Every Metal Slug game, ranked

I consider Metal Slug to be one of the high-water marks in run-and-gun gaming. Its art style wasn’t just well-executed for its time, it’s still considered to be some of the best pixel art to ever grace a cathode-ray tube, while the gameplay is tight and inventive. It is a titan of arcade games.

But there were a lot of them, and they definitely weren’t made equal. While the games by the original developers were all terrific, after SNK’s bankruptcy in 2002, things started getting shaky. However, it wasn’t always bad. In fact, depending on your standards, it was never bad.

If you want to get into the series, the advice most would give is to play Metal Slug 1, X, and 3, with sometimes 2 thrown in there. But with Metal Slug Awakening and Metal Slug Tactics right around the corner, you may feel like digging deeper. If so, here’s what you’re in for.

There’s one caveat I want to bring up before we dive in. There were a number of Metal Slug games released on pre-smart cell phones. There were also a few online mobile games released in other territories. Because of the vast array of these, the poor documentation of them, and the lack of accessibility (most have been delisted), I’m omitting them. Also, the pachinko machines because I wouldn’t even know how to compare them.

15. Metal Slug Defense

Metal Slug Defense subscribes pretty closely to the mobile-formula tower defense genre. You build up resources, then send out units to clash with opposing units. The only real twist here is the Metal Slug graphics, but the graphics are where its connection to the series ends. 

It’s not a terrible take on the formula, and you can now get it pretty cheap on PC without the freemium elements. However, I have to warn you that the genre is designed to be addicting by using frequent, incremental progress to make it difficult to quit. Player connection is generally the goal of most games, but when it’s applied to such shallow gameplay in a way that’s meant to entice you to spend money, it feels gross. Having the microtransactions reduced (slightly) on PC helps with the moral issues, but not with the lack of depth.

14. Metal Slug Attack

I’d struggle to tell you what the fundamental difference between Metal Slug Defense and Metal Slug Attack is. Foundationally and in concept, they’re the same game. It’s a shallow take on tower defense where you try to optimize your use of resources. You send units out with the goal of breaking through the enemy troops and destroying their base.

The major change is in the framework of the games. Metal Slug Attack uses more of a gacha system. That, in itself, is a more effective way to get people to spend on microtransactions. However, with the recently released Metal Slug Attack Reloaded on PC and consoles, they once again removed the microtransactions. Gacha without microtransactions is a bit more enjoyable than what was present in Metal Slug Defense, which is why Attack slightly edges it out. However, it’s still just using devious methods to get your brain to squirt chemicals without providing any meaningful experience.

13. Metal Slug Touch

Metal Slug Touch is a bit of an odd title. There are only four levels and they take place entirely within vehicles. Being a smartphone game, there are only touch controls, which isn’t great for a game that requires fine movement. On the plus side, it isn’t freemium. On the downside, it’s pretty insubstantial. It somewhat resembles a Metal Slug game because of its controls and the fact that the art is lifted entirely from the arcade titles. However, it completely lacks in real effort. 

You can’t really buy it anymore since it isn’t compatible with newer phones, so that’s maybe a good thing.

12. Metal Slug Advance

The Game Boy Advance seems like it would be a great platform for Metal Slug. At the time of release, Metal Slug Advance was pretty well received, but I struggle to understand why. It certainly has the look of the arcade games, but it feels like a lot of life has been sucked out. A health bar replaces the instant death of the core series, and the gameplay is just so much slower. It looks like a Metal Slug game, but it barely feels like one. I could barely force myself to play it.

11. Metal Slug 7/XX

Metal Slug 7 moved the core series to handheld, being first released on the Nintendo DS. In its initial context of being the first game to maintain the classic gameplay on a handheld platform without compromise, it’s rather admirable and was fun to see at the time. These days, it’s more difficult to see in that same positive light. Especially if you play the console version, Metal Slug XX.

