The Metal Slug series was created around 1996 and is now synonymous with its pixelated art style and satisfying, shooting gameplay. The franchise has had many releases and spinoffs on multiple systems each featuring something new for their fans to dive into.
The newest iteration by French Developer Leiker Studio, the creators behind games like Isbarah and Rogue Lords, takes some queues from iconic titles like Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics etc. Metal Gear Tactics released on November 5th and is available on all platforms to play.
The Freshest Take On Metal Slug
While taking a completely different approach to how Metal Slug games have usually played these last few years the developers have still kept the game’s identity clear. The story wasn’t in-depth as much but iconic characters are returning such as the Peregrine Squad and are of course facing off against general Donald Morden.
The team introduced a unique mechanic to understand which at first may seem like a sort of antithesis to the tactics style of play. At the start of each round we can place our units from our team, after which the units get a buff based on how far you moved each unit from their starting position.
This buff dictates that specific unit’s ability to dodge, this may not mean much for players on an easy difficulty but for those wanting a challenge, getting this buff can make or break the mission’s success.
Imitating the Run’N’Gun Style
The game incentivizes moving the units around to get a buff, this mechanic sort of harkens back to Metal Slug’s traditional style of running and gunning enemies to reach the end of level. Another welcome mechanic that the game introduces and gives indications for are “Sync Attacks”.
The player can perform these “Sync Attacks” by moving any two units within attacking range of any enemy and when the unit is selected to attack the enemy, both the units will actually attack one after the other, this inflicts a lot of damage often one-shotting the enemy.
Using these two mechanics can really make each mission more and more fun to play on subsequent playthroughs since there are an infinite number of ways to approach each mission with how many different kinds of units we can choose before each mission.
Staying True To The Franchise
One of the most under-appreciated things to notice is the fact that how well the developers had stayed true to the style and vibe of Metal Slug while providing a fresh and unique take on the game. The consistency in art style is the biggest indicator of how much thought went into the visual side of things.
Another feature where we can notice the outpouring of love is the sound design, historically this franchise showcased a number of rifles, pistols, cannons and rocket launchers each with their own distinct sound. Metal Slug tactics does an amazing job with each gun, cannon or tank shot being distinct and satisfying to hear.
The game can be considered somewhat a roguelike due to the fact that before each mission we are allowed to customize our team of 3 and their specific loadouts incentivize replay ability which is typically something you would see in a full on roguelike title.
A Worthy Title To Count Amongst The Metal Gear Games
The game seems almost perfect, a simple to learn but hard to master tactical gameplay, some light hearted story and banter, a variety of missions to play and phenomenal sound design. What some people may consider a flaw is the overall game being a little bit short but Metal Slug wasn’t really that big on a comprehensive story so trying to cram in a story wouldn’t be true to the franchise.
Overall this is a game everyone should try out, it can be a fun introduction to this style of gameplay for anyone looking to jump into the tactical genre but without any of the baggage that comes with traditional tactical games. It can also be a great introduction to the franchise for those who haven’t heard of the franchise before and want to dive in or those wishing to jump back in after some time.
