During the last few years, DotEmu has been in charge of giving a new opportunity to some of the most loved, but not so remembered, franchises in the video game industry. Titles like Windjammers 2, Streets of Rage 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge They have been spectacular, so when it was announced that this team would be behind the publication of a new Metal Slug, many of us were excited. However, this project would not be a traditional 2D run and gun, but Leikir Studio, the developers, would leave this genre aside completely, to offer a turn-based strategy game, similar to Into the Breach. While many had doubts about this change, few lost faith. In this way, I recently had the opportunity to play the demo of Metal Slug Tactics in advance, and I can assure you that we are facing an unmissable title.
First of all, we must make clear what kind of experience exactly it is. Metal Slug Tactics. This is a turn-based strategy game, where we take control of the classic protagonists of the series: Marco Rossi, Tarma Roving, Eri Kasamoto, and Fio Germi. Our main objective is to command this team of soldiers throughout different missions with main and secondary objectives. Each one has a main weapon, which can be used infinitely, and a special one that has a limited amount of ammunition, as well as unique and passive abilities that give additional value to each unit on the battlefield.
Each character feels unique. Eri, for example, has a grenade launcher that deals adjacent damage. Even if some units start out very similar, like Marco and Fio, who share the same weapons, it’s eventually possible to unlock more gear, and each gets unique tools that work in different ways. An example of this is Marco, who can use LASER, which is capable of damaging enemies in a line at the same time.
Instead of being a conventional strategy game, like Fire Emblem, Metal Slug Tactics It has two elements that make it unique. The first of these is mobility. Here we are presented with the traditional grid field that we find in multiple exponents of the genre. The interesting thing is that depending on the actions each unit takes when moving them, they will gain Adrenaline points that are necessary to activate their unique abilities. This encourages you to constantly move units around, rather than simply accommodating them in one place. Depending on the type of terrain they traverse, they can earn more Adrenaline points by scaling a building or jumping across a gap.
Unit positioning is very important, not only because you can take cover from enemy fire by standing next to a wall or a sandbag, but your units can make synchronized attacks. If your target is in the line of attack of two or three teammates, the rest of the squad will attack immediately without consuming one of the two actions they can take each turn. This is simulating systems like that of wargroove either Triangle Strategywhere you constantly have to take into consideration the synergy your team has, and how you can do the most damage using the few resources at your disposal.
Considering that each unit can only fire in four directions, without the possibility of having a 360-degree attack range, at least initially, attacking from two fronts is easy to do, although it does require you to pay close attention to the way you which your heroes are positioned on a map. This becomes more interesting as we unlock more weapons and the way to initiate a sync expands.
The second element that makes this experience unique is its progression. Instead of presenting us with a linear adventure, this title is a roguelite. There are no levels here, but regions that we have to liberate. Each area is made up of different missions that we have to complete until it is time to face the boss. Only one of these areas is available in the demo, and once we complete four main objectives, it is time to face a quite challenging boss.
Upon completing each mission, our characters can modify their weapons, adding more ammunition for their special weapon, or adding some unique benefit. As if that were not enough, when a unit levels up it gains a new ability. These range from an additional power that requires Adrenaline points to use, or passive abilities that provide some advantage on the battlefield. In the event that all your units die, or you manage to defeat the boss, everything you have obtained is lost, and you will have to start over with the basic equipment.
Fortunately, at the end of each match, you earn special coins that you can use at the base to unlock new equipment and abilities that will appear in future game sessions. Along with this, it is possible to modify each weapon, although this section was not present in the demo. All of this results in an addictive experience, and considering that this is a challenging title, you will constantly be experimenting with everything you need. Metal Slug Tactics has for us.
Although you can finish the demo in just a moment, it is possible to continue playing to unlock additional content and discover all the possibilities hidden here. This is a fantastic first look at Metal Slug Tactics, and makes it clear that Leikir Studio is doing a great job with this property. Although the preview is not perfect, since it currently does not even have control support on PC, the final version will surely offer a polished experience in all sections. I can’t wait to play Metal Slug Tactics when it is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC in the fall of 2024. We remind you that its demo is now available on Steam.
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