Old-school video gamers know all about the 2-D action platformer Metal Slug. While the franchise has slowed down in recent years, the game just went in a new direction with the release of the highly anticipated Metal Slug Tactics.
The game brings back several familiar faces from the old Metal Slug, and each character comes with special abilities that help contribute to the team composition. With Tactics offering several ways to win a game, here’s a look at what each character brings to the table—so players can see how they fit certain playstyles.
The playable characters are as follows:
Marco Rossi –The original lead of the Metal Slug franchise. Marco, being the main character, is pretty well-balanced all around. Though he may not pack as hard a punch as some other characters, he excels at teamwork and can make for some great attacks with other characters.
Tarma Roving – Like Marco, Tarma is from the original game and was the character for Player 2. For Tactics, they’ve designed Tarma to be the master of mobility on the battlefield, which comes in handy since a lot of his weapons are short-range.
Fio Germi – Another of the earliest characters to come to the game, Fio in Tactics is great for support, focuses on ranged attacks, and keeps enemies at a distance. Some players say she makes for a great addition and should be a good pick for anyone learning to play the game.
Eri Kasamoto – The last of the retro roster, Eri in Tactics is said to specialize in climbing, and her access to bombs makes her pretty useful since they can almost ignore what elevation the enemy is on.
Nadia Cassel – When it comes to Nadia, early reactions to her say that she’s a very difficult character to use, especially when you’re just starting. A gadget specialist, Nadia can summon all kinds of tech to the field to help in the mission; she’s also said to be very mobile.
Trevor Spacey – The ability that sets Trevor apart from anyone else in the character roster is that he uses nanotechnology to get enemies to fight each other. It’s a handy skill for a character, and the low adrenaline costs for his abilities allow him to attack over and over again.
Ralf Jones – Not the most mobile of fighters. Ralf has a very short range in his attacks, but he can potentially deal major damage with his Vulcan Punch. His defense isn’t the best, but at least he can turn it into high-output damage.
Clark Still – Clark’s main ability in the game is to move other characters from where they are—which is an excellent skill for a tactical game. Though he may not have many abilities early in the game, he becomes a great support with more experience.
Leona Heidern – Another mobility-based character, Leona’s special skills allow her to leave decoys of herself all around the battlefield, able to confuse enemies as she runs circles around them. Players say she needs a lot of practice to master, but she makes for spectacular support.
So far, Metal Slug Tactics has been getting some great reviews from players. Despite the change in genre, it’s said to evoke many of the things that made the original Metal Slug feel the way it did.
Metal Slug Tactics is now available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.