You’re going to see me refer to most of the games released after SNK’s initial bankruptcy in 2001 as “bland.” Metal Slug 7/XX is the blandest of the bland. The solid gameplay is still there and it moves the action to interesting settings, but the flow of the action is just so uninteresting. It’s not awful, but when all is said and done, my final thoughts on it are, “Well, it’s Metal Slug, I guess.”

10. Metal Slug 1st Mission

SNK came out swinging with its NeoGeo Pocket handheld. They worked tirelessly to get representation of all their arcade hits on the little portable in a failed attempt to get it off the ground, and Metal Slug was among them. Metal Slug 1st Mission is a valiant effort. It plays roughly like you’d expect a game in the series to, but with a lot less detail. 

It omits the mainstay protagonists for some new ones, but many of the features from the arcade have made it in. It’s simply that, with the limitations of the platform, it can’t really capture the same flow or excitement. It’s at least more faithful to the formula than Metal Slug Advance.

9. Metal Slug 3D

I believe it is possible for Metal Slug to be adapted to a 3D shooter, but if I were to envision it, it probably wouldn’t resemble Metal Slug 3D. I’d imagine something fast, like a modern character action game with fast movement and tight controls. Metal Slug 3D is not that.

Instead, it’s a weird anthology of really short missions in tight areas. They’re slow and the aiming system doesn’t really allow for much speed. The mission design is pretty lame, and it instead leans pretty hard on upgrades to create a meaningful experience. It’s not awful, but it’s a pretty far cry from the 2D games from which it’s based. If anything, the biggest reason to play it is the 3D graphics. They’re… fine. They don’t have the charm of the 2D sprites, but at least the art team didn’t do something dumb like try and make them look realistic.

Weirdly, Metal Slug 3D never made it out of Japan. It’s strange, because most of the game is already in English. It’s sometimes said that it was never released elsewhere because of poor reception, but I can’t find any solid source for that information.

8. Metal Slug 4

SNK went bankrupt in 2001, and while it was quickly resurrected as SNK Playmore, it was never the same company again. The original developers of the Metal Slug series disbanded, and the fourth entry was handed off to Mega Enterprise and Noise Factory. They did… fine. It’s… fine. 

The core gameplay is largely unchanged in Metal Slug 4, and it still feels great, but the inventiveness is gone. Mostly, the new developers built on what was already there, even recycling quite a bit from the earlier games. It feels like the groundwork is generally what makes Metal Slug 4 passable. The mechanics that were already in place do a lot of heavy lifting for what is otherwise a bland experience.

What will suck most for some people is that Eri and Tarma have been replaced with Trevor and Nadia. I thought the new characters were crossovers from King of Fighters for some reason, but that appears not to be the case. That just makes the replacement more worthy of some head-scratching. I’d understand two additional characters, but replacing two of the main cast wasn’t a great idea.

7. Metal Slug 6

Metal Slug 6 is… fine. It’s the first mainline game to not be released on the NeoGeo MVS hardware, instead landing on Atomiswave. Thematically, it returns to the Martians. It brings the playable character count to 6 with Ralph and Clark from Ikari Warriors. At least they didn’t replace any of the mainstay characters like they did with Metal Slug 4.

It just feels bland. The titles that followed the bankruptcy of SNK all maintain the quality gameplay of the series, but they have this loose and (of course) bland feeling. And while Metal Slug 4 felt the worst, Metal Slug 6 seems to highlight the gulf in quality by using higher-resolution background in a completely different art style than the pixel art going on in the foreground. It’s an ugly dissonance. On the whole, it isn’t terrible, but it doesn’t redeem the post-Nazca games.

6. Metal Slug 2nd Mission

While Metal Slug 1st Mission simply felt like an attempt to get the series onto SNK’s little handheld, Metal Slug 2nd Mission expands it to something beyond just an underpowered port. The levels are more expansive with better variety, there are more slugs, better weapon control, and a branching campaign. It’s also more challenging, longer, and more fun. 1st Mission was an admirable but undernourished port of the arcade classics, but 2nd Mission is worth playing.

