Knight Leader and Steed Metall Hengst (騎士団長＆愛馬メタルヘンゲスト)[1][2] is an enemy character from Strider 2, acting as a mid-boss faced in the 2nd scene of Fortress Wahnen. His name means "Metal Stallion" in German.
Metall Hengst is a large mechanical horse sporting a metal silver body with gold accents and green pieces of cloth under its eyes. Its neck stores several missiles it can shoot through its "mouth", with the fuzzy pieces on their back serving as the horse's green mane. Three other basic mechanical horses can be seen in the back of the Armory, indicating Metall Hengst is part of a line of mechanical horse machines created in Fortress Wahnen, likely a later or upgraded model.
The metallic steed is ridden by a man only known as the "Knight Leader", the head of the personal soldier unit working directly under the castle's master, Herzog Schlange. A blonde man clad in a red military uniform and an eye-concealing silver helmet with a bunch of red feathers on top, he is a trained soldier with an apparent arrogant and righteous attitude, calling Hiryu a ruffian or villain scum. He fights with a powerful jousting lance that emits a pink electric aura when swung, taking advantage of the robotic horse's speed and power to eliminate targets in a similar way to the jousting of medieval times.
Story[]
Strider 2[]
After Hiryu infiltrates the fortress and breaks through its inner wall, the Knight Leader moves forward and confronts him in the weapons armory building, his next stop. After addressing him as a ruffian that he will take care of punishing, Metall Hengst engages in battle. Despite the strength and speed of the metallic horse, he proves unable to best Hiryu.
Once suffering enough damage, the Knight Leader resorts to calling out soldiers to support him in battle, trying in vain to ambush Hiryu while they fight. In the end, Hiryu comes out victorious, the robotic horse exploding and taking its rider out with it.
Information[]
Metall Hengst's best asset is its speed. The robot horse can move very fast, either doing short leaps or blinding-fast dashes to move across the room. During battle, Metall Hengst pursues Hiryu constantly, forcing him to be always on the move to avoid him. He only stops to perform attacks, an action which leaves him vulnerable, especially with his slower thrusting attacks. He's also very durable and with a sizeable amount of health, though he lacks a defense move outside of his dash.
As there's no contact damage when touching him, Hiryu can easily maneuver around the horse as it attacks, as well.
Attacks[]
- Lance Thrust: Standing next to Hiryu, the rider performs a slow thrust forward with his lance. He can also aim the strike downwards and upwards, to hit Hiryu if he's crouching or clinging to the ceiling.
- Charge Attack: With a quick sprint, Metall Hengst dashes forward with the lance held in front of it. The lance can be held at an upwards angle if Hiryu stands at the ceiling at the moment of the charge.
- Missile Barrage: Metall Hengst stands on its hind legs and shoots several missiles in front of it. Each missile explodes into a pillar of fire when it hits the ground, creating a moving wave of explosions.
- Mad Dash: A rarely used technique, Metall Hengst appears to lose its calm as it rushes from one end of the room to another three times. Each time it hits either wall, the whole room shakes briefly.
- Backup: When reduced to half health, Fortress Guards are summoned into the room. Two green-clothed soldiers jump into action at all times, with a new one spawning any time the ones on screen are killed. Red-clothed guards can also very rarely spawn as well.
- Quick Step: An evasive attack used when cornered. Metall Hengst dashes very fast, turning transparent and leaving after-images. During this move, he can't be struck or damaged.
Design Notes[]
Metall Hengst's concept sketch refers to the mechanical horse by the name "Long-Awaited Silver" (マチカネシルバー)[2], likely a reference to Silver, the white horse owned by the Lone Ranger. The Knight Leader's design, on the other hand, closely resembles that of Char Aznable, one of the most popular characters in the Gundam franchise.
There's also a concept sketch of the Knight Leader alone, which may imply he was planned to fight on his own at some point in development[3]. He's seen wielding a thin sword with electricity running through the blade known as an "Electric Saber" (電機サーベル), standing in contrast to the big lance he uses when riding Metall Hengst.
One prerelease screenshot shows only the horse turning red from receiving a strike from Hiryu. This may mean that at one point the player could attack and destroy the horse separate from its rider, further supporting the idea of fighting the rider on its own.
Gallery[]
