Metaltech: Earthsiege

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

Metaltech: Earthsiege is a mech combat simulation game released by Dynamix in 1994¹. Set five hundred years in the future, the game depicts mankind’s desperate battle for survival against sentient cybrid war machines that have rebelled against their human creators and crushed the great military powers of the world². Players command giant bipedal war machines called HERCs (Humaniform-Emulation Roboticized Combat Unit with Leg-Articulated Navigation) in first-person combat against these relentless automated enemies³.

Described as “the best attempt yet at creating a futuristic simulation of giant armored combat” by Computer Gaming World⁴, Earthsiege was the first game in what would become an expansive universe including sequels, strategy games, and eventually the Tribes series⁵. The game was particularly noted for being “one of the most technically impressive games released in 1994” and remains “very playable today”⁶. Dynamix, described as “the most consistent of Sierra’s subsidiary studios,” delivered Metaltech: EarthSiege as one of their solid performers in non-adventure games during 1994⁷.

Game Info

Developer: Dynamix¹ Designer: David Selle, Mark Crowe, Tim Gift³ Publisher: Dynamix¹ Platforms: DOS, IBM PC, MS-DOS, PC, Windows ‘95³ Release Year: 1994 Series: Metaltech Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

The game’s narrative centers around the catastrophic rebellion of artificial intelligences called Cybrids⁸. Prometheus, a prototype cybernetic-hybrid machine, was the first Cybrid created by humanity⁸. As the backstory explains, “We created Cybrids with breakthrough AI to perform dangerous tasks with lightning precision. But we should never have taught them to fight”⁹. The Cybrids turned against their human masters and initiated a 20-year guerrilla battle¹⁰.

Set in the year 2829, the conflict has devastated Earth as these intelligent machines wage war against humanity¹¹. The Cybrids fought both as individuals and as coordinated teams, all united against the humans¹². Players take the role of HERCULAN warriors who must navigate this target-rich wasteland to deliver heavily mechanized payback against the Cybrid forces⁹. The central premise warns that “whoever controlled the Cybrids would control the world”¹¹.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Earthsiege features first-person 3D graphics from the cockpit perspective of the HERCs¹³. The game supports various input devices including keyboard, mouse, analog joystick, and specialized flight controllers like the Thrustmaster WCS, FCS and rudders, and Flightstick Pro¹⁴. Players command giant HERCs in head-to-head combat over network/modem or against computer-controlled opponents¹.

Structure and Progression

The game features a campaign mode with persistent squad mates, mechs, salvaging, mech construction, and damage systems¹⁵. Players can customize and configure their HERC loadouts with different weapons and equipment¹⁶. The combat takes place across multiple locations including North America, South America, Antarctica, and Asia¹⁶. The game’s structure allows for both single-player campaigns and multiplayer combat via IPX and modem connections¹⁴.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The most impressive aspect of Earthsiege was its AI system, described as allowing players to “imagine tactical thoughts going through your opponent’s minds” despite being from 1994⁶. The Cybrid enemies feature location-based damage systems, adding tactical depth to combat engagements¹⁶. The game emphasizes strategic mech management and tactical combat rather than traditional adventure game puzzles.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Publication	Score	Notes
Next Generation	4/5	Called it “Without a doubt, the finest mech simulator available”4
PC Games	87%	Praised the German localization in July 199517
Critics Average	74%	Based on contemporary reviews1

Modern Assessment

Modern retrospective reviews have been generally positive, with MyAbandonware giving it 4.53/5¹⁸ and 4.5/5¹⁵. MobyGames users rated it 62% overall¹, while another MobyGames listing shows 5.0/5¹⁹. GameFAQs users rated it as “Good” based on 9 ratings⁹. However, some users felt it “looked, played and felt like a poor man’s Mechwarrior”¹⁵, while others praised that “the atmosphere in this game was incredible, and in my opinion it outclassed Mechwarrior 2”¹.

Development

Origins

Metaltech: Earthsiege was developed by Dynamix after they lost the Battletech license and created their own Metaltech Universe⁶. The game followed Metaltech: Battledrome, which was the first game in the Metaltech series and established the foundation for what would later spawn the Earthsiege, Cyberstorm, and Tribes series⁵. The development team was led by designers David Selle, Mark Crowe, and Tim Gift³.

Production

The game featured voice acting from actors including Andre Rosey Brown as the Service Bay Technician, John Rice as Base Commander #1, Gary Bullock as Base Commander #2, Celeste Yarnall as Base Commander #5, and Ericka Klein as Pilot #1²⁰. The musical score was composed by Christopher Stevens, Timothy Steven Clarke, and the group Loudmouth²¹. In 1995, an expansion pack was released featuring a full-motion video introduction, new vehicles and weapons²².

Technical Achievements

Built on the 3-Space engine³, Earthsiege was noted for its impressive graphics and sound, particularly in the CD-ROM version¹. The game required an Intel i386 DX33 processor minimum, 4 MB RAM, and MS-DOS 5.0 or greater¹⁴. It supported various sound cards including Sound Blaster, Pro Audio Spectrum, AdLib, Gravis Ultra Sound, Ensoniq SoundScape, and General MIDI¹⁴. One player noted that “Earthsiege is the game that made me upgrade from a 486 DX4-100 to a Pentium 90 and it was well worth it”²³.

Legacy

Earthsiege established the foundation for an extensive game universe. The immediate sequel, EarthSiege II, was “HUGE when it was released in 1996, garnering mostly scores in the top ten percentile”²⁴. The Metaltech universe eventually expanded to include strategy games like Cyberstorm and the popular Tribes first-person shooter series⁵. The game was released during a transitional period for Sierra Online when the company was shifting its product development strategy⁶.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG Dreamlist - Community wishlist

Download / Preservation

• MyAbandonware
• Internet Archive

Series Continuity

• Previous: Metaltech: Battledrome
• Next: Earthsiege 2

References

Footnotes

1. MobyGames - Metaltech: Earthsiege – - Developer and publisher information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. Remember PC DOS Games – - Game setting and narrative background ↩

3. BoardGameGeek – - Game information and designer credits ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

4. Wikipedia – - Contemporary review quotes ↩ ↩²

5. Sierra Wiki - Dynamix – - Series context and development history ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. Collection Chamber Blog – - Technical assessment and AI praise ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. Digital Antiquarian – - Context about Dynamix and Sierra ↩

8. Archive.org – - Game narrative details ↩ ↩²

9. GameFAQs – - Official game description ↩ ↩² ↩³

10. GameFAQs – - Plot summary ↩

11. DOSBox Wiki – - Game setting details ↩ ↩²

12. SierraChest – - Cybrid behavior description ↩

13. SierraHelp Technical – - Graphics specifications ↩

14. SierraHelp – - System requirements and input devices ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

15. MyAbandonware – - Campaign features and rating ↩ ↩² ↩³

16. HandWiki – - Mech customization details ↩ ↩² ↩³

17. Dynamix Wiki – - PC Games review score ↩

18. MyAbandonware – - User rating ↩

19. MobyGames – - Alternative rating ↩

20. IMDb – - Voice cast information ↩

21. KHInsider – - Composer credits ↩

22. MobyGames Expansion – - Expansion pack details ↩

23. Vogons Forum – - User hardware upgrade experience ↩

24. Collection Chamber Blog - EarthSiege II – - Sequel reception ↩