The Peregrine Falcons are back, and old habits die hard as they fight back against Commander Morden in Metal Slug Tactics! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Metal Slug Tactics Review Overview

What is Metal Slug Tactics?

Metal Slug Tactics is a turn-based tactics roguelite spinoff of the popular side-scrolling shooter series, Metal Slug. The game features multiple characters that appeared throughout the game’s lifespan, like Marco, Tarma, Eri, Fio, and the rest. It features grid-based tactics gameplay that’s akin to Into the Breach but has the added element of roguelite aspects. Lastly, the game features unlockable mods for the characters’ weapons and additional abilities that change the way you’d use the characters entirely.

Metal Slug Tactics features:
　⚫︎　 Non-Deterministic Turn-Based Tactics Gameplay
　⚫︎　 Additional Roguelite Elements and Progression
　⚫︎　 9 Different Playable Characters With Different Skills and Loadouts
　⚫︎　 Variety of Regions and Bosses, Each With Their Own Gimmicks
　⚫︎　 Unlockable Story and Other Upgrades Based on Achievements

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Metal Slug Tactics’s gameplay and story.

Metal Slug Tactics
Steam		PlayStation		Switch		Xbox

Metal Slug Tactics Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Nostalgic Audiovisual Presentation Amazing Roguelite Tactics Design No Need to Bet on Percentages Ton of Skills and Achievements to Unlock	Quality of Life Improvements Needed Readability and Performance Issues

Metal Slug Tactics Overall - 84/100

Metal Slug Tactics may be considered a hidden gem given how it hasn’t been advertised enough, despite being a pretty good game. Roguelite games are generally known for their replayability and Metal Slug Tactics is a prime example of that, where it combines roguelite elements and strategy gameplay that’ll have you keep playing for hours. With engaging gameplay, great pixelated visuals, and infinite replayability, the game is an absolute steal for the fun factor at the price it’s offered at.

Metal Slug Tactics Story - 6/10

The story of Metal Slug has always been pretty spotty, to say the least. It’s mostly known as a game that you drop in and out of and just have mindless fun. This spinoff isn’t an exception, as the goal of the game is to thwart Commander Forden’s plans yet again. There are lore tidbits here and there about the characters and unlockable dialogue between each of them by getting achievements, but to call it an actual narrative or story may be pushing it.

Metal Slug Tactics Gameplay - 10/10

The gameplay is fast, engaging, and easy to understand, even for those who aren’t familiar with tactics games. Each character was made for a certain type of playstyle, and using their abilities in conjunction with your other characters is part of the fun. With the combination of roguelike elements and the ingenuity of integrating how the original series is played, the game is a cleverly made strategy game that’ll leave you wanting to play even more.

Metal Slug Tactics Visuals - 8/10

The game sports a pixelated aesthetic as it always had, yet this time it seems that they’ve stepped up quite a bit in terms of animation and character designs. The biggest issues that the game has are its readability and frequent slowdowns that the game had in the Switch version, as it was constantly an annoyance during gameplay.

Metal Slug Tactics Audio - 8/10

Metal Slug has always had a very distinct sound design, and it’s actually quite nostalgic given that the franchise has been out for a very long time. In terms of music, the series has always been known to have a very good soundtrack, and it doesn’t disappoint in this spinoff as well. I would say that the series’ narrator is memorable to the point that it’s one of the big reasons that the game is well-remembered.

Metal Slug Tactics Value for Money - 10/10

For $24.99 and a 10% discount on its release week, this game is an absolute steal! It cleverly combines the series’ run-and-gun design with strategic gameplay that’ll have you think about certain moves and how to optimize damage quickly. There are a few issues here and there, but the game is most definitely worth the pick up.

Metal Slug Tactics Review: A Clever Spinoff of a Historic Franchise

Back in the arcade era, Metal Slug was one of SNK’s most dominant series that was known for its addictive side-scrolling run-and-gun gameplay and iconic character and vehicle designs. While the series is way past its glory days, it had a couple of random spinoffs here and there just to say that the franchise isn’t completely gone. However, Metal Slug Tactics may be the best spinoff yet, as it combines its nostalgic run-and-gun design with modern roguelite tactical gameplay in this well-crafted strategy game.

The Peregrine Falcons Are Making a Comeback!

Over the course of its existence, Metal Slug has a number of characters that were included in the game. Metal Slug Tactics includes all of them in one, where it features all 9 of them: Marco, Tarma, Eri, Fio, Nadia, Trevor, and even the King of Fighters’ Ikari Warriors—Ralf, Clark, and Leona. It’s amazing to see that their iconic appearances are still memorable and that each of them is distinct in terms of how they’re played.