5. Metal Slug 5

Of the Metal Slug games that came out after SNK’s collapse, Metal Slug 5 holds up the best. It provides some extremely memorable moments, like battling a huge bomber in the sky or driving down the highway in a heavily armed jalopy. Given that Metal Slug 4 felt like it was just keeping the series in a holding pattern following the exit of the original developers, it was a step in the right direction, even if it didn’t keep to that path.

However, there are some major drawbacks. For one thing, they added a ground slide. This is executed by holding down and jumping. This is at odds with the fact that, in every other mainline game in the series, you would hold down and jump to shoot at anything below you. This small change means you have to be constantly aware of what you press when attacking below you.

Aside from that, there’s some sloppiness to the whole package. Some bosses needed a bit more fine-tuning and it ends really abruptly with a battle that feels out of place. To top it off, it completely lacks the ambition of Metal Slug 3, only featuring level branching to a very token extent.

4. Metal Slug 3

There are a lot of people – including a few who have made lists like this one – who would put Metal Slug 3 at the top. I don’t agree, but you could safely shuffle Metal Slugs 1,2, X, and 3 and have a good time.

Metal Slug 3 is where things start to get really bizarre. While Metal Slug 2 and X brought in the Martians toward the end, the first enemies you see in 3 are giant crabs. There are missions aboard tiny submarines, one where you face off against a zombie horde, and then… we get to the aliens.

Honestly, Metal Slug 3 would be higher on my list if it wasn’t for the finale. It takes you into space, which sounds awesome, but it’s actually an overly-long gauntlet against the Martians. There are hordes of them, stuck through rather barren hallways. It gets really quarter-munchy and is so protracted that it feels at odds with its arcade origins. There’s a terrific finale, but the ending feels less exciting and more like a relief.

Everything leading up to it is gravy. For as low as the final mission is, there are plenty of highs to help make up for it.

3. Metal Slug 2

Metal Slug 2 would also be higher on this list if it wasn’t for a few drawbacks. Chief among these, and one of the issues that led to the revamped Metal Slug X, is that there’s a lot of slowdown. When the action gets heavy, the frame rate drops and it can really crawl.

Even with that issue, there are still a lot of redeeming qualities. It introduces many new features to the original, including transformations that change how your character moves and attacks, and new “slugs” beyond just the tank. It’s also slightly more grounded and less over-the-top than Metal Slug X, which might be more appealing if you aren’t a fan of the craziness that can be found in later games.

It’s also the game that introduced Eri Kasamoto and Fiolina “Fio” Germi into the mix of playable characters. It also contains my favorite boss, Big Shiee, but you can get these things in Metal Slug X.

2. Metal Slug

The original Metal Slug is the game I tend to replay the most. While it’s a lot simpler and less varied than the games that followed it, that’s part of why I enjoy it so much. It’s solid, relying less on surprises and chaotic situations. There are still plenty of those, but it’s easier to enjoy the tight gameplay without so many distractions.

At this point in the rankings, it’s hard to really describe Metal Slug without covering already-trodden ground. It introduced Marco and Tarma, most of the arsenal, the POWs, and the eponymous Metal Slug SV-001 tank. It established the tight controls and the transcendentally amazing pixel art that defines the series. Nazca and SNK nailed it on their first try, and everything that came afterward is just butter.

1. Metal Slug X

As alluded to when talking about Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug X is essentially an upgraded version of that game. Metal Slug 2: Turbo, if you will. While the levels are essentially the same, everything has been revamped. This includes boss and power-up placement, as well as some major art changes. Perhaps most importantly, most of the slowdown that plagued the first sequel has been fixed.

It’s not entirely a replacement for Metal Slug 2, but it leaves little reason to go back to it. It tends to throw the new features presented in that game directly in your face so you can’t miss them, which leads to things sometimes feeling a bit overly chaotic. On the other hand, the new features are awesome. The bosses are great, the levels are varied, and everything feels terrific. 

Honestly, I’d probably put Metal Slug above this one, except for one major problem: the original Metal Slug doesn’t have Fio, and everything is better with Fio.