There is a very good chance you’ve never even heard of Metal Wolf Chaos, the 2004 mecha action game for the original Xbox. That’s because it was only ever officially released in Japan and never actually made it over to the United States, or anywhere else for that matter.
Why did it stay in Japan? Well, the answer to that is complicated, but in general, it seemed a little too American even for a country as patriotic as the United States of America.
Where Did Metal Wolf Chaos Come From
Let’s back up to the year 2004. The original Microsoft Xbox is out to huge success in America but is having trouble making inroads in Asia, and especially Japan. To try and generate some hype, Microsoft reached out to FromSoftware—then known for their Armored Core series of third-person mecha action games—to make a similar exclusive game for the Xbox.
FromSoftware was given a lot of creative license in making their game. They decided that since it was being commissioned by an American company for an American console, then the game should be quintessentially American.
And what could be more American than a game about the United States President defending his country from a military coup by using a classified mecha suit that the US military had been developing in secret?
It's A Game About The President In A Mech Suit
Oh, but it gets so much worse. President Mike Wilson’s mech (he is related to 28th President Woodrow Wilson, by the way) can be armed with up to 8 weapons from a catalog of over 100. Many of those weapons are also typically American, such as giant versions of the M16 and M4 assault rifles, a Magnum revolver, and various other guns, missiles, rockets, and cannons.
"It is America as perceived by the Japanese,” explains From Software and game producer Masanori Takeuchi in an interview with Destructoid. “It's completely fictional, but at the time, it was our idea of this ideology of American culture and comic book heroes, and we pieced that together and it became the president piloting the mech. We think that when Japanese look at it that way, from the American point of view, it's almost like how they imagine a Japanese ninja, and sort of the same ideologies, the same kind of fantasy, so it goes two ways."
As for the title? Apparently, a Microsoft employee suggested it follow the same cadence and rhythm of Metal Gear Solid.
The Initial Failure Of A Future Cult Classic
Metal Wolf Chaos released in Japan in 2004 and generally failed in its goal of generating interest for the Xbox. However, it succeeded in gaining a cult following first in Japan, and then around the world. This bizarre, over-the-top mecha game caught wind of a few people in the West and was even featured in the Official Xbox Magazine, which disseminated Japanese demo copies to lucky subscribers.
Microsoft had always planned to release the game worldwide after localization completed in 2005, but there were a few problems. First, the political climate in post-9/11 America wasn’t exactly conducive to a game about terrorism and civil war, no matter how tongue-in-cheek it might’ve presented itself. No publisher was willing to touch the game, let alone try to sell it.
Second, Microsoft was very close to releasing the Xbox 360, and it didn’t make a lot of sense to localize a game for a system about to be phased out. "The timing became very difficult,” explains Takeuchi at this year’s E3. “And Microsoft ended up saying to us, 'You know, it would make a lot more sense just to create a brand new game for the 360, rather than trying to rush this port across to the home consoles at the time’."
So Metal Wolf Chaos remained one of the very few Xbox exclusives to never leave Japan. At least, not officially. It’s cult status meant that Xbox fans were actually ordering the game directly from overseas just to get their hands on it. It was still the Japanese version, which required some hacking of the Xbox’s source to play and the menus were a little hard to read, but since the game’s voice acting was all done in English, it was still imminently enjoyable for an American audience.
Devolver Digital Revives The Game
Fast-forward to 2016. Metal Wolf Chaos had been out for over a decade and remembered only in memes until Texas-based publisher Devolver Digital started tweeting about how they’d love finish localization. At first, FromSoftware was skeptical, but Devolver’s rockstar charm won them over. And Metal Wolf Chaos XD was born.
Basically a remaster, Metal Wolf Chaos XD will update the game's graphics for higher resolution, widescreen support, better textures, and visual effects. The game’s English voice cast remains unchanged, as does all the original frantic gameplay. And of course, the absolutely ludicrous plot of an American President flying around in Air Force One with a giant mecha suit.
Metal Wolf Chaos XD releases on Windows PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on August 6th, 2019. As for how well the game will sell, Devolver is known for picking real winners when it comes to quirky cult games and indies, and today’s political environment is a lot more accepting of poking fun at the President of the United States.
Not every game deserves a second chance, but we’re glad Metal Wolf Chaos is getting one.