What Is HV-MTL? How to Play and Earn in Yuga Labs' Game

HV-MTL, pronounced Heavy Metal, is a Yuga Labs project that works as both an NFT collection and a game. The collection is made up of 30,000 mech NFTs and sits inside the Bored Ape universe, the same wider brand as Bored Ape Yacht Club and Mutant Ape Yacht Club.

The game side is called HV-MTL Forge. Launch coverage described it as a mix between a pet game and a casual world builder, with plans for it to grow into something more competitive over time. The studio makemepulse describes Forge as a WebGL world builder that turns into a competitive dungeon crawler. WebGL means it runs in a browser rather than as a large download, which is why it was easy for newcomers to try.

Four terms are worth knowing before you read further:

• HV-MTL (Heavy Metal): the mech character, also the NFT collection name.
• Forge: the first game experience, where you build and evolve.
• Amps: progress items earned through play that unlock evolution.
• Pets: companion collectibles you can mint in the HV-MTL universe.

In short, HV-MTL is a brand-led web3 game where your progress is tied to NFTs. Whether it suits you depends on how much you value the Bored Ape universe, casual browser play and collectible progression over fast-paced action or deep economies.

HV-MTL Forge was developed by makemepulse for Yuga Labs. Yuga Labs is best known for Bored Ape Yacht Club, and the HV-MTL mechs were introduced as another part of that universe rather than a standalone brand.

This matters for two reasons. First, the game inherits the ecosystem of its parent: community, art style and a collector audience. Second, it inherits the risks of that ecosystem. NFT values in the Bored Ape universe have moved sharply over time, and an HV-MTL is a collectible whose price is set by the market, not by the game.

makemepulse is a creative studio known for browser-based 3D experiences, which explains the focus on a WebGL world rather than a heavy PC client. The Hunt, a later chapter, extended the game with journeys through different biomes.

When you judge any project like this, look at three things:

1. Who runs it: a known company is easier to hold to account than an anonymous team.
2. Where the official information lives: use the official HV-MTL site and Yuga Labs announcements, not social media reposts.
3. What is promised versus delivered: roadmaps change, so read recent updates rather than launch-day articles alone.

Forge starts from a simple loop: you look after your HV-MTL, build in a small world, and complete activities that earn amps. Those amps are the main progress currency in the early game.

According to launch guides, earning three or more amps lets you evolve your mech NFT into its next form, and a player can earn up to six amps in total. Evolution changes the NFT, so it is not purely cosmetic bookkeeping. It is a change that can affect how your asset looks and how collectors view it.

The design is deliberately casual. Think of a pet-care game where the creature grows because you return and complete tasks, with a builder layer on top. The longer-term plan described by the developer is for this to turn into a competitive dungeon crawler, which is where the game would move from collecting toward combat.

What to expect in practice:

• Short sessions rather than long grinding runs.
• Progress that is tied to your NFT and your wallet.
• Rules that can change between seasons or chapters.

Because rules and reward values can change, treat any number in an older article, including the amp figures here, as something to confirm in the live game.

The exact screens may change, but the general path for a web3 browser game like Forge is consistent. Follow these steps and slow down at each one that involves your wallet.

1. Find the official site. Type the address from an official Yuga Labs source or a bookmark you trust. Search ads and replies on social media are a common route for fake mint pages.
2. Read the current requirements. Check whether you need an HV-MTL NFT, a particular wallet, or a specific network.
3. Set up a wallet. Use a wallet you control, ideally one kept separate from your main holdings. Write down the recovery phrase offline and never share it.
4. Connect and review the prompt. A connection request should only ask to view your address. Reject anything that asks for broad token approvals you do not understand.
5. Start the tutorial. Early tasks explain how to earn amps and what your mech can do.
6. Return regularly. Casual progression rewards consistency, so short repeat visits matter more than one long session.

If you do not own an HV-MTL, check whether the game offers a way to try it first. Launch coverage described it as something everybody can play, but access rules can change, so rely on the site itself.

One of the most searched questions about Forge is whether you must own an NFT. The Dune dashboard page and the launch coverage describe it as a strategy game that everybody can play, and one beginner guide was framed around exactly this question. That suggests there was an entry route for people without an HV-MTL.

However, the full experience was built around the mech collection. Evolution applies to the mech NFT, and the collection is the core of the project. So the realistic summary is:

• Owners: can progress their own mech, earn amps and evolve it.
• Non-owners: may be able to try parts of the game, but the permanent progress and collectible side belong to owners.

Before you buy an HV-MTL, do the following:

• Confirm on the official site what a holder can do that a visitor cannot.
• Check the floor price and recent sales on a major NFT marketplace, since prices change often and no article can give you a reliable figure.
• Decide how much you would be comfortable losing, because NFT prices can fall and may be hard to sell.

If the game is the main attraction, try it without buying first. Buying an NFT is a financial decision, not just a ticket to play.

