Space Metal Mania™ — FAQ

The galaxy needs saving and only metal can do it.

The Metal-Verse is a galaxy united by one truth: metal is life. Now The Silence, an ancient consuming force, is spreading across worlds and draining everything it touches. Lucky for us, heavy metal can destroy them. Grab the controls, crank it to eleven, and blast them back into the void.

Space Metal Mania is a fast-paced, heavy metal-fueled, arcade space shooter where you blast through swarms of enemies, face down massive bosses, and fight to reclaim a galaxy decimated by the Silence. Play solo or team up with up to 3 friends in explosive co-op multiplayer that is all set to a face-melting soundtrack featuring legendary tracks from Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Mastodon, Avenged Sevenfold, and Pantera.

Your commander? None other than Dave Mustaine, the iconic Megadeth frontman who is guiding you through every mission with his unmistakable voice.

General

What is Space Metal Mania™?

Space Metal Mania is an arcade shoot ‘em up with rogue-like progression, set to a Heavy Metal soundtrack. You join the Galaxy Defense Federation to fight off the Extinctors — an alien invasion force — across the galaxy. Play solo or team up with friends in cooperative multiplayer: pilot your spaceship through waves of enemies, dodge incoming fire, collect power-ups, upgrade your ship, and beat every boss to complete a “tour.” Fail, and you restart from the beginning — but with permanent improvements that raise your chances of success on the next run.

Who developed and published this game?

Space Metal Mania™ is developed by Handy Games GmbH (a THQ Nordic studio) and published by Amazon Games.

What platforms is the game available on?

Space Metal Mania™ is available exclusively on Amazon Luna. The game uses a TV or screen as the shared display, and players can join using their smartphone as a web controller or use a compatible gamepad. Please check the game’s store page for current platform availability.

Gameplay

How many players can play together?

Space Metal Mania™ supports 1 player solo, or 2–4 players in cooperative multiplayer. In co-op, the whole team works together to survive and shares a common pool of Extra Lives.

What kind of game is this?

It’s a fast-paced arcade shoot ‘em up with rogue-like elements. You use your reflexes and shooting skills to dodge enemy bullets, destroy space and ground targets, and collect power-ups that improve or swap your weaponry. Everything in the game — enemy spawns, behaviors, level flow, and boss patterns — is synchronized to the beat of a Heavy Metal soundtrack.

What is a Tour?

A Tour is a single run through the game, from start to the final boss. At the beginning of a Tour you choose a difficulty, then travel a branching route map toward the final boss, choosing your path as you go. Collect resources, upgrade your ship between levels, and try to survive all the way to the end. If your team runs out of Extra Lives, the Tour fails and you restart — but any permanent upgrades you’ve unlocked carry over.

How does choosing a route work?

Space Metal Mania uses a branching route map. At most nodes you’ll be offered up to three path options (except boss levels), each with different difficulty, rewards, and chances for upgrades. Your choices decide how challenging the road ahead is and how well-prepared you’ll be for the final boss. Level types you may encounter include:

• Space Combat — Standard combat levels
• Invasion — Enemy swarm levels with heavy bullet volume
• Planet Liberation — Planet-based levels featuring ground units
• Elite Fight — Tougher, deadlier enemies
• Asteroid Field — Environmental hazard challenges
• War Preparation — No enemies to fight; collect resources and Extra Lives
• Boss Encounter — Multi-phase boss battle

Can I adjust the difficulty?

Yes. At the start of each Tour you choose Garage Band (easy), Metal Band (normal), or Legendary Band (hard). Overall the game is designed as a more casual, approachable experience, and your route choices also let you steer toward easier or harder levels within a Tour.

Is every playthrough the same?

No. The game is built around rogue-like replay-ability. Randomized routes, a randomized upgrade shop, varied power-up drops, and permanent Relic upgrades between runs mean each Tour plays differently. As you unlock more permanent upgrades, your later runs get stronger.

Controls & Multiplayer — Tips & Common Questions

How do I join a game?

Before or during a run, scan the QR code shown on screen with your smartphone to join with the web controller, or press any button on a compatible gamepad. Each player picks a spaceship shape and a color that no one else has chosen, and is assigned a Player ID (P1–P4).

My phone can’t scan the QR code or the web controller won’t load. What can I do?

• Make sure your phone and the device running the game are on the same reliable network, and that your Wi-Fi signal is strong.
• Use an up-to-date mobile browser.
• If the code won’t scan, try adjusting lighting or distance, or reload the page after scanning.
• If the controller loads but feels unresponsive, close other apps/tabs and reconnect. A wired or 5 GHz wireless connection gives the most consistent results.

Why can only one player change settings, pick the route, or spend Doom Shards?

The host player controls menu navigation, route selection, difficulty, and permanent (Doom Shard) upgrade spending. Other players join for gameplay and can select their own ship, color, and personal upgrades, but shared decisions are made by the host. If you want to make those choices, host the session yourself.

What’s on my phone controller screen?

Your controller shows your selected spaceship, player color, Player ID, active upgrades/power-ups, your special ability button, and your current shield and hull health. It also has the adaptive virtual joystick for steering. On a small screen this is a lot of information at once — take a moment before a level starts to get familiar with the layout.

Combat & Power-Ups — Tips & Common Questions

What weapons and projectiles are there?

Your ship starts with default cannons. Weapon behavior varies by type — single shots, volleys, multi-shot spreads, arcs, continuous rays, and drop projectiles. Projectiles differ in size, damage, and effects, and include Laser Shots, Hellfire Bullets (explode for area damage), Audio Shots (apply a Noise debuff), Laser Rays, Missile Drones (homing), Thunder Shots (electric damage over time), and Thunder Clouds (lingering electric field).

