Tears of Metal Sells 100K Copies on Steam, Mid-Campaign Saves Planned
Hard to put down.
Paper Cult launched Tears of Metal, a roguelike action game inspired by Musou titles, last week with multiplayer support available from day one. The studio has now confirmed that the game’s early access release has sold over 100,000 copies on Steam and has outlined several highly requested features and improvements currently in development.
100,000 Scottish Warriors
In a post on Steam, Paper Cult confirmed that Tears of Metal has surpassed 100,000 units sold since entering early access. Based on player feedback, the team’s top priorities are adding mid-campaign saves and resolving multiplayer desync issues.
The developers said they cannot provide a release window for either feature just yet. That is understandable in the case of mid-campaign saves, as the system will need to work alongside the game’s meta progression without disrupting its balance, a requirement that will require additional testing. Beyond those larger additions, the studio also confirmed that several fixes and improvements are already in development and should arrive in the near future.
Today’s patch has already addressed a number of player-reported issues, introducing a save recovery system to help prevent corrupted save files, improving Castle Records tracking, fixing several health bar and Charm-related bugs, resolving multiple issues with Iseult the Banshee, improving enemy spawn logic, reducing texture sizes, and updating several levels with gameplay and environmental improvements.
Overall, it’s a relatively small update, but one that focuses on stability, bug fixes, and quality-of-life improvements while the team continues work on the larger features the community has been requesting.
Early Access Impressions
Based on my time with the Early Access release, I think Tears of Metal has a lot of potential, especially thanks to its fun and satisfying core combat. Hits feel impactful, enemies are sent flying across the battlefield, and despite some occasional visibility issues, Paper Cult has nailed the feeling of leading a heroic charge as your battalion fights alongside you to reclaim your homeland. Your moveset is fairly straightforward, but every ability has a purpose and shines in different combat situations.
Objectives remain engaging throughout each campaign and do a great job of keeping battles fresh. The game constantly throws new obstacles your way, creating a satisfying ebb and flow. One moment you’re mowing through waves of enemies without breaking a sweat, and the next an elite foe quickly reminds you that those smaller hits you’ve been ignoring have added up.
It also passes my personal roguelike test: every failed run makes me want to jump straight into another. That said, I’m firmly in the camp that believes Tears of Metal would greatly benefit from a mid-run save system. Campaigns can be lengthy, and sometimes you simply have to step away. Being forced to abandon a run rather than pick it back up later feels like unnecessary frustration.
Finally, the art direction is outstanding. I’m a huge fan of the bold, stylized aesthetic that Paper Cult previously showcased in Bloodroots, and Tears of Metal carries that same visual identity forward beautifully. I wouldn’t be surprised if Samurai Jack suddenly appeared in the corner of the screen.
