Three years have passed since Anubis suffered defeat at the hand of Mike Anderson. A new age of prosperity has begun to emerge and along with it, the rebirth of some of earth’s great cities. But just as quickly as he disappeared following his defeat, Anubis has reappeared to resume his tyranny. Again the player must join Mike and attempt to crush the iron rule of Anubis before he can once more throw the earth back into the darkest of ages.
Afterwards, Anubis reveals that he is only a small portion of a much larger threat. A race of aliens called the Eltorians have come to conquer Earth, and the Solar System must be defended from their advancing forces. Near the end of the plot an enormous spaceship called “Eltoria” emerges where Mike must go to battle Anubis. Like the previous game, Battle Clash, Metal Combat is a Super Scope-based light gun game with a one-on-one, all-boss battle format.
The player has an ordinary blaster which can be charged as well as access to an array of limited-use special items. In addition the player can choose between two STs, the Falcon and the Tornado. The Falcon is piloted by Mike and the Tornado is piloted by a female character named Carol Eugene. The gameplay changes slightly based on the pilot chosen. Metal Combat also features a tutorial mode, in which a female character named Rola assists in the player character’s training.