METAL SLUG ATTACK RELOADED

About

"METAL SLUG ATTACK RELOADED" is a tower defense game with a classic action shooter theme, featuring the beloved 2D pixel art graphics of the original METAL SLUG series. With over 300 characters from five different factions, players can build their strongest deck and use various strategies to crush enemy bases. The game also includes additional modes like "ANOTHER STORY" and "GALLERY" for fans to explore, as well as PvP action to compete with players worldwide. Easy-to-learn controls ensure that anyone can enjoy the game's hard-core action.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 642 reviews

gameplay12 positive mentions

grinding174 negative mentions

The game successfully revives the nostalgic elements of the original Metal Slug Attack, providing a fun experience for fans of the franchise.
It features beautiful pixel art and animations, showcasing the series' iconic style.
The removal of microtransactions allows for a more straightforward gameplay experience, making it accessible for players who want to enjoy the game without spending extra money.

The game suffers from excessive grinding, making progression tedious and frustrating, especially in later levels.
There are significant difficulty spikes that can make certain missions feel unfair and nearly impossible without specific units.
The user interface is clunky and lacks quality of life improvements, leading to a cumbersome experience when navigating menus and managing units.

grinding
174 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting it as excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring repetitive farming of levels and items to progress. While some appreciate the challenge and find the grind enjoyable, others criticize it as a major flaw that detracts from the overall experience, especially given the lack of quality-of-life improvements. Overall, the game appeals primarily to those who enjoy grind-heavy mechanics, while newcomers or those averse to grinding may find it frustrating.
- “This game is 90% extremely boring grinding and 10% game.”
- “It took me nearly 34 hours to beat the story mode but 95% of the game is consistent grinding for levels or items to upgrade characters; if that's not your type of game, avoid this time sink.”
- “Excessive grinding is a huge problem, making some stages feel like hard walls due to the unfair deployment speed enemies have.”
story
108 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
87%
7%
The game's story is described as simplistic and often overshadowed by excessive grinding and difficulty spikes, particularly in the "another story" missions, which many players find frustrating and poorly balanced. While some appreciate the character interactions and cutscenes, others criticize the story for being lazy and filled with nonsensical elements, making it feel like a chore to progress. Overall, the narrative may appeal to fans of the franchise, but it is marred by gameplay issues that detract from the experience.
- “The main story and the side stories are also really interesting and don't fail to disappoint.”
- “Having never played the original mobile version, I find this game a very fun successor to Metal Slug Defense with more characters and a story filled with cutscenes where characters interact with each other.”
- “If you love the Metal Slug franchise and its story, this game might be for you since there is a story mode for each of the factions.”
- “Do not take this game nor its story seriously at any point or you'll get upset.”
- “However, the story mode seems lazy and barebones and is arguably what you get for the price of the game ($10 USD). The game store page describes the game as a tower defense, which isn't the case as it plays more like an auto battler but isn't optimized to auto-farm stages.”
- “Stay clear until they properly balance the game, as some (another story) missions are completely impossible to complete without cheating.”
gameplay
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
70%
7%
The gameplay is characterized as a reworked gacha experience that offers simple mechanics and auto-battler elements, making it accessible yet grind-heavy, especially after the initial hours. Players appreciate the fair gacha system and nostalgic elements, but many express frustration with the excessive grinding and lack of quality-of-life features typical of mobile games, such as an energy system or skip mechanics. Overall, while the game can be enjoyable for casual play and multiplayer, it suffers from repetitive tasks and a need for improvements to enhance the player experience.
- “This is a decent enough rework of a gacha game; it's a fun time-waster with good music, nice sprite animation, and simple-to-play mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is smoother than a buttered-up sloth on roller skates.”
- “As a wee lad, I remember playing Kind Arthur's World on the SNES for hours on end, and this game has managed to bring that same addictive gameplay.”
- “Gameplay gets extremely grindy after the first handful of hours and main story content is locked off behind completion of side content based around each faction.”
- “It comes with an auto button that you'll want to use a lot after the first few stages, which makes the gameplay pretty mindless.”
- “Probably most of my gameplay has been spent waiting for stupid little animations on the actual hundreds of things you need to repeatedly click 'level-up' on, which can only be done 1 by 1.”
monetization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
68%
11%
The game features a more honest monetization model, eliminating microtransactions and adopting a pay-up-front approach, which players appreciate as it avoids the pitfalls of predatory practices seen in its predecessor. However, this shift has led to a grindy experience with progression walls, requiring players to invest time to advance, but overall, the absence of in-game purchases is seen as a significant improvement. Players recommend the game for its fun gameplay and lack of nickel-and-dime tactics, despite acknowledging the grind involved.
- “It's a gacha game without microtransactions, which means the game's progression is very out of whack... so good news, the game will not nickel and dime you for everything.”
- “Bit grindy, but absolutely no microtransactions, so I can't complain.”
- “Really fun, they basically removed the in-game purchases.”
- “Metal Slug Attack was originally a mobile game filled to the brim with microtransactions - the whole game is a treadmill that was designed at every possible juncture to extract as much cash as possible from the player.”
- “Though you need to get used to grinding XP and items, since there's no in-game purchases.”
- “This is a repack of a game that was called Metal Slug Attack (a sequel to another dead game called Metal Slug Defense) that died some years ago, now is back without the microtransactions and GaaS stuff, adding controller support and some extras like a gallery.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
58%
12%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their detailed sprite artwork and faithful retention of the classic 2D style reminiscent of the original Metal Slug arcade games. While the visuals are appreciated, some players note that certain character designs, particularly the "waifus," feel out of place compared to the original aesthetic. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's charm, earning it a solid visual rating of 8/10.
- “Fun Metal Slug game that has hours of easy enjoyment packed into it, amazing details on all the sprites used, and great artwork.”
- “I also appreciate that they kept the 2D graphics in the same style as they were in the arcades back in the days.”
- “There is a lot of single player content, and if you can get past the grindy nature, I think there is at least $10 worth of content, and the art and graphics are what you would expect from an SNK product.”
- “I get this is a gacha game, but there's a lot of waifus in this game that look extremely out of place compared to the original characters aesthetically and artistically.”
- “Seeing your favorite unit do their thing is mostly what you are playing this for, so if you don't like the Metal Slug graphics, then this isn't for you.”
- “There is a lot of single-player content, and if you can get past the grindy nature, I think there is at least $10 worth of content, and the art and graphics are what you