Metal Slug Tactics Review - Turn-based Tedium

Like some sort of elusive cryptid, we've been given bits and pieces of gameplay and screenshots of Metal Slug Tactics throughout the years. With fans chomping at the bit to see more, it was a surprise to see this highly-anticipated turn-based tactics game launching in 2024. Finally, Metal Slug and strategy fans alike can get their hands on this title.

I went into Metal Slug Tactics very excited -- after all, its superb pixel art style and retro-inspired soundtrack really speaks to the care Leikir Studio put into crafting this game. And indeed, while it looks and sounds great, I'm a bit more lukewarm on the gameplay. There's a solid tactics game mechanics-wise, but well... the rest of it feels like a slog.

Going the Distance in Metal Slug Tactics

As a veteran of turn-based tactics titles, I tend to play on the defensive with my units. Let enemies come to me, and I'll pick them off as they clash against my hardy frontline and have the backline of ranged units pick them off. I'll tell you right now, slow and steady is not going to fly in Metal Slug Tactics, and the gameplay is designed to rewire the way you think of this genre.

In this regard, Metal Slug Tactics stands out among other turn-based tactics titles, as it incentivizes speed. Leikir Studio makes a valiant effort in attempting to replicate the running and gunning that's so iconic to the series.

Here's the rundown: players gain dodge the more they move, and gain even more damage mitigation if they position units behind cover. Ordering units to stay still will very likely end with their doom, since they're out in the open with no protection whatsoever. I'm constantly on the move in Metal Slug Tactics, since your units only have 10 HP.

This is a fresh concept and introduces challenges in a natural way. Constantly being on the move means you'll come across more enemies within range, so positioning is vital. So yes, maximizing your dodge and cover is essential, but so is the proximity of your own units to each other.

There are sync attacks that allow your units to attack units in unison, allowing you to deal more damage. This is something that needs to be used throughout or, even on the lowest difficulty, you'll run into trouble. So when we combine the damage mitigation mechanics (dodge and cover) with sync attacks, combat flows pretty well and is very fast-paced.

The more you move, the more adrenaline you get, as well. That's your primary resource to activate abilities unique to your character. Fio, for example, excels at buffing allies with shields, or she can even move enemy or friendly units around the battlefield to gain an advantage. Ally units definitely have their niche, so there's a range of support, DPS, and tank-like archetypes.

Units also stand out with a set of different loadouts, featuring different primary and secondary weapons, as well as abilities. So as you progress and unlock more and more with currency gained from missions, you can tune your team to a decent degree.

Metal Slug Tactics Gets Lost in the Sauce

I tried my best to explain the mechanics in a concise way, but Metal Slug Tactics is actually quite overwhelming, even for someone like me who is used to the genre. The intro frontloads all the mechanics in a short, five-minute or so tutorial. It's far too much information in such a short time, so the first few hours can feel like a struggle.

There are dozens of too-similar terms like "special action", "bonus action", "bonus move" and... so much more. The developers added a way to read more about highlighted terms, but these tutorials branch out into even more tutorials. It's truly a case of information overload.

It doesn't help that the user interface is exceedingly messy and disorganized. Metal Slug Tactics doesn't really help you learn to navigate through various menus to upgrade and unlock new gear, and it's displayed in a generally unpleasant and disjointed way -- this is both during and outside of combat.

Metal Slug Tactics: Part Strategy, Part Roguelite

Let's address the elephant in the room: Metal Slug Tactics is a roguelite. At least, it incorporates roguelite elements into its gameplay, but it feels needlessly tacked on. This leads to a repetitive, RNG-fueled gameplay loop. I can't help but think that a linear campaign would have been a much better choice.

Here's how the roguelite elements come into play: Metal Slug Tactics' overworld is split into four separate regions, and you must complete at minimum one of three to move onto the final area. Within these regions are missions that grant a random pair of awards by completing a random set of objectives, up until the boss level spawns.

Levels are hand-crafted and not generated, so there's some decent level design that'll challenge players. Levels are generally compact in size, but those are usually exclusively for missions that task you with wiping out all enemies or eliminating certain targets. Those are the best missions, by the way.

If there's a mission that asks you to escort Rumi, run away and don't look back. Escort missions suck, and that's no different in Metal Slug Tactics. Rumi's AI is not great and enemies will kill her in no time, meaning you fail your entire run instantly.

There isn't a great deal of variety in objectives and maps are used over and over again, so you'll come across the same scenarios each and every run you make in Metal Slug Tactics. This creates a very repetitive gameplay loop that grows stale quite fast.

Adding even more repetition are bosses. There are only four bosses in Metal Slug Tactics, and no matter what difficulty you play on, they're basically the same fight. I'd get this impending feeling of dread knowing I would have to fight them at the end of the zone since these are easily the least enjoyable enemies to fight.

Throughout your run, you're able to gain mods to your weapons and level up your characters for new abilities, which makes things only a tad more engaging. There is an overabundance of passive abilities that all seem to be the same exact thing, perhaps because of how confusing the jargon is. As a result, abilities feel the same, and mods only slightly change the behavior of your weapons.

You're given a currency that can be used after each run to unlock more character abilities, weapon loadouts, and more, and that's Metal Slug Tactics' way of adding metaprogression. There's nothing super exciting about unlocking these since, again, most abilities and even weapons feel similar to one another. Unlocking new characters is fun, sure, but there is a limited roster.

Metal Slug Tactics Review | Final Thoughts

I also came across a surprising number of bugs during my time with Metal Slug Tactics. The most annoying was one that made me unable to use buttons on my controller for certain actions. Calling in a Metal Slug you can hop in and drive around is cool and all, but it sucks when doing so means I can't use my Xbox controller to fire or select abilities for the rest of the battle.

At one point during dialogue, I had to completely exit my game because, for whatever reason, it wouldn't let me progress. A funny glitch that was pretty consistent throughout my entire time playing was that reviving characters brings them back without their arms. It doesn't affect the gameplay, it just looks goofy.

While I'm critical of Metal Slug Tactics, it's still a fun game. Once you understand the obtuse mechanics and make your way into higher difficulties, there's some real strategy and planning required to succeed. Unfortunately, it doesn't change things up enough to stay consistently enjoyable, and the roguelite elements and the same four bosses are the chief offenders of this.

Metal Slug Tactics was reviewed on PC with a copy provided by the developer over the course of 16 hours of gameplay - all screenshots were taken during the process of review.