Created by Leikir Studio and published by DotEmu, The METAL SLUG franchise makes an explosive return, diving into the realm of turn-based tactical RPGs with a roguelite twist with Metal Slug Tactics. The game offers a fresh new perspective on the franchises’ most iconic battles.
Metal Slug Tactics lets you lead a squad of veteran heroes to victory through strategic guile and superior firepower in a perfect blend of classic action and tactical depth. The game is now available for purchase on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Playstation, and XBOX.
METAL SLUG
For you 90s arcade gamers out there, the METAL SLUG series demands no introduction. However, for the uninitiated, METAL SLUG was a prolific series of horizontal run-and-gun shooters back in the amusement arcade era. The METAL SLUG games were known for their over-the-top action, intricate visuals, and super-easy gameplay.
Metal Slug Tactics makes an attempt to emulate the look and feel of its beloved predecessors while introducing a new gameplay perspective to the franchise. Opting for an isometric point-of-view and turn-based combat as opposed to the side scrolling action shooter that the series had been known for. Letting fans experience the franchise in an entirely different way while reaching out to an entirely new demographic.
Metal Slug Tactics also features a roguelite progression system that offers a ton of replayability. The game boasts over a hundred handcrafted maps with 20 different mission types, 36 different weapons with over a hundred weapon mods, and 9 iconic characters from the METAL SLUG series. This allows you to mix and match load-outs and strategies and discover your perfect playstyle.
The game also showcases mechanics reminiscent of those in the main METAL SLUG games, though tailor-fit to match the new gameplay style. Oddly, this works really well with the game’s turn-based setting, creating an entirely new and solid gameplay experience while also exuding much nostalgia for fans of the series.
Donald Morden Strikes Again
In Metal Slug Tactics, Donald Morden, the devious General of the Rebel Army once again makes an appearance after years of hiding. Together with the army that he had secretly gathered throughout the years, he finally took the first step in taking revenge against the world. The Peregrine Falcons Squad is once again called to action to do everything in their power to take down General Morden before the war escalates into an irreversible catastrophe.
While the METAL SLUG franchise has its own deep lore and narrative, it has never been actually explicitly explored in the games through dialogue or other contemporary means for narration. Instead, the games showcase extreme visuals and set pieces to illustrate what is actually going on in every game’s story. Metal Slug Tactics, while having some dialogue, follows suit by using what little narrative the game has solely as a means to push through its gameplay.
So, if you are looking for a turn-based RPG with a deep and engaging story, then Metal Slug Tactics may not be what you’re looking for. However, if you’re keener on over-the-top, non-stop turn-based action, then Metal Slug Tactics’ rogue-lite spin on the series presents you with dozens of hours of replayability that still lets you share stories of your boundless strategic feats.
Fascinatingly Intricate Visuals
One of the most cherished elements of the METAL SLUG franchise is its super intricate illustrations and animations. Metal Slug Tactics carries these principles to a completely different perspective, creating entirely new assets and visuals that, while still reminiscent of the mainline series, modernize the graphics and present a cleaner visual representation for an entirely new genre.
It’s actually amazing how the visual elements of the original METAL SLUG games fit so well with the new isometric point of view. Having most of the important elements like the characters, vehicles, and bosses closely resemble their original designs while being mixed with completely new set pieces for the level design. The overall graphical quality of the pixel art has also been made to be crisper, resulting in a much cleaner look for a METAL SLUG game.
The animations in Metal Slug Tactics also deserves a big mention, as it beautifully captures the essence of the original’s.
In a world where the race to the most realistic graphical fidelity is at its peak, Metal Slug Tactics’ visuals and art style have reminded me why the METAL SLUG series still feels nostalgic and timeless to this day.
Turn-Based Action Battles
“Action” and “Turn-Based” have never really gone hand-in-hand in terms of definition or in practice, but things might just be changing with Metal Slug Tactics.
The game promises turn-based tactical thrills and classic arcade action and delivers both quite well. Aside from the classic tactical turn-based combat that all of us turn-based gamers are extremely familiar with, Metal Slug Tactics presents a ton of new ways to tackle different situations with a myriad of fun and engaging mechanics, some resembling those from the mainline METAL SLUG games.
