Dotemu and Leikir Studio have released a new gameplay trailer for Metal Slug Tactics following their re-reveal of the strategy RPG a week ago. It describes how the game is a tactical RPG with a roguelike structure with persistent progression systems that allow the player to gradually power up their squad.

Before deploying on a mission, players have a lot of decisions to make at their HQ. They must form a three-unit party and each character has unique roles and loadouts they specialize in. There are additional weapon mods that will enhance the properties of each person’s arsenal. People must form party compositions that can efficiently achieve the next mission’s objective.

Selecting a battlefield is done through an overview map of the area. Liberating a zone will give a player’s party bonuses and rewards, so plan a route that will lead to efficiently achieving success.

Since Metal Slug is known for its iconic run-and-gun gameplay, mobility is a huge factor in Metal Slug Tactics. The more spaces that a character movies, the more damage reduction they gain. Getting behind cover will obviously provide more damage reduction.

Players can consume action points for their characters to fire their primary weapon, secondary weapon, or ability. Secondary weapons are powerful, but they have limited ammo.

If a character attacks in a range of another character’s weapon range, a Sync Attack will occur. This allows people to output even more damage through tactically considering their positions.

Of course, no Metal Slug game is complete without the Metal Slug tank itself. Call it to the battlefield, hop in, and unleash hell on foes. It consumes fuel to move and attack, but it can fire all of its weapons in a single turn if there’s enough fuel to do so.

Metal Slug Tactics is coming Fall 2024 to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. A limited-time demo is now available on Steam.

Publisher Dotemu (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, Streets of Rage 4) and developer Leikir Studio (Rogue Lords, Synergy) are proud to announce that the first-ever demo for Metal Slug Tactics, a grid-based tactical adaptation of the classic action series, is available today as part of Steam Next Fest from June 10 – 17. The full game is set to release later this fall on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. 

The news arrived alongside a new gameplay video exploring Metal Slug Tactics’ reimagining of METAL SLUG combat. The footage is brimming with energetic charm from Metal Slug Tactics’ snappy action to its isometric take on the excellent pixel art aesthetic the METAL SLUG series is known for.

Metal Slug Tactics’ demo joins the series’ starring warriors for a challenging, strategy testing approach to combat spanning the first region of the full game. You’ll begin in the squad’s barracks, a home base for upgrading characters and buying equipment, where you’ll choose fighters to deploy together on a mission. Consider each character’s unique abilities while building a team; the group’s dynamic will be key to attacking, flanking and outwitting the cast of enemies returning from the METAL SLUG series, including a few devious new foes. Clear high-tension fights to unlock Tarma as a playable character, an energetic powerhouse who’s invaluable when it comes to the boss battle-tier showdowns seen in the full version of Metal Slug Tactics.

Metal Slug Tactics is both a respectful homage to an all-time classic and an imaginative new way to celebrate the renowned series, channeling METAL SLUG’s timeless aesthetic through gorgeous pixel art and fluid animation. The game’s highly replayable battlefields pair shuffled layouts from hand-crafted sectors of terrain with subtle roguelite elements, pushing fighters to adapt and overcome unpredictable clashes as they master dynamic, strategic combat.

Wield classic METAL SLUG weaponry, leveraging skill trees, perks, and a super attack-fueling adrenaline system to outwit and demolish the flanks of the series’ signature villains. The action is backed by an original soundtrack featuring music from Tee Lopes (TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Sonic Mania, Streets of Rage 4’s Mr. X Nightmare DLC). Metal Slug Tactics is wholly developed by Leikir Studio with support from Dotemu and access supplied by IP owner SNK.