The development staff focused on creating a game that was both fun to play and exhilarating, and one with powerful, impressive hardware capabilities, specifically in its motion simulator arcade cabinet.

Metal Hawk was produced in limited quantities due to production costs regarding the cabinet; despite this, it proved to be a commercial success, and remained one of the most popular arcade games at the time.

Metal Hawk is a multi-directional shooter video game, described as a cross between Namco's own Assault and Sega's Thunder Blade.

[1] Assuming control of the titular attack helicopter, the player is tasked with scoring a certain number of points in each level before the countdown timer runs out.

[2] The success of these titles generated a lot of income for the company, who began to set up a new research and development (R&D) division for future hardware endeavors, aiming to help create unique, interesting new coin-op games.

[9][10][11] The game itself was produced in limited quantities, a fact attributed to the high production costs of the cabinet; as such, original Metal Hawk arcade units and boards are very rare and considered prized collector's items.

"[1] The graphics were also the subject of praise;[15] Sinclair User in particular appreciated its multi-layered background designs and "mouth openingly astonishing" rotation effects.

[1] Many publications heavily compared Metal Hawk to the game Thunder Blade (1987), with most feeling it was superior than Sega's offering.

[1][15][17] Critics also commended the Metal Hawk arcade cabinet for its impressive, immersive design and motion-based features adding to the game's fast-paced and intense gameplay.

[13] They expressed disappointment towards the cancellation of the rumored Sega CD version, writing "Metal Hawk’s scaling makes it a perfect fit (and a perfect showcase) for what the CD hardware can do, and it sadly give us yet another game to ponder" and noting that it and Namco's other arcade titles could have potentially sparked additional interest and hope into the add-on.