Aside from a few irksome quality-of-life problems and bugs, Metal Slug Tactics’ superb retro-inspired shell houses a well-made, distinct, grid-based tactics roguelite that deftly adapts its frantic roots into a more orderly genre without missing a step. Metal Slug Tactics beautifully translates the run-n-gun series into its first turn-based tactics game, but it also does not sacrifice substance for cheap nostalgia.
Tactics place you in charge of the Peregrine Falcons, an elite fighting force inside The Normal Army, much to most mainline Metal Slug games (the most recent being Metal Slug 7 from 2009). Metal Slug’s legions of different enemy kinds, unique locales, vast weaponry, and a fleet of amazing vehicles are all fully utilized in this spin-off. It is easy to understand why this seemingly odd turn was a natural progression when you put ingenious twists on series staples, such as rescuing captives to add other objectives on the battlefield.
You must choose three characters from this surprisingly diversified cast of nine before you go for a run. Each character has four distinct load-outs that can be unlocked, each of which supports a somewhat different strategy. Most of Marco’s skills center on teamwork in offensive and defensive situations because he is a leader. However, one of his loadouts focuses on ranged moves to assist him and his allies perform as many synchronized attacks as possible in a single turn. As an alternative, Trevor is a glass cannon who uses movement and offensive-focused tactics to expose his enemies to a million cuts, but one of his selectable load-outs forgoes ranged versatility in favor of close combat.
Fio, on the other hand, is a support character who can also function as a self-healing tank and has a ton of useful mobility skills that make her a trustworthy friend for setting up all kinds of dazzling combos. I was able to organize my teams around clear objectives thanks to this system. I once selected load-outs that gave me more control over the map and paired Fio, Trevor, and a trap-based specialist named Nadia. This allowed me to pursue a defensive strategy that centered on aligning my targets and satisfyingly taking them all down in a single blow.
Tactics fill every available space on your screen with as much charm as possible.
To put it mildly, it is not Shakespearean to refer to Metal Slug’s cohesive fighting force as “The Normal Army”—and it should not be. The plot and premise follow the “law of cool,” which is a principle that calls for chunky guns, dieselpunk machines, loads of explosions, and villains who are typically nonsensical and feel lifted from an action film from the 1980s. The artwork of Metal Slug Tactics is so amazing that it fills every available space on your screen with as much charm and personality as possible. Your characters are never still, even when they are sheltering behind cover, and tanks and battleships chug and buckle under the sheer weight of their destructive horsepower. Explosions also crash upon the grid with a satisfying flourish.
It would be an understatement to say that Metal Slug Tactics “oozes personality”—it is evident in every pixel. Metal Slug’s displays are dotted with subtle details that perfectly capture its lighthearted, cartoonish atmosphere. You might see soldiers lounging on the sides of a map near a desert battleground, or you might see Ralf, a member of Peregrine Falcon, playing a video game on a little TV in the barracks. The game is so well-animated that you can determine which 2D fighter he is playing. Every time I attempt a 45-minute run, I continue to find new things to laugh at in between turns because of how consistently this attention to detail is applied.
Another amazing soundtrack from composer Tee Lopes, whose work on Streets of Rage 4, Sonic Mania, and TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge solidified his reputation as the master of retro revival with wailing guitars and drums that bump. Simply jamming out and enjoying all the little touches is a thrill.
The long battles in XCOM, Gears Tactics, and Mario + Rabbids, which can last hundreds of intricate turns, may come to mind when you think about turn-and-grid-based tactics games. In favor of shorter encounters that expedite and condense the same rewarding process, Metal Slug Tactics forgoes part of the satisfaction that comes from meticulously spinning a web to capture unwary prey over several turns.
Tactics is heavily influenced by Into The Breach; most fights are fought on a considerably smaller grid, with attack and movement ranges reduced accordingly. Regardless of the goal, this ensures that things remain interesting from battle to battle by maintaining a somewhat rapid turnover rate between levels. However, its slightly larger battlefields, lower difficulty, and movement-focused mechanics help it set itself apart from the genre-defining 2018 classic.
Each battle’s objectives are entertaining but typical of any tactics game, such as destroying all or some of the opponents on the field, destroying an enemy convoy, defending civilians, surviving a predetermined number of turns, arriving at a checkpoint on the map, or escorting an NPC to a specific location. Even so, most fights will only last three to five turns and provide you with useful loot to increase the attack strength of one of your three characters, purchase a new upgrade in a store, or obtain reinforcements that may be utilized to bring a fallen colleague back to life.
Secondary objectives, such as missions that require you to take the least amount of damage, arrange your team to chase assists with one another, or finish a level in a specific number of turns to gain bonus loot, reward, and promote skillful play with intriguing extra difficulties.
Metal Slug Tactics offers semi-randomized runs that are separated into four stages and culminate in a large boss battle, matching the typical run-based structure of your typical rogue-lite. Before entering a final fourth location, you can choose to explore all three of the opening stage options or simply one. The landscapes and pace of each of these four zones are the same, yet each stage will gradually increase in difficulty with noticeably more powerful enemy types based on the level you have already completed, guaranteeing a steady sense of advancement regardless of where you begin. You are even continuously reminded that there are only “X Missions Remaining Until The Boss Arrives” via a banner at the top of the screen.
Every boss battle effectively assesses your proficiency using Tactics’ movement and cooperative mechanics. For instance, you are up against a battleship that can hardly accommodate all of its guns on its deck in the first boss. It uses homing missiles to target your squad, and you have to get units that are in danger under cover while ensuring they have enough adrenaline to withstand damage. You must ensure that your crew can move from platform to platform and deal damage from enough cover because the ship will also shoot down one of the platforms your squad is using to target them every few turns.
Verdict
Metal Slug Tactics is a painstakingly made tribute to the arcade classic that never loses sight of its passion for the game without comprehending what makes Metal Slug great, from its vibrant, cartoonish graphics to its upbeat soundtrack. Rather, it brings a few unique additions to the genre of tactics that skillfully combine the action-packed platforming and shooting of Metal Slug with a tactics grid. Despite the annoying problems that hinder it, I am still enjoying every run as I try out different tactics and squad configurations.
