I happen to love the Metal Slug series of arcade run ‘n gun blasters. The over-the-top set pieces and stunning pixel art do it for me, like many other series fans. And, when I heard that a new Metal Slug was in the pipeline, I was excited. Little did I know that this new instalment in the series was taking a new direction. Indeed, Metal Slug Tactics takes the series from a side-scrolling shooter to a turn-based tactics title as they name suggests.
Style Out of Substance
This is a bit of a brave move for a game that has stuck to its guns since its first launch back in 1996. The game’s brand of beautiful bullet hell has held in its countless sequels and spin-offs.
However, it’s not as odd a pivot as you may first fear. The franchise’s outstanding pixel art is still here and it looks amazing. The series’ line-up of hardcore heroes are here, and they sound great. However, it plays a lot more like Mario + Rabbid’s Kingdom Battle.
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It must be said that Tactics looks like a Metal Slug game, and sounds like a Metal Slug game, which is over half the battle when it comes to a series whose style is as important as its substance.
First thing’s first though, Metal Slug Tactics, from Leikir Studio, offers a roguelike tactical RPG core and doesn’t have a grand tale to tell. You have four regions of decent variety to clear, with one goal tying the adventure together. That is, to defeat the evil General Morden once and for all.
Metal Slug Solid
But, what Metal Slug Tactics lacks in tale, it more than makes up for in depth of play. Right off the bat, the game marches you to boot camp with endless tutorials, and demands you take in rote its terms and systems. And, many of these lessons are delivered through cold, hard text-boxes.
If you have played a tactics-themed title in the past, you’ll have a rough idea what’s needed. You, sort of, move your camara around to see the lay of the land. You move your unit to within strike distance. Attack, and do it all over again once the enemy is done doing the same thing.
Thinking Man’s War Machine
Though the core mechanics of the turn-based tactics genre govern the whole thing, the added depth with its extremely dense learning phase may still be bewildering.
Metal Slug Tactics is very much a thinking man’s take on combat. Each move needs to be planned immaculately so that everything can come together for the perfect assault.
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After clearing the first region in the game, you are free to attack the game how you see fit. This gives the whole game an almost open-ended feel to things.
Each region will see you complete three missions, then a boss fight to claim the map. Here’s where the game’s roguelike core comes in. Keep doing this until you are defeated, and that’s your run over. You’ll have to start over again at the beginning, but you’ll be that bit stronger.
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Upgrading your war machine is mainly done through side missions, of which there are plenty to choose from. These earn you upgrades for your crew, as well as cash to spend on other hardware.
Types Away
Missions fall into three main camps. Kill all the enemies, escort a unit or hunt down a target and kill them. Though these are fun, no doubt, the game can quickly start to feel a bit repetitive due to there only being three main mission types.
Bosses, on the other hand, offer up the best missions in the game. Boss battles often add an interesting spin to the combat. Often the puzzle is in how to get within striking distance, then timing the attack for maximum effect.
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The game also puts an interesting importance on movement. Metal Slug Tactics wants you to get up close and personal with the targets, as opposed to other games in the genre which seem to prefer finding cover, or another advantageous spot, and digging in. Tactics even offers extra defence points and fills your special attack bar faster if you are toe-to-toe.
There is also a light dusting of higher-level tactics within the game. From pooling team attacks, to getting to high ground to have a cleaner shot. There are also some environmental tactical aids, like explosive barrels, to give the player more options to fold into their assaults.
Slug-esque
Metal Slug Tactics game fully embraces the Metal Slug look. The art is extremely detailed, packed full of colourful animations and whimsy and, honestly, looks like a mainline series entry. Sound also pays tribute to the series from the rocking soundtrack to the game’s announcer adding that extra layer to the presentation.
Metal Slug Tactics is a brave title, offering something new and challenging in its own right while being unashamedly in the same style as its mainline siblings. Hardcore fans desperate for more of the frantic bullet hell action may be left cold if they find the art and the Metal Slug name just too hard to resist.
But, if you have an open mind and are willing to give it a try, you’ll be rewarded with a deep tactical offering that will test your grey matter as much as your trigger finger.