She can be a little slippery when landing and if you have the space bar held down she might immediately jump again spelling doom if you're on one of the many small ledges. It's also hit-and-miss whether she will grab onto a ledge or not. It automatic for her, but I feel the button prompt that Lara uses in the earlier games to be the better option. If you miss with Lara it feels like your fault, while with Julia you end up cursing the game code.

The puzzles are a little simple too. Lara had entire stages of key gathering, switch flipping and contraption fixing to wrap her head around. Julia has the odd button press here and there. They are entirely in keeping with the game world, but I would've liked to see some more in an otherwise impressively realised game world. The inventive array of weapons, for example, aren't ever used for puzzle solving. It would be nice to have a whack of the fire sword or an electrified shot from the crossbow be used. Alas, the closest the game comes to something like this is the slingshot, which can be used to dislodge meteors trapped in hard to reach places. Even the ability to push and pull boxes is woefully underused.

When Julia collects a new weapon, she will proudly display it to the swooping camera Zelda style (left).
There's so much boobage in the game, that even monstrous plants and demon insect queens have them (right).

The levels themselves, however, are nicely designed. Beginning on the serene streets of Eden, we get to go through an optional yet thorough tutorial before all hell breaks loose. We can meander through the streets and talk to NPCs, most of which offer little in terms of conversation or worldbuilding, but it makes the area feel alive and tangible. You won't miss important info either, as important conversations are triggered automatically. As the game progresses, and the stages (which range from mountain tops to swamps to ancient temples) feel more like levels than part of a bigger whole, but beyond some janky moments here and there, are incredibly entertaining to go through with a visual style that befits the off-kilter nature of the source material. That being said, the character models aren't as impressive. Once I noticed that Julia's eye were concave, pointing inwards in perhaps an ill advised attempt at a crater illusion, I couldn't see anything else. Not even her strategically torn costume.

Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2 has a hell of a lot going for it. It is inventive, well designed and great look at. I'd say it's a little better than the source material. On its own merit it should be considered an absolute classic. It does, however, suffer when compared to that mainstay of the action-adventure; Tomb Raider. Sure, by using the Quake 3 engine Heavy Metal's gunplay is more robust and refined, but that's about the only thing it does better. Then again, Tomb Raider is a revered classic for a reason, becoming so untouchable that it might be unfair to compare the two. With its well realised fantastical sci-fi world, compelling protagonist and some major boobage, it's a great game regardless.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber runs natively on Windows using a Widescreen patch and HD Texture mods. Manual, Comic Book, Movie Novelization and select artworks included. Soundtrack included as a separate download. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 2.81 Gb. Install Size: 2.97 Gb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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