Metal Slug Tactics is an arcade reimagining worth playing on Game Pass

digitaltrends.com:

I was not expecting the Metal Slug franchise to transition to the strategy game genre as well as it did.

SNK’s classic action-platformer arcade series is a high-energy, bombastic shoot ’em up perfect for quick hits of destructive gaming goodness. Strategy games are inherently much slower-paced than Metal Slug typically was, so I wasn’t sure if Leikir Studio and Dotemu could effectively make the genre jump with this franchise. I’m happy to be proven wrong.

Metal Slug Tactics is an excellent example of the connective tissue between action and strategy games. This is a strategy game that encourages players to be on the move and constantly attacking, and its roguelite structure harks back to the series’ arcade roots. Metal Slug fans need not worry about this revival misunderstanding the series’ appeal.

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From action to strategy

There’s little to write home about with Metal Slug Tactics narrative, as it’s just about characters from previous Metal Slug and Ikari Warriors games once again taking on General Morden’s forces. This was never a story-focused franchise, so that’s not a big deal. The look and feel of Metal Slug Tactics kept me around run after run. Metal Slug Tactics expertly replicates the aesthetics of SNK’s arcade classics with gorgeous pixel art and faithful sound design.

The developers had to get more creative to stay true to Metal Slug on the gameplay front. Metal Slug Tactics is a roguelike where players fight through four regions. Players complete three missions within each region before facing off against a powerful boss. This structure lends itself to bite-sized play, like the arcade classics. While most strategy games require hours of dedicaton to a play session, I have no