If you are furiously searching the internet wondering, can you softlock Heavy Metal Death Can, the short answer is a brutal, unforgiving yes. If you overwrite your only save file in the final airlock safe room aboard the HMS Domherren while sitting on red health and zero ammunition, you will trap yourself in a nearly unwinnable death loop against the final boss. Krufs Productions designed their 1970s Swedish submarine nightmare to emulate the golden age of PS1 survival horror, which means it inherits the genre's most punishing trait: the ability to permanently brick your progress if you mismanage your inventory.
However, before you delete your five-hour save file and start over from the opening cinematic, there is hope. Because Heavy Metal Death Can relies on fixed camera angles and predictable enemy AI, a "softlocked" save is rarely a true mathematical dead end—it just requires a flawless, zero-mistake execution of the game's hidden mechanics. Here is a deep dive into how the game traps you, how to diagnose your save state, and exactly how to beat the final mutation of Captain Olof when you have nothing left but a heavy wrench.
Can You Softlock Heavy Metal Death Can? The Anatomy of a Dead Save
The trap that catches 90% of first-time players occurs right after the game's most grueling intellectual challenge. Late in the game, you are forced into what reviewers have dubbed the "final boss of puzzles"—a massive, multi-room enigma that requires you to organize scattered clues, decrypt naval codes, and unlock the deepest sector of the submarine.
Because this section is crawling with elite Sludge variants, players naturally burn through their stockpiles of shotgun shells and 9mm rounds just to survive the puzzle-solving process.
Once the puzzle is complete, the game generously provides a quiet airlock save room. The analog synth soundtrack kicks in, lulling you into a false sense of security. Exhausted and bleeding, you interact with the save point and overwrite your single save slot.
What the game does not tell you is that the very next door triggers the point of no return. You are instantly locked into the final arena with the heavily mutated Captain Olof. If you saved your game with no healing items and an empty magazine, you have effectively softlocked your playthrough. The boss requires a massive amount of DPS to bring down, and the arena offers zero supplementary ammunition. It is a masterclass in retro survival horror cruelty.
The HMS Domherren’s Point of No Return
Understanding the geography of the HMS Domherren is crucial to understanding why this softlock happens. Throughout the game, the enigmatic survivor Milton warns you about the depths of the vessel. "Trust is scarce, but cooperation is the only way home," he mutters early in the campaign. But Milton's cryptic dialogue actually serves as a disguised mechanical warning: do not fight everything you see.
The path to the final encounter is a one-way descent. Once you leave Milton's Quarters and enter the lower engineering decks, the bulkhead seals behind you.
This structural lockout is a hallmark of late-90s survival horror design, but Heavy Metal Death Can weaponizes it by placing the game's hardest puzzle and hardest combat encounter back-to-back. If you did not stockpile resources during your time in the upper decks—choosing instead to clear out every Sludge zombie you encountered—you will arrive at the airlock completely destitute. The Nordic Noir aesthetic of the 1970s Cold War submarine suddenly shifts from atmospheric to suffocating, as you realize the metallic callousness of the environment is working against you.
How to Know if You Have Softlocked Heavy Metal Death Can
Before you panic, you need to assess your inventory to determine if you are actually in a softlock state, or if you simply need to "get good." A true softlock means the mathematical damage output of your available resources cannot deplete the boss's health pool before unavoidable chip damage kills you.
Here is the breakdown of a viable save state versus a doomed one:
| Resource | Viable Minimum | Softlock Territory |
|---|---|---|
| Handgun Bullets | 15+ | Under 5 |
| Shotgun Shells | 6+ | 0 |
| Flare Rounds | 2+ | 0 |
| Healing Items | 1 First Aid or 2 Pills | 0 |
| Health Status | Yellow (Caution) or Green | Red (Danger) |
If your inventory looks like the right-hand column, you have triggered the classic survival horror softlock. One hit from Captain Olof's mutated arm will kill you, and you do not have the firepower to burst down his health pool before he corners you.
But because Heavy Metal Death Can utilizes tank controls and distinct animation frames, the boss can theoretically be defeated using only the melee weapon. It will just be the hardest fight of your gaming career.
Can You Softlock Heavy Metal Death Can? 3 Ways to Recover Your Run
If you refuse to restart your five-hour campaign, you must master the game's hidden combat mechanics. Here is how to kill the final boss with zero ammo and a sliver of health.
1. The Tank-Control Bait and Switch
The fixed camera angles in the final arena are designed to disorient you. When Captain Olof winds up for his massive sweeping attack, the camera angle often obscures the depth of the room. However, tank controls offer a distinct advantage: instant pivoting.
You can bait Olof's attack animation by stepping exactly into the outer edge of his aggro radius, then immediately holding down on the D-pad to reverse your character's momentum. Because the boss is locked into a three-second animation, you have a brief window to rush in, land one strike with the heavy wrench, and retreat before his recovery frames end.
2. Exploiting the I-Frame Dodge Window
While Heavy Metal Death Can does not feature a modern, generous dodge-roll, it does have a microscopic invincibility frame (I-Frame) tied to the quick-turn mechanic. If you execute a quick-turn at the exact moment Olof's lunge hitbox intersects with your character model, the damage will be negated. This requires frame-perfect timing, but if you are trapped in a softlocked save, you have nothing but time to practice.
3. Environmental Steam Vents
This is the secret that saves dead runs. The final arena aboard the HMS Domherren features three ruptured steam vents along the perimeter walls. While the game never explicitly tells you this, the toxic Sludge infection is highly susceptible to extreme heat.
If you can kite Olof through the path of a bursting steam vent, it deals passive damage roughly equivalent to a shotgun blast. The vents operate on a fixed 12-second timer. By running laps around the arena and focusing entirely on evasion, you can let the submarine's failing infrastructure kill the boss for you. It will take upwards of ten minutes, and your nerves will be shredded, but it will salvage your playthrough.
Preventing the Trap on Replay
If you ultimately decide that the frame-perfect melee strategy is too frustrating, you will have to restart. Fortunately, a second playthrough of Heavy Metal Death Can is significantly faster once you know the puzzle solutions and submarine layout.
To ensure you never face the softlock trap again, adopt a strict pacifist run for the first half of the game.
The Sludge walkers in the early crew quarters are slow and easily dodged. Do not waste a single bullet on them. Save your flare rounds exclusively for the elite enemies that block narrow corridors. Treat your inventory grid like a sacred puzzle—every slot dedicated to ammunition is a step toward guaranteeing your survival in the final airlock.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can you softlock Heavy Metal Death Can in the early game?
No. The early sections of the HMS Domherren are highly interconnected, allowing you to backtrack to previous areas to scrounge for missed supplies. The only true softlock point occurs at the final airlock save room, where a bulkhead permanently seals off the rest of the submarine.
Is there a cheat code or console command to spawn ammo?
As of the game's launch on Steam, Krufs Productions has not included a developer console or built-in cheat codes. The game is designed to be a purist, old-school survival horror experience. If you are playing on PC, third-party trainers exist, but they disable achievements.
How long does it take to replay the game if I am permanently stuck?
While a blind first playthrough takes around five to six hours due to the complex puzzles and exploration, a second run can easily be completed in under two hours. Because puzzle solutions remain static across playthroughs, you can bypass hours of backtracking and arrive at the final boss with a massive surplus of ammunition.
The metallic callousness of Heavy Metal Death Can is not a design flaw; it is a deliberate homage to an era of gaming where your choices had permanent consequences. Whether you choose to master the wrench or restart the nightmare from scratch, the depths of the Norwegian Sea demand your absolute perfection.