Metal Slug Tactics puts the series’ run-and-gun action on a grid. Leikir Studio developed the turn-based tactics game, Dotemu and Gamirror Games published it, and it came out on November 5, 2024 for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S.
The setup is familiar. General Donald Morden hid for years in a country opposed to the World Government, staged a coup, and gathered an army for revenge. The Peregrine Falcon Squad has to break through enemy lines and take him down before the war escalates.
Trailer, via Dotemu.
Morden Waits, the Falcons Deploy
The story is thin, even by Metal Slug standards. Morden plots. The Falcons deploy. That is the whole arc, and the game does not pretend otherwise. It uses the setup as a frame for missions rather than a narrative to develop.
That is not a flaw. Metal Slug has never been about plot. The original games were about movement, shooting, and the next explosion. Tactics keeps the cast and the conflict but changes the question. Instead of asking how fast you can react, it asks how well you can plan.
The shift works because the source material is sturdy. Morden is a known villain with a known grudge. The Peregrine Falcons are a known squad. Players do not need a reason to fight. They need a reason to care about the fight, and the game supplies that through mechanics rather than cutscenes.
Regions End in Boss Fights
Metal Slug Tactics divides its campaign into regions. Each region ends with a boss fight. Each region is further split into missions that players can tackle in any order.
That freedom matters. Every mission has its own objectives and rewards. Players have to decide which resources they need most and which mission to take next. The game does not hand out a fixed path. It hands out a map and lets the player choose.
The structure is common in roguelike games, and Tactics leans into it. Individual squad members can be revived with reinforcement points during battle. If all characters are defeated, the player returns to the outpost and starts the campaign again.
That loop gives every mission weight. A bad turn can cost a run. A good run can unlock upgrades that make the next attempt easier.
The Outpost Sells Mods and Weapons
Between runs, the outpost is where progress happens. Players upgrade each character’s skills, improve weapons with mods, and buy new items and weapons from vendors.
The outpost is not a rest stop. It is the part of the game where the roguelite structure pays off. Every failed run feeds the next one. Every vendor purchase changes what is possible in the field. The game rewards patience as much as it rewards tactics.
That is a departure for Metal Slug. The original games were about immediate gratification. Tactics is about delayed gratification. It asks players to invest in a squad over time rather than survive a single stage.
Three Fighters, Two Action Points
Each mission lets players choose three characters from the Peregrine Falcons squad. Every character has a primary weapon with unlimited ammo, a secondary weapon with limited ammo, and a distinct skill.
Special abilities consume adrenaline. Adrenaline is generated by moving on the battlefield and by attacking enemies. That means the resource system is tied to action. Players who sit still do not build up power. Players who move and shoot do.
The grid-based movement gives each character two action points per turn. One point is for movement. The other is for performing an action. That split forces a choice every turn. Do you reposition or do you attack? Do you set up a sync attack or do you take the shot yourself?
Enemies attack on their turn. Players can hide behind cover to boost defense. The more a character moves during their turn, the higher their defense becomes. That creates a tension between moving to attack and moving to survive.
Sync Attacks Reward the Whole Board
The most interesting mechanic is the sync attack. By placing characters carefully on the battlefield, players can line up attacks. If one character attacks an opponent that is also within the line of sight of another character, the second character attacks automatically.
That turns positioning into a weapon. Two characters in the right spots can do more damage than three characters acting alone. The game rewards players who think about the whole board rather than the next shot.
Sync attacks also make the roguelite structure more forgiving. A well-placed squad can survive a bad draw. A poorly placed squad can lose a run even with good weapons.
What the Tactics Shift Costs
Metal Slug Tactics is a smart adaptation. It takes a series known for speed and turns it into a series known for planning. The grid, the action points, and the adrenaline system all serve that shift.
The roguelite loop is the right call. It gives the campaign a reason to exist beyond a single playthrough. The outpost upgrades make failure feel productive. The mission variety keeps the map from feeling like a checklist.
The weakness is the story. Morden’s return is a premise, not a plot. The game does not develop the conflict beyond the setup. Players who want narrative payoff will not find it here.
The other weakness is the pace. Turn-based tactics is slower than run-and-gun by design. Players who come to Metal Slug for reflex-driven action will find a different game. That is not a flaw, but it is a fact.
7.9 of 10
Metal Slug Tactics earns its score through execution. The grid-based combat is tight. The adrenaline system ties movement to power. The sync attacks reward spatial thinking. The roguelite loop gives the campaign legs.
The game does not try to be the old Metal Slug. It tries to be a tactics game with Metal Slug’s cast and conflict, and it succeeds. The Peregrine Falcons are a good squad for this kind of game. Morden is a good villain for this kind of game. The world map and the outpost give the campaign a shape that the original games never needed.
The score is 7.9 out of 10. That reflects a game that knows what it is and does it well. It is not a reinvention of the tactics genre. It is a confident spin-off that understands its source material and its own limits.
The score comes from an IGDB critic aggregate across six outlets. That is a narrow sample, and it is worth treating as one. The number is a starting point, not a final word.
KEY FACTS BOX
- Title: Metal Slug Tactics
- Developer: Leikir Studio
- Publishers: Dotemu, Gamirror Games
- Release date: November 5, 2024
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S
- Genre: Turn-based tactics, roguelite
- Modes: Single player
- Perspective: Isometric
- Critic aggregate score: 7.9/10 (IGDB, 6 outlets)
- Clay Tribune score: 7.9/10
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