You’ll be able to form a team by choosing 3 different characters with varying weapon and skill loadouts, including passive skills and weapon modifications. Synergy is a big deal in the game, as it could make your runs infinitely easier with the game’s Sync attack system and how action economy works.

Nostalgic Look and Sound

The game looks absolutely great and even sounds amazing as well. The iconic pixelated design carries on, and even some of the music scores that were in the past games were added as motifs in some tracks as well. The nostalgia induced by the game’s audiovisual presentation is definitely noteworthy, and fans of the series will surely appreciate the game’s look and sound.

Some Issues and Minor Problems

Before we get into the nitty-gritty game mechanics, the game does have a couple of issues that hopefully get addressed. First, the game encountered some performance issues during gameplay, specifically slowdowns, frame drops, and even crashes. Other than the latter, it wasn’t entirely a game-ending issue, but it happened frequently enough to become an annoyance. I would advise against buying the game on the Nintendo Switch until this gets patched or fixed.

Second, the UI readability could definitely be improved as the Nintendo Switch port’s in-game text is way too small. Hopefully, they’ll add an option to make it bigger, as it got to a point where I couldn’t read the text at all anymore due to its small size.

Lastly, not being able to choose who to attack for Sync attacks is a big miss. The later stages and harder difficulties will have you encounter even more enemies and different enemy types that may need to be focused immediately. While this could be "fixed" by repositioning to a different line, there are times when the superior position is let down by the fact that you can’t target the biggest threat there in the enemy line.

Think About How You Run-and-Gun

Truth be told, the combination of the series’ run-and-gun identity and roguelite tactics gameplay may be the most creative I’ve seen yet. Its unique Dodge and Adrenaline mechanics are tied to the number of spaces you’ve moved using your Move token, which affect both your defensive capabilities and the amount of Adrenaline Points, similar to "mana" in other games, you can spend for skills.

While the gameplay itself isn’t entirely unique, it is a breath of fresh air that the game doesn’t use a percentage-based attack system similar to other tactics games and accounts for this by having overwhelming amounts of enemies.

So how do you deal with the huge number of enemies in every stage? The game has an offensive system called the Sync attack, which encourages you to play aggressively and have proper positioning in mind. Having characters attack an opponent that’s on the same line with one of your characters will have them participate in the attack as well, which in most cases doubles or even triples the amount of damage that you’ll be doing with a single action.

The most important part of this mechanic is that the one character that commenced the attack is the only one spending their action token, which means that ideally you’re able to pull off multiple Sync attacks in one turn to maximize the damage you’re dishing out.

This, in conjunction with the game’s abilities to refund or give characters bonus move and attack tokens when achieving certain conditions, makes for hyper-aggressive and thought-provoking gameplay where you’re always on the lookout for how to get the most amount of damage using Sync attacks and abilities.

A Hidden Gem That Deserves Your Attention

Metal Slug has been known to be a fast-paced arcade side-scrolling shooter where you always have to be on the move while shooting your enemies, and this game was able to achieve a similar gameplay design to that even with the genre being a full-on tactics game. The game’s roguelite elements and progression are in full effect, as the game has story snippets, skills, mods, loadouts, abilities, and even characters locked behind achievements.

You’ll need to play the game a lot to unlock everything, and honestly, I wouldn’t mind sinking in a lot of hours for a really good game. Metal Slug Tactics not only exceeded my expectations, it also made me realize that synergistic gameplay mechanics can be made without overcomplicating things. If you think about it, the franchise has never been one to complicate things, so it really is a match made in heaven.

Is Metal Slug Tactics Worth It?

Absolutely! The Peregrine Falcons Are Back!

For $24.99, Metal Slug Tactics is an absolute steal! Although always known as a frustratingly addictive side-scrolling arcade shooting game, the series is not one to shy away from making spinoffs. However, this may be the one where it really hit the bullseye.

It combines the replayability of roguelites with its progression and random upgrades, the hit-and-run identity that the series was known for with the game’s dodge and defense mechanic, and finally, the clever and tactical strategy that’s easy to understand.

Digital Storefronts
Steam		PlayStation		Switch		Xbox
$24.99

Metal Slug Tactics FAQ

What are the System Requirements to play Metal Slug Tactics?

The System Requirements listed on Steam are as follows:

Game8 Reviews

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Metal Slug Tactics Product Information

Title	METAL SLUG TACTICS
Release Date	November 5, 2024
Developer	Leikir Studio
Publisher	Dotemu, Gamera Games
Supported Platforms	PC(Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre	RPG, Strategy
Number of Players	1
Rating	PEGI 12
Official Website	Metal Slug Tactics Official Website

Michael Gerra-Clarin

Resident fighting game nerd, avid FFXIV fan, and enjoyer of mostly anything gaming. Currently, he is enjoying Dawntrail as a Viper, while dying to Messmer's flames in Shadow of the Erdtree.