Metal Slug Tactics

For the younger audience, the name Metal Slug probably doesn't mean much, but for the older folk who were around back in 1996, the title is synonymous for its beautiful pixel graphics and awesome action sequences. Now the series is finally back after several years away, but where previous instalments have focused on dexterity and "Run & Gun moments", Metal Slug Tactics offers a more systematic and strategic gameplay where the brain has to work more than your reflexes.

The change of genre has opened up for a variety of interesting additions, but it has not been at the expense of the original material. Mostly everything works here, and it really feels like a Metal Slug adventure in every sense of the word, even if the gameplay has changed. The jump from pure-action to strategy should mean that the pace slows down considerably, but developer Leikir Studio has found a way to offer speed in the form of constant activity and movement. You are constantly rewarded by moving your soldiers on the battlefield, and standing and defending a position usually leads to vulnerability and poor defence. By moving from one turn to the next, you earn different points, and these make it easier to dodge incoming attacks while you can perform special attacks that greatly favour your battle prowess.

The system is exciting and innovative compared to many other similar titles, and the whole experience is built to maintain a fast pace and allow you to be aggressive. You're always outnumbered in warfare against rebels, monsters and natives, and at most you have three combatants to control against a horde of incoming enemies on the other side. However, your fighters can bounce off each other through something called "Sync" and it's through this system that you can quickly do enormous damage against the oncoming enemy line. If you launch an attack while one (or both) of your other soldiers are within firing range, they will provide support, and it is by positioning your fighters in a way that they can constantly accompany each other's attacks that you will discover the key to success.

To call Metal Slug Tactics a pure-strategy game is, however, not a complete truth. In addition to the tactical aspect, there are a lot of roguelike elements that are meant to keep the game alive longer and reward more playthroughs. When you start a so-called "Run", you get to choose which missions you want to do in a certain area, and this is where you can be rewarded with experience points that make your characters stronger. However, these strengths only last for that particular round, and it's important to develop your fighters while collecting money to buy better equipment and weapons so you can go further. You also need to take into account that you may need more ammunition as you progress, so you need to plan your progress accordingly. Each hero has a specialised weapon at his/her disposal (be it a howitzer, machine gun, grenade launcher, etc.) and these can only be used if you have enough resources. Taking a detour to replenish your supplies can sometimes be the best tactic if you want to make use of your strongest weapons.

With roguelike games, there are usually a lot of random parameters that are thrown around from time-to-time, but in Metal Slug Tactics you can replay the same mission with the same conditions an endless amount of times. For myself, I see advantages to this approach, as well as disadvantages. For example, I learn how to handle different levels and situations and I become more intelligent with my approach from round-to-round, but that unforeseen and unpredictable ingredient is absent at the same time, which means that the game sometimes lacks a surprising factor after several hours in the field.

In terms of presentation, however, Tactics lives up to the name of its series. There are wonderful pixel graphics full of charm and personality, and everything from characters to objects and environments feels carefully handcrafted and filled with details to check out. Even the music delivers a clearly acceptable quality, and despite the fact that the rock tunes are not really typical for the soundtrack, I found myself both rocking my head and tapping my feet as I handed out new commands to my troops.

Everything that Metal Slug Tactics has to offer is of a high standard, and it is very difficult to point out weaknesses as most of it breathes quality and class. The components themselves may not reach all the way to the absolute top of the rating ladder, but this is a title that is built with care given to the original material as well as a desire to stand out above the crowd from the first to the last moment.

In the end, Metal Slug Tactics is a wonderful little side-track on an otherwise very obscure game series. With its fast pace and peculiar game system, it offers something new to the veterans of the genre while presenting newbies something to enjoy. The experience is challenging yet inviting, and you'll often find yourself wanting to play just one more round, if only to see the beautiful animations or hear the fantastic music. If you like the series already, this is a must-have purchase, but if you are new to the Metal Slug experience, I still recommend that you give this an honest try. It's not a masterpiece by any means, but Metal Slug Tactics is a hell of a lot of fun to play. What more could you want?