Metal Slug Tactics review: Run and gun

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As a seasoned gamer with countless hours clocked in various genres under my belt, I found myself utterly captivated by Metal Slug Tactics. This game, much like a mischievous imp, has managed to ensnare me in its gripping mechanics and irresistible charm. The roguelike elements, while occasionally testing my patience, have only served to fuel my determination to conquer each challenging stage, each formidable boss, and every seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

I was thrilled about Metal Slug, but when Dotemu and Leikir Studios announced they were transforming SNK’s iconic side-scrolling shooter into a turn-based tactics game, my reactions were: “That sounds intriguing” followed by “I wonder how that will work.” Metal Slug is all about speed and movement, while turn-based games usually involve more strategy. However, it seems Dotemu has found a way to seamlessly blend the two styles. Metal Slug Tactics appears to be an impressive combination of strategic gameplay with the elements that make Metal Slug enjoyable. And as for how they did it? By emphasizing run-and-gun mechanics, naturally.

In essence, Metal Slug Tactics follows the popular format of modern indie games, being a roguelike title. You assemble a squad of three characters hailing from the Metal Slug universe (initially consisting of Marco, Fio, and Eri, with more to come as you progress), select one of their diverse weapon setups, and are dropped onto a global map. Your objective is to free each region, either completing a run successfully or meeting your demise. Upon failure, you create a new squad, progressing to discover additional characters, weapon options, and lasting enhancements along the way.

Without mincing words, dear Shacknews enthusiast, let me confess that I’m exhaustedly tired of rogue-like games. However, Metal Slug Tactics manages to stand out due to its incredibly engaging moment-to-moment gameplay and the fact that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. You can complete a run in just a few hours, uncover new content to experiment with, and jump back into the action swiftly.

She’s a beauty…

In this narrative, things aren’t overly complicated: The cunning General Donald Morden reappears, seeking retribution against the world with an army he’s secretly constructed. Your role is crucial as you join the Peregrine Falcon Squad, the only force standing between Morden and global destruction. Metal Slug Tactics may not have a groundbreaking storyline, but its characters are endearing and they frequently exchange amusing banter during missions. The plot provides enough depth to engage you in Metal Slug Tactics, yet maintains a light-hearted tone that allows for laughter at the game’s absurdities – a perfect blend for a game like this!

Before delving into the gameplay of Metal Slug Tactics, let me first extol its visual and auditory attributes that are nothing short of spectacular. Dotemu had a formidable task at hand, considering SNK’s reputation for creating visually stunning games with outstanding soundtracks (take note of any past Metal Slug titles or The King of Fighters XIII, arguably the most gorgeous fighting game ever made). I am pleased to report that Dotemu has risen to the challenge admirably. Metal Slug Tactics boasts visually stunning pixel art and captivating character illustrations that authentically capture the essence of Metal Slug while remaining easy on the eyes. Unlocking new abilities and traversing through new areas allowed me to appreciate the characters’ smooth animations for a brief moment. The soundtrack is equally impressive, whether you’re engaged in an intense boss battle, struggling to survive against waves of soldiers with endless reinforcements, or simply browsing missions on the world map. In fact, I find myself wanting to listen to Metal Slug Tactics’ soundtrack outside of the game, which speaks volumes about its quality.

And she’s got it where it counts

All that stuff is great. Truly. But what has me so high on Metal Slug Tactics is the moment-to-moment action. Tactics takes the whole “run and gun” thing seriously, see. It’s grid-based, that’s standard. But what makes it special is how it incorporates Metal Slug’s sense of movement. You don’t want to stand still in Metal Slug Tactics; the farther you move, the more Dodge you build, which makes it harder for enemies to hit you. If they do, you’ll take less damage. Combine that with Cover, and you can go entire turns without taking damage. Much of the time, strategy games are about making extremely precise, controlled movements, and it’s better to advance slowly rather than take unnecessary hits. In Tactics, your goal is to move as much as you can while positioning yourself well, and you’re actively punished for standing still. It’s a nice change of pace, and forces you to think about encounters in a new way.

Another reason you might want to move frequently is that it increases your Adrenaline levels, a resource used for executing special abilities. While you can walk and shoot with no Adrenaline, the impressive feats require you to be in an energized state. For example, Marco has a skill called Marco Salvo, which lets another character fire twice when they use a weapon next time. Fio can control a drone to maneuver other characters across the map. Eri can throw multiple grenades that not only hit multiple enemies but also go over and around obstacles, dealing even more damage and covering greater distances.

And that’s just their basic stuff. As you clear missions and level up, you’ll get even better stuff. Fio can whip out a shotgun for a move called Overheat and, if she kills someone with it, move and attack again; Marco can Ricochet bullets through and around enemies; and Eri can summon a decoy that explodes when it’s killed. And then there are passive abilities that passively build Adrenaline, heal you if you use an ability that assists another member of your squad, or reduce the Adrenaline cost of your special actions. And, of course, there are weapon upgrades to acquire, secondary weapon ammo to manage, optional rewards to seek out during missions (killing so many enemies in so many turns, for example, or only taking so much damage), your limited revives, and so much more. There’s a lot to Metal Slug Tactics, which keeps missions feeling fresh while rewarding you for mastering its systems.

