‘Metal Slug’ gets a turn-based makeover in ‘Metal Slug Tactics’

The fan favorite side-scrolling, gun-shooting, explosion-filled, and rage-inducing mayhem of a game Metal Slug has now become a turn-based strategy title in its latest installment by SNK.

Metal Slug Tactics was announced during the Geoff Keighley-hosted Summer Game Fest: Kickoff event last June 10.

Metal Slug initially started as a Japanese run and gun game created by Nazca Corporation in 1994. The company was then acquired by SNK in 1996 after the success of the first game.

However, this is not the first time that Metal Slug has strayed away from its original genre.

In 2006, SNK tried to be cute by making it a third-person shooter with the release of Metal Slug 3D (Metal Slug) for the PlayStation 2 which received mostly negative reviews from critics and was only released in Japan because of that.

The mobile ports of the series also went to a new genre and became tower defense games with Metal Slug Attack and Metal Slug Defense, however this time, it did not receive negative reviews.

The trailer shows beloved characters Marco, Eri, Fio and Tarma of the Peregrine Falcon Squad duke it out with the franchise's signature villains on tiled boards with different terrains.

Players will see and use familiar Metal Slug weapons and machinery while acquiring perks and skill trees to gain advantage against the AI of the game.

The game will also have “roguelite” elements where there will only be a portion or some form of progress preserved from one playthrough to the next.

There are still no release date announcements as of this writing but fans will surely be itching to get their hands on this title.

(Images from SNK)