Earning in HV-MTL is best understood as progression and collecting rather than a salary. The main rewards described in launch coverage are:

• Amps: earned through play, up to six in total according to launch guides.
• Evolution: with three or more amps, a mech can evolve to its next form.
• Pets: collectible companions that can be minted in the HV-MTL universe, as the official site invites players to do.

These are collectible items. Their value to you may be enjoyment, rarity or status. Their resale value depends on buyers, and you should assume it can be low or zero.

A sensible way to think about "earn":

1. Count costs first. Include the NFT price, network fees for any mint or transaction, and your time.
2. Separate rewards from income. An item you cannot easily sell has no cash value, however rare it is.
3. Check for tokens. Do not assume a token exists or has value. Look for an official announcement before you trade anything claimed to be an HV-MTL token.
4. Beware of guarantees. Anyone promising fixed returns from the game is selling something, not describing it.

If you want games where earning is tied to a token, the alternatives section below lists some options, along with their own risks.

The Hunt is a chapter that extended the HV-MTL universe after Forge. Coverage from September 2023 reported that Yuga Labs opened The Hunt inside HV-MTL Forge, and the studio's description says players travel through varied biomes with their Heavy Metals, shaping their own stories along the way.

This fits the direction the developer described from the start: a casual builder that gradually becomes more adventure-oriented and eventually a competitive dungeon crawler. Where Forge teaches you the basics of looking after and evolving your mech, The Hunt gives that mech somewhere to go.

What to check about The Hunt:

• Access: whether it needs an evolved mech, a certain number of amps or a Pet.
• Timing: whether it is a limited-time event or a permanent mode.
• Rewards: what you can actually keep once it ends.

Older coverage is useful for understanding the design, but it cannot tell you what is live now. If an article, including this one, describes a feature you cannot find in the game, trust the game and the official announcements, since chapters and events are often retired or reworked.

Public reporting available for this guide are mostly from 2023, around the Forge launch in June and The Hunt in September. They do not confirm what the game looks like in 2026, so this guide does not claim that the game is fully active, paused or changed.

Here is how to check the current status yourself:

1. Open the official HV-MTL site and see whether the game loads and shows recent content.
2. Look at Yuga Labs' official channels for announcements about updates, seasons or changes.
3. Check activity on the NFT marketplace, where recent sales and listings show whether collectors are still active.
4. Read community discussion with care, remembering that fans, sellers and scammers all post there.

Signs that a web3 game is active include recent developer posts, working features, and clear explanations of changes. Warning signs include a long silence, removed features with no explanation, and sudden urgency to buy or mint.

If the game has slowed or ended, your HV-MTL NFT would still exist in your wallet, but its use and value could change. That is part of the risk of any game-linked collectible, and it is worth deciding in advance how you would feel about that outcome.

Any game that asks you to connect a wallet attracts impersonators, and Bored Ape-linked projects are well-known targets. These habits reduce your exposure.

• Use a separate wallet for games, holding only what you are willing to risk. Keep valuable NFTs in a different wallet that never connects to new sites.
• Verify every address. Bookmark the official site once you have confirmed it, and never follow links in direct messages, comments or ads.
• Read signature requests. Be suspicious of any request to approve all of your NFTs or tokens, or to sign a message you cannot read.
• Ignore giveaways. Offers of free Pets, free amps or free mechs that require a connection or payment are a common pattern in scams.
• Review approvals regularly. Use a reputable approval-checking tool to revoke permissions you no longer need.
• Never share your recovery phrase. No real support person, moderator or developer will ask for it.

A hardware wallet adds another layer for the NFTs you care about. Also be careful with tax: in many countries, buying, selling or trading NFTs can create a tax obligation, so keep records and check your local rules.

These steps will not remove every risk, but they remove the most common ones.

If HV-MTL is not what you want, or you want a game with a clearer earning loop, several web3 games cover different styles. Each has its own costs and risks, so read current details before you commit.

Game	Style	What to know
Alien Worlds	Play-to-earn metaverse on WAX	Players mine and play to earn TLM tokens and NFTs
Big Time	Free-to-play action RPG for Windows PCs	NFT collectibles and a $BIGTIME token, aimed at gamers curious about web3 economies
The Sandbox	Virtual world and creator platform	Runs on Polygon and Ethereum, with the SAND token
Warp	GameFi with NFT starships	Starships earn daily WARP credits and play battles, expeditions and minigames across several chains
Defi Kingdoms	GameFi	Check its current status and token design before playing

ImmutableX is not a game but a web3 gaming platform on Ethereum, with its IMX token used for fees, staking, governance and gas on Immutable zkEVM. It is useful to know because many games and their NFT markets build on it.

When you compare, ask the same questions every time: Is it free to try? What do you need to buy? Where does the reward come from? Who pays for it if new players stop arriving? Games where earnings rely on a steady flow of new buyers tend to be the riskiest.