It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly thirty years since the debut ofMetal Slug,the classic arcade series that quickly became one of SNK’s signature franchises. And it’s shocking to think that the last proper main entry in the series released back in 2008 with Metal Slug 7. Since then, Marco, Fio and company have been limited to cameos and spin-offs, mainly through mobile games that, as far as this writer knows, don’t have the greatest reputation. It would be nice to see the franchise return with some more proper run-and-gun action (especially given the genre’s comeback in the indie scene), but for now, at least we have a more prestige spin-off in the form ofMetal Slug Tactics,courtesy of Dotemu and developers Leikir Studio. But does it still do the series proud?
Insert Coin
As the title implies,Metal Slug Tacticsis a tactical RPG set in theMetal Sluguniverse. Though the genre may have changed, the story remains the same: the evil General Mordern is back and set on conquering the world with his secret army, and it’s up to the Peregrine Falcons Squad to once again head into Morden’s occupied territories and take him out. Unsurprisingly, it’s a game that’s rather light on the story, since much like the arcade games, the main focus is on the Falcons heading in and using whatever weaponry they have to take out the enemies in whatever over-the-top fashion suits them best (heck, even the mission control, Margaret, lampshades their lack of subtlety often).
You start out by selecting your team of three soldiers (with only Marco, Fio and Eri available at the start, and others having to be unlocked along the way), and then selecting your initial map to work with, each one showing different missions to tackle and different rewards (including those for bonus objectives). Sometimes it’s as simple as killing all the enemies, sometimes you might need to survive for a certain amount of turns or sometimes you do something completely different like destroy a moving convoy before it leaves or project a group of miners from a mummy attack. There’s a good amount of variety on display here in the gameplay area and it keeps you on your toes.
Granted, being a game with tactical strategy elements,Metal Slug Tacticscan feel overwhelming at first, with numerous skills and terms to keep track of. And the fact that it has roguelike elements as well means it piles on more, especially as you’re encouraged to unlock new skills and mops to your existing weapons along the way. And yet, the gameplay still feels accessible and easy to get used to. The basic setup is simple: each turn, you can move each character around the current grid and have them perform an action, be it one of two attacks or a special move. Then your enemy’s turn begins and they do the same. So far, standard stuff.
Focus Home Interactive Acquires Dotemu
Born to Run
But what makesMetal Slug Tacticsstand out is how it brilliantly incorporates elements from the arcade games into the gameplay itself. Sure, it’s very much a Metal Slug game on the surface: there’s the war-torn locales presented with vibrant pixel art and a nicely-cartoonish spin, be it in stuff like enemy death animations or little background elements such as soldiers relaxing in inner tubes, the return of the classic, blond, bearded POWs that you can rescue, or even mummies that can mummify characters they attack, complete with unique sprites for each one. Seriously, everything here is gorgeous, right down to the massive mech bosses with insane amounts of weapons and the friendly camps in between maps where everyone hangs out. It more than nails the presentation, helped out by an amazing soundtrack from Tee Lopes.
This is not merely just a regular strategy game with a coat ofMetal Slugpaint, though. The true genius when it comes to incorporating that arcade feel is in movement. Remember those special moves mentioned earlier? Well, to use them, you need to build up a character’s adrenaline points. How do you do that? By moving to different spaces. The farther away a space you can get to is, the more adrenaline points you gain. In other words,Metal Slug Tacticstransplants the run-and-gun action of the original games into its gameplay by actually making the running part a central mechanic alongside the gunning.
It’s honestly genius, as the emphasis on movement adds an even deeper layer of strategy. Now you need to make sure paths are properly clear for each character to maneuver, and you have to try and figure out what position would be best each time. Sure, one may line you up with an enemy perfectly for a good shot, but taking a few steps more and ducking behind cover could give you more adrenaline points for later. But wait, would that also leave you open to attack? It’s generally creative and fun stuff, and alongside the skills you can earn with each run, allows for a lot of experimentation as you cook up proper strategies. One of the most memorable parts for this writer was with a boss battle against Morden, where I realized that I could use Eri’s Explosive Boots move to clear out whatever enemies were in the way to make room for Marco to run around and use his adrenaline points to call in airstrikes with another unlocked skill. It was quite the blast.
This is not merely just a regular strategy game with a coat ofMetal Slugpaint, though.
The True Arcade Experience
But even outside of the movement and adrenaline points, there are other waysMetal Slug Tacticsfinds ways to incorporate arcade gameplay. For example, you also gain dodge points when moving far enough as well, which allows a character to automatically avoid certain attacks by doing a cute little backlips, as if it were the OG game, once again adding to the strategic bits as well. There’s also another big addition called the “Sync” mechanic, where if two or more characters are in attack range of an enemy and one attacks, they synchronize and attack them together, just as players would do in co-op play, which provides additional benefits like extra movement with the help of certain skills. Heck, there’s even a lives system in play that revives downed characters, complete with a coin and a little “1UP” logo.
But even without the incorporation ofMetal Slug’sessence into its gameplay, there’s still one mighty fine strategy game here, putting up a challenge as you attempt to predict each enemy’s movement and stay one step ahead of everyone while juggling three different characters. And like with a lot of roguelikes, there are also a ton of permanent additions to purchase in between runs as well, such as different loadouts and weapon combos for each character, or new moves to discover, allowing for more stuff to try out. But that being said, as fun asMetal Slug Tacticsis, it does sort of fall short when it comes to deeper stuff and providing a more satisfying roguelike experience.
More Time in the Field, Please
The series is light on story, and while that works well for a quick run-and-gun game, something likeMetal Slug Tacticsdeserves more. There are actually unlockable conversations between some of the different characters that provide more insight into them, but there’s too little and it leaves you wanting more. It also doesn’t help that you can complete the main campaign – or at least one run of it – in about five hours (or less if you’re more skilled with the genre). And with only two other biomes beyond that, it only takes a few hours more to see everything that the basics have to offer. It just feels at times like it never offers much between runs to make it feel like things are truly progressing (or maybe the likes ofHadesstill spoil us to this day…).
Metal Slug Tactics Advances Towards the Switch
Unfortunately, one other thing that also holdsMetal Slug Tacticsback are a few annoying bugs. During my run, there was a message about switching between views of elevated terrain (which your characters can nicely use to their advantage) by pressing the scroll wheel that never went away. And even when I did press it, it never seemed to work, and one time it did…and prevented me from selecting certain elevated terrain. There were also dialogue boxes in between turns that never seemed to appear, which got distracting, and bits like a character who had run out of HP still standing, despite being registered as dead. There’s also the issue of randomness sometimes getting in the way, but in fairness, that’s kind of a given for the genre.
With more polish and extra content,Metal Slug Tacticscould be something truly amazing. As is, though, it’s still a great bit of strategy and a unique, fun way to experience the world of Metal Slug from a different perspective. Still, after this side trip, it would be nice to go back to straight action later. Just saying, SNK…
Closing Comments:
Metal Slug Tacticsis a fun and nicely-challenging strategy game, but what truly makes it stand out is how it finds a way to incorporate mechanics from the arcade games into its gameplay by placing a unique emphasis on movement. Combined with astonishing visuals (especially during the epic boss battle), it makes for an entry into the franchise that’s more than worthy and one that’s worth checking out whether you’re a fan of the series or not. After all, you’re able to’t attack a basket of snakes to sic them on your enemies and not have fun…