For one, Metal Slug Tactics gives emphasis to movement as opposed to a lot of tactical turn-based strategies where taking it slow and steady is usually the way toward victory. In this game players are rewarded for blitzing through the battlefield, swiftly taking down objectives and causing havoc and mayhem in the process. I learned the hard way when I tried hunkering down as I usually do in most turn-based strategies, only for my team to be completely wiped out.
Mistakes are almost incentivized in Metal Slug Tactics, though. Aside from being a roguelite where you inherently learn from your mistakes, the game is also super forgiving by providing players the ability to undo movement and even reattempt entire turns.
The game also brings back the coin credits as a mechanic to the game, letting you revive team members with credits earned throughout the run. It’s technically called “calling for backup,” but it’s essentially the arcade desk’s coin slot system that’s pretty much synonymous with the franchise.
Every mission type also features different hazards on the battlefield, creating different opportunities to tackle challenges. You should revise your approach to every encounter depending on your team members, their load-outs, and the perks they have taken throughout your run.
It’s actually amazing how the same team composition resulted in different characters having different roles in each separate run. The unique mission types also forced me to adapt different strategies on the fly and even after playing this game for hours on end, I still have a whole lot more mechanics and strategies to discover.
Being a roguelite, Metal Slug Tactics conforms to the turn-based roguelite contemporaries. The game is divided up into 4 regions, with each region having a map filled with missions that you can challenge. Every region also has you battle a challenging boss, with every boss needing completely different strategies. Completing missions gives your team EXP that levels them up, letting you choose from a selection of skills and abilities every time they level up. Missions also reward you with different items, but the most notable out of all of them are the weapon mods, which make your characters’ weapons stronger or give them some additional effects.
Speaking of weapons, characters carry around 2 weapon types. A primary weapon and a secondary weapon.
- The primary weapons are usually sidearm pistols and have infinite ammunition.
Primarily used for dealing with weaker or low-health enemies. - Secondary weapons, on the other hand, usually deal more damage but have limited ammunition that can be exhausted throughout the run but can be replenished as a reward by completing some of the missions.
Furthermore, playing through the game and gaining achievements can unlock up to 4 additional weapon load-outs for each character.
There’s also more mechanics like the game’s sync system that lets you combo attacks with other team members There’s also vehicles on some missions that your team members can ride for some additional firepower and a whole lot more features and mechanics that’s just waiting for you to discover.
As of this writing, I am still discovering new stuff while playing the game, and there are simply a ton of systems and mechanics in place in Metal Slug Tactics, depending on the mission and the situation.
Being a roguelite, losing and retrying is a big part of the game, with each subsequent run arming players with new knowledge, arsenal, and characters to play around with. However, compared to a lot of other turn-based roguelites, where it gets significantly easier the further you are into the game’s progression, Metal Slug Tactics retains most of its challenge throughout your playthrough. Aside from that, there are also three difficulty options to choose from, offering increasingly more challenging runs that you can confront.
While unlocks offer some more powerful weapons and mods, it is still ultimately up to your strategies and a little bit of RNG if you’ll be able to finish the run with glory or if it’ll end up as yet another learning experience.
There is simply way too much stuff to talk about to fit in one video and it’s impressive how Metal Slug Tactics handles its gameplay and replayability, seeing that it does an amazing job at capturing the essence of the METAL SLUG franchise while being an entirely different genre. 
A Nigh Perfect Adaptation Of A Timeless Classic
While Metal Slug Tactics looks like a game that’s only banking on nostalgia at first glance, it is impossible to ignore that it is a fully-fledged turn-based tactical roguelite first and foremost. Even though the game capitalizes on some of the elements of the METAL SLUG franchise, its gameplay system and mechanics never feel forced and just feels natural to the game. Coupled with the amazing recreation of assets from the original METAL SLUG games, Metal Slug Tactics perfectly captures the essence of the franchise while offering an authentic turn-based tactical experience for fans of the genre. And the game being a roguelite only gives you more bang for your buck for its infinite replayability.
As someone who just played through the first three METAL SLUG games in preparation for this article, and for nostalgia’s sake, I can proudly say that Metal Slug Tactics is a phenomenal if not a perfect adaptation of the franchise to the turn-based tactics format.
Metal Slug Tactics has definitely reignited my interest for the METAL SLUG series and I am definitely excited to see what they do with the franchise moving forward.
