As a seasoned gamer with over three decades under my belt, I must say that Metal Slug Tactics is quite the intriguing blend of old and new. It harks back to the classic run-and-gun gameplay of the original series, while introducing a fresh turn-based strategy roguelite twist that keeps me hooked.
Metal Slug has always had a charming quality about it. Unlike games such as Contra that intensified with extraterrestrial threats and gruesome imagery, Metal Slug opted for humor instead. It combined its classic run-and-gun gameplay with absurdly large machines, caricatured villains, and a cast of action heroes who were reminiscent of familiar stereotypes in a humorous way.
Metal Slug Tactics marks the franchise’s debut into turn-based strategy games with a roguelike element, and it delivers quite well, thanks to its clever gameplay and preservation of the wacky charm the series is renowned for. However, outdated tropes and factors beyond your tactical control affecting success too much prevent this endeavor from achieving an absolute triumph.
Strategy shifts the classic side-scroller onto an isometric grid, and the models inspired by pixel art beautifully embody the familiar style of the series. From the recognizable POWs to the famous Metal Slug tanks themselves, everything seems authentically transferred into 3D. The isometric battlefields are filled with diverse terrain, buildings, vegetation, and other scenic elements that feel authentic, and the bosses are exactly the kind of intricate machinery you’d expect.
In this game, a solitary mission lands your three-person team on a compact battleground where turns are exchanged for moving, attacking, and deploying special abilities. A unique feature is the sync attack mechanism. If one of your soldiers hits an opponent, and another member has them within range and in line of sight, they will simultaneously attack. Usually, a single strike won’t be enough to defeat an enemy, so mastering sync setups becomes crucial. It’s incredibly rewarding when you manage to chain multiple sync attacks for each character during a round, eliminating opponents or causing immense damage to the gigantic bosses that appear at the end of regions.
In Advance Wars, your characters and equipment aren’t as easily replaceable as soldiers and vehicles, and if one character falls in battle, it’s not the end of the world like in classic Fire Emblem. Instead, you can revive downed units during a mission using a limited number of resurrections. Moreover, everyone is fully healed at the end of each level, which adds an element of strategy and excitement when deciding whether to complete objectives with fewer troops.
The primary characters in this game are an enjoyable lot. Initially, you get to choose from three out of nine possible champions, including veteran Sluggers Marco and Eri. As you progress through levels, additional characters usually become accessible. It’s delightful that Tactics introduces characters such as Clark and Rolf from the sister series Ikari Warriors. Each character comes with a distinct blend of weapons, skills, and inherent advantages, which makes trying out various team combinations intriguing. For instance, Marco’s pistol may not inflict as much damage as Rolf’s knife, but striking targets from concealed positions at a distance can be more strategic in certain situations.
In my gaming experience, my actions are fueled by an exhilarating rush known as adrenaline. This surge intensifies according to the distance I cover during each turn, and not only does it propel me forward but also bolsters my defenses, making me less vulnerable to incoming attacks. This encourages a bold, active playstyle instead of a cautious inch-by-inch advancement. To begin with, these abilities may seem modest, like Fio moving just a few spaces at a time. But as the game progresses and I conquer level after level, I’m often rewarded with access to new and powerful abilities. The temptation to take a few extra steps in a turn becomes irresistible when I can unleash a devastating air strike that obliterates my opponents at the end of it!
Each stage in this game has both a primary and secondary goal. Completing the principal objective is essential for progression, while successfully fulfilling the secondary one, which usually involves tasks like winning within a certain number of turns or avoiding damage, grants extra rewards. If you fail to accomplish the main task or if your entire team gets eliminated, the game resets, and you have to restart from the base camp. This classic structure generally works effectively here, though some missions are more enjoyable than others. For instance, taking out four specific targets within a time limit can be exciting. On the other hand, guiding a slow-moving character to an exit on the opposite side of the battlefield is less engaging.
As I traverse through this gaming universe, I find myself on a Mario-like overworld map, connecting different levels via paths. Each level showcases potential rewards, but only three are immediately accessible at first glance. If my goal is to snatch up those coveted Strategic Assets, which grant me the power to summon mighty Metal Slugs as single-use items, I’ll have to strategize a purposeful route. This forces a moment of thoughtfulness before diving headfirst into the action, making the experience even more engaging and rewarding.
Finishing three stages brings about the appearance of the boss for that region, and these battles offer the most engaging and thrilling challenges found within Tactics. Each encounter features a large health bar, unique characteristics, and an endless stream of minor enemies to keep the tension high. There’s nothing quite like taking cover from wide-area attacks by a colossal robot serpent or leaping from ship to ship while battling a massive warship in regular missions. They perfectly balance difficulty and excitement, making them an excellent way to refresh between standard missions.
Completing missions can be quite difficult, and finishing all levels for the first time is a significant accomplishment. This experience mirrors other roguelike games, where the initial full clear (approximately 10 hours) isn’t the final goal. Instead, it opens up a new stage that emphasizes the specific actions taken during each run, thereby adding an extra layer of strategy as you become proficient in the basics. Additionally, it introduces optional bosses to keep things interesting.
As a gamer, I find myself yearning for more diversity in the game’s regions. Although there are four distinct areas, two of them are deserts, and while they each have their own unique challenges such as swift movement through the sewers in the Urban region, it can become monotonous after multiple playthroughs due to the repetitive nature of looping through the levels.
In each location, there’s a special blend of foes with diverse attack patterns and behaviors, effectively making each one stand out. However, it seems overdue to phase out certain racial stereotypes that have been recurring. For instance, it doesn’t add much if an enemy in a desert wears a turban and wields a saber, or if those you combat in the jungle are labeled as “Natives,” simply because these elements were present in previous Metal Slug games.
In each playthrough, there’s a significant element of unpredictability, making it seem as though success depends more on luck than strategic choices. You get to choose which region to invade initially, but everything from levels to objectives and rewards changes with each try. If fortune favors you, you’ll find potent upgrades and abilities in the simpler stages. Conversely, if misfortune strikes, tasks can seem insurmountable. It’s disheartening when a promising run is cut short because you can’t destroy an armored truck before it gets away, and you lack the firepower to do so. It’s even more frustrating when you enter a boss fight knowing that your current equipment makes survival highly unlikely.
In simpler terms, the problem lies in the fact that the incremental improvements you can gain are not substantial enough. In Metal Slug Tactics, the primary focus is on earning money to acquire more loadouts and abilities. Loadouts decide your initial weapons and abilities, offering additional, but not necessarily superior, choices. Purchasing abilities directly adds them to the possible upgrades after leveling up, which means relying on luck once again, as there are only a few abilities to add for each character. After several playthroughs, it becomes challenging to feel that your efforts matter, especially when compared to other roguelikes like Hades, where every run contributes towards persistent weapon enhancements, regardless of success or failure. This can be hard to accept when progress seems minimal.
Metal Slug Tactics masterfully preserves the aesthetic and essence of Metal Slug while transforming it into a turn-based strategy game with roguelike elements. The tactical aspects, which involve using thrilling abilities and synchronized attacks, create engaging battles that feel intelligent. However, the game’s success seems to hinge heavily on luck, whether it’s getting favorable mission sequences or acquiring beneficial rewards and upgrades. Additionally, the somewhat antiquated enemy designs can be a bit disconcerting. These oversights, which could have been avoided, slightly impede the progress of this otherwise competent strategy game.
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2024-11-13 01:09