There were a select few games that managed to dominate the 90s, and SNK’s Metal Slug is considered to be one of the most beloved side-scrolling shooters to ever come out.
Though there hasn’t been a classic format of Metal Slug in years, there is a reboot of sorts set to come out called Metal Slug Tactics, and they’ve just released a featurette looking into the history of the game and its legacy throughout the years. Check this out:
Explore the history of Metal Slug as members of the development team at SNK discuss the franchise, giving a peek at some of the original hand-drawn art, fluidity of the animations, gameplay, and sound design of the run-and-gun action game. The video also gives us a look at Metal Slug Tactics, and how Dotemu and Leikir Studio are adapting the world of Metal Slug into the upcoming strategy RPG, which stars icon characters Marco, Tarma, Eri, and Fio.
The game is essentially an ode to the Vietnam-era war movies with the players taking control of special forces soldiers who are dropped into cartoon war zones. In the video, it’s explained that the original idea was to just have players control the tank, but the plan evolved into having playable soldiers who could run across the stages and jump into all sorts of vehicles besides the iconic Slug tank.
When it comes to Tactics, the game essentially embraces the original pixelized art of the games, and brings them into a whole new world in the form of a strategy game. Admittedly, I was bummed it wasn’t like the original games, but seeing as the franchise fizzled out toward the end, this could be the reinvention of the IP that fans have been desperately waiting for.
Fingers crossed they manage to pull it off.
Metal Slug Tactics is set to launch for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC sometime later this year.