What are power-ups and how long do they last?

Power-ups drop from enemies and boost your ship temporarily (around 30 seconds). There are four types, and only one of each type can be active at a time:

• Weapon Boosts — change your weapon’s shooting attributes (e.g., Spread Shot)
• Projectile Boosts — swap your bullets (e.g., Hellfire, Thunderbolt, Audio Shots)
• Drone Boosts — add an auto-firing drone “wingman”
• Spaceship Boosts — affect speed and survivability (e.g., Extra Shield, Ship Speed)

Why can’t I find a certain power-up?

Some power-ups only enter the drop pool after their matching upgrade has been unlocked. At the start, only Spread Shot, Hellfire Shot, Missile Drone, and Ship Speed are available. Unlock more by spending Doom Shards on Relic upgrades between runs.

What are the Noise and Electrified effects on my ship?

Those are debuffs applied by certain enemy attacks:

• Noise (soundwaves cover your ship) — temporarily blocks you from shooting.
• Electrified (thunderbolts cover your ship) — deals damage over time.

Debuffs are temporary and clear automatically after a short time (around 5 seconds) or when you respawn. They appear on the shared big screen, not on your phone controller.

How do shields and health work?

Each ship has a shield that absorbs projectile hits, and a hull beneath it with hit points. While shields are up, damage is absorbed by the shield; once shields are down, damage goes straight to your hull, and your ship is destroyed when the hull is gone. Shields start regenerating after a short delay. Note that colliding with large objects (such as a boss ship) can destroy you instantly regardless of shields.

What are drones?

Collecting a Drone power-up spawns a drone beside your ship, like a wingman, that automatically fires every few seconds. Different drone types shoot homing missiles, a damaging ring around you, or rotating bursts.

Progression & Upgrades — Tips & Common Questions

I lost all my upgrades when my run ended. Is that a bug?

No — this is how rogue-like progression works. Credits and the Player Upgrades you buy during a Tour are temporary and last only for that run. When a run ends, those per-run upgrades are gone. What you keep are your permanent Relic upgrades (see below), which carry across all future runs.

What’s the difference between Credits and Doom Shards?

• Credits are the common currency, collected during a Tour. Spend them in your personal Player Upgrade Shop between levels for upgrades that last only the current run.
• Doom Shards are a rare resource used for permanent, team-wide Relic upgrades in the Black Market. They persist across runs and are spent by the host player.

How does the Player Upgrade Shop work?

After each level you visit your own upgrade shop (on your phone, or on the big screen if using a gamepad). It offers three upgrades — one from each category (Power-Up, Class, and Gameplay) — and only shows options you can currently afford. Each upgrade has up to 5 ranks. The shop is randomized and adaptive: the more you invest in offensive or defensive Class upgrades, the more the shop leans that way, letting you build toward a “class” for the run. You can only purchase one active skill per run.

Why does the shop only show three upgrades, and why can’t I buy the one I want?

The shop intentionally offers a limited, randomized selection of three (one per type) each level, weighted by your previous choices. If an upgrade you want isn’t shown, it may appear at a later level, or you may not have enough Credits yet — the shop hides options you can’t afford so you can save up.

What are Relics and the Black Market?

Relics are permanent, team-wide upgrades purchased with Doom Shards in the Black Market between runs (whether the run succeeded or failed). They can raise starting ranks of upgrades, improve drop chances, add lives to your shared pool, or unlock additional power-ups into the drop pool. Only the host/lead player spends Doom Shards here.

I reset my Relics — why didn’t I get my Doom Shards back?

Relic upgrades can be reset from the menu, but Doom Shards spent are not refunded. Please be sure before resetting, as this cannot be undone.

How do Extra Lives work in co-op?

The whole team shares one pool of Extra Lives. When a ship is destroyed and lives remain, one is consumed from the shared pool and that player respawns from the bottom of the screen, briefly invincible. When no Extra Lives remain and the last active player is destroyed, the run fails. Because lives are shared, coordinate as a team so one player’s repeated crashes don’t drain the pool for everyone.

Why does the game sometimes feel unfair or out of sync with my inputs?

Space Metal Mania synchronizes enemy spawns, formations, and boss patterns to the music’s beat. Because the game streams from Amazon Luna, network latency can slightly desynchronize what you see and hear from your inputs. For the most responsive experience, use a wired (Ethernet) or 5 GHz wireless connection and a strong signal. See the Luna troubleshooting article if performance issues persist.

Boss Encounters — Tips & Common Questions

What bosses are in the game?

There are three multi-phase boss encounters that serve as major milestones:

• Commander — Moves across the screen in curves and figure-eight patterns, fires electric shots you must dodge, and later leaves lingering electric fields. Destroy its cannons to progress.
• Invasion Portal — A static, rotating portal that spawns enemy waves, fires lasers, and in its final phase creates a black hole that tries to pull your ship in.
• Mothership (final boss) — Appears in the background of a space city before lifting off to fight. It can heal by consuming remaining ground enemies, fills the screen with electric thunderbolts (hide behind ship wreckage or spawning enemies to survive), and fires one homing target missile per player.

Any general boss tips?

Bosses escalate across phases, with later phases significantly harder. Watch for warning icons at the screen edges that signal incoming charges, focus fire on destructible parts (like the Commander’s cannons) to advance phases, and use terrain and wreckage as cover during screen-filling attacks.