Get busy Syncing, or get busy dying

What sets it apart are two key elements: Sync, and the intriguing missions themselves. Let’s delve into each one separately. The standout feature in Metal Slug Tactics is Sync. Here’s how it works: if characters are within enemy reach and one character attacks, the other will synchronize with them and assault that enemy using their primary weapon. This action doesn’t consume any action points; instead, it occurs naturally, and can happen multiple times in a single turn (with exceptions typically involving bosses), allowing you to eliminate several enemies at once if you arrange your characters strategically and accumulate enough Adrenaline. It’s incredible how often I found myself in seemingly impossible situations early on, only to realize that by arranging my characters correctly, I could set off a chain reaction with Fio’s Overheat triggering Eri’s grenade, eliminating three enemies and giving Fio another turn to initiate another action.

Aligning your Syncs offers an amazing sensation, and I adore employing it to handle intricate predicaments. However, my criticism lies in the fact that it can be tricky to anticipate when things will synchronize as you navigate through the gameplay. Fortunately, you can reverse any action with a simple button press, provided your character hasn’t initiated an attack yet, allowing for careful planning. Generally speaking, it’s more effective to move all characters prior to taking shots. If you make a significant mistake, there are a limited number of turn resets available on each map, which comes in handy.

The other big issue is that this can be a lot to take in, especially early on. Where you can move, how to trigger Syncs, how Dodge and Cover interact with each other, whether you can attack when characters are on a higher level than you, managing vehicle fuel (yes, there are vehicles, and they’re awesome), what upgrades you can buy, how to balance the rewards (additional ammo, money, Reinforcements, and so on) you get from each mission… it’s a lot, and it will probably take you a few runs to really nail it all down, but man, once you do? Tactics feels incredible.

Join the Army; travel to exotic, distant lands; meet exciting, unusual people and kill them

Speaking of strategies, Tactics excels in this department as well. The key aspect is the diversity, encompassing not only the array of options displayed on the map, but also the methods for completing them. Unlike several strategy games that have streamlined their mission goals to “eliminate all enemies” to cater to a wider audience, Tactics remains undeterred in its identity as a hardcore tactics game. There’s an abundance of various mission types here. At times, you may need to eliminate everyone, but other times, you only need to target specific characters, survive, or escape with a couple of team members. Understanding the objective is crucial. Blindly attacking every enemy when all you need to do is eliminate four of them could lead to your demise. Here, focusing on your mission is essential, and I’m grateful that Tactics encourages strategic thinking around specific objectives for success.

The game map offers a wide array of elements, from explosive barrels and vehicles to catapults propelling your characters across the map, as well as mummified adversaries capable of transforming your characters into mummies upon contact. Notably, Tactics showcases impressive, colossal boss battles, each one influencing the map in unique ways. For instance, during the massive enemy battleship battle, you must dodge its blasts or risk losing the platforms beneath you, while simultaneously dealing damage to it. My preferred adversary was a gigantic mechanical serpent-like entity that would unleash an enormous laser spanning most of the map. The only means of evasion were hiding behind colossal metal barriers. Time was of the essence; once the laser was fired, the whole map transformed, necessitating a swift return to attack before it could be fired again. It’s simple to concentrate on eliminating minor foes during boss battles, but they will persist. To survive, you must eliminate them quickly, making efficient use of your tools and landing Syncs essential for success.

Just one more run, he said, lying to himself

In Metal Slug Tactics, regardless of whether you finish a game or not, your accumulated funds are transformed into credits for character upgrades, new loadouts, or even new squadmates. This means that you’re always rewarded for playing, and with each session lasting around 45 minutes to two hours, it can be tempting to play just one more round, even when you should be sleeping. Rest assured, this isn’t a sign of lack of content in the game. If you want to fully explore everything that Tactics offers, you’ll need about 30 hours, and this is only if you don’t get caught up in the thrill of playing another round at odd hours. I can’t disclose how I know this, but trust me, it’s true!

I genuinely enjoy Metal Slug Tactics, but sometimes I wish it wasn’t a roguelike game. It might just be that I’m feeling fatigue from too many roguelikes, and maybe that’s not fair. The traditional issues of roguelikes are present here – you can have runs where things don’t go your way because you’re not getting the upgrades you need, or you’re thrown into a mission that’s too difficult for your current level, and that’s it. It’s tough, and the initial runs can be overwhelming as you learn the game systems. However, when it works, it really works! Pulling off the ideal Sync attack to rescue a lost battle or crafting a character tailored to your playstyle, based on a beloved character from the series, is a blast. The quality of production in this game is impressive.

During this review phase, I’ve found myself spending a significant amount of time on Metal Slug Tactics, with even more hours likely to vanish as the year progresses. This game caters to a unique audience, and I must admit, I’m one of its biggest fans. However, what truly impresses me is that it masterfully captures the run-and-gun essence of Metal Slug, and somehow converts it into a tactics game – quite an extraordinary feat! Now, if you’ll pardon me, I have a compulsion to play yet another mission.

In this review, we’ve received a PC version of Metal Slug Tactics directly from the publisher. The game will be available for purchase on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S starting November 5th, 2024.

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2024-11-05 17:28