Follow our curator page: IndieGems if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Iron Meat is a 2D 8-directional platform shooter reminiscent of the old-school Contra games. The gameplay concept is simple, and the overall game is not very long. You are given plenty of lives to learn the game's patterns as well. There are many skins to unlock and some achievements can be rather difficult to obtain, giving the players enough reason to replay the game. This game will make a good pick up for those who want that retro game feel without too much additional and burdensome game mechanics. The game also features 2-player shared-screen coop, exactly as one would expect of this type of game design.

The game will only take about an hour to run through, even if it's your first time playing. The game has 3 difficulty levels and gives you plenty of lives to make it through each level (lives reset upon level completion). So there's very little difficulty in seeing the game through on Easy. Normal might be slightly challenging, but only ever so slightly. Once you learn most of the enemies moves/patterns, even Hard should be fairly straight forward.

For those who are into chasing the unlocks and especially the achievements, you can freely select which level to play and also you can restart levels at any time.

I had quite a bit of fun and it's one of those games I would dust off and replay every once in a while, when I am in the mood for this type of game.

Straight forward, run-and-gun platform shooter in unique 2D settings split into individual levels.

I would only want to play the game with a controller.

Retro-style but with plenty of detail within the pixel art. You have the option to play with a retro filter as well. The game is thematically tied together by the artwork and the few animation sequences present throughout the game.

The soundtrack is pretty awesome, and there's a midi option/version to really bring back the retro vibes.

Those who enjoyed the original Contra games will see many similarities and also enjoy the gameplay here.

Base price is $19.99 USD. It's a bit high for the people who just want to see the game through one time, as it only takes about an hour. If you are planning to play and to replay to unlock everything and to obtain all achievements, it should take a significantly longer time. If you think the asking price is too high, I am sure it will be more reasonable in a future sale.

Iron Meat offers a blast-from-the-past experience with excellent execution as a solid entry in the 2D run-and-gun genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the game from beginning to end. If it's a game you think you might like, you are probably right.

I received the product for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.

[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote] [i]Iron Meat[/i] is a 2D 8-directional platform shooter reminiscent of the old-school [i]Contra[/i] games. The gameplay concept is simple, and the overall game is not very long. You are given plenty of lives to learn the game's patterns as well. There are many skins to unlock and some achievements can be rather difficult to obtain, giving the players enough reason to replay the game. This game will make a good pick up for those who want that retro game feel without too much additional and burdensome game mechanics. The game also features 2-player shared-screen coop, exactly as one would expect of this type of game design. The game will only take about an hour to run through, even if it's your first time playing. The game has 3 difficulty levels and gives you plenty of lives to make it through each level (lives reset upon level completion). So there's very little difficulty in seeing the game through on Easy. Normal might be slightly challenging, but only ever so slightly. Once you learn most of the enemies moves/patterns, even Hard should be fairly straight forward. For those who are into chasing the unlocks and especially the achievements, you can freely select which level to play and also you can restart levels at any time. I had quite a bit of fun and it's one of those games I would dust off and replay every once in a while, when I am in the mood for this type of game. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Straight forward, run-and-gun platform shooter in unique 2D settings split into individual levels. [h1]Controls[/h1] I would only want to play the game with a controller. [h1]Graphics[/h1] Retro-style but with plenty of detail within the pixel art. You have the option to play with a retro filter as well. The game is thematically tied together by the artwork and the few animation sequences present throughout the game. [h1]Music & Sounds[/h1] The soundtrack is pretty awesome, and there's a midi option/version to really bring back the retro vibes. [h1]Audience[/h1] Those who enjoyed the original [i]Contra[/i] games will see many similarities and also enjoy the gameplay here. [h1]Pricing[/h1] Base price is $19.99 USD. It's a bit high for the people who just want to see the game through one time, as it only takes about an hour. If you are planning to play and to replay to unlock everything and to obtain all achievements, it should take a significantly longer time. If you think the asking price is too high, I am sure it will be more reasonable in a future sale. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] [i]Iron Meat[/i] offers a blast-from-the-past experience with excellent execution as a solid entry in the 2D run-and-gun genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the game from beginning to end. If it's a game you think you might like, you are probably right. [quote]I received the product for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.[/quote]