I put more than 50 hours into the demo before the game even came out, and that has got to count for something.

Raw Metal is the perfect blend of stealth and combat, both being very punishing but never unfair.
During stealth, you play with a top-down perspective, sticking to shadows, using your gadgets to move guards out of the way, looting for gear, all that fun stuff.
However, once you get caught, or initiate the fight yourself, the game transforms into a third-person brawler akin to Yakuza or Sifu. Those aforementioned gadgets and gear can greatly turn the tide in your favour, but they won't carry you - learning the fundamentals is still required to ensure that you've got a chance of getting anywhere.

Aside from that, the core loop is built somewhat like a roguelite/extraction shooter dungeon crawler. You get loot to get more powerful, and can choose to bug out and store what you've got, or risk it and keep pressing on.

It would also be amiss not to mention the stellar sound design. The blips of gadgets, the punchiness of combat, the banter between the guards — it all just clicks and sounds really good — and need I even mention that Zack Wilson absolutely cooked with the OST?

I put more than 50 hours into the demo before the game even came out, and that has got to count for something. Raw Metal is the perfect blend of stealth and combat, both being very punishing but never unfair. During stealth, you play with a top-down perspective, sticking to shadows, using your gadgets to move guards out of the way, looting for gear, all that fun stuff. However, once you get caught, or initiate the fight yourself, the game transforms into a third-person brawler akin to Yakuza or Sifu. Those aforementioned gadgets and gear can greatly turn the tide in your favour, but they won't carry you - learning the fundamentals is still required to ensure that you've got a chance of getting anywhere. Aside from that, the core loop is built somewhat like a roguelite/extraction [strike]shooter[/strike] dungeon crawler. You get loot to get more powerful, and can choose to bug out and store what you've got, or risk it and keep pressing on. It would also be amiss not to mention the stellar sound design. The blips of gadgets, the punchiness of combat, the banter between the guards — it all just clicks and sounds really good — and need I even mention that Zack Wilson absolutely cooked with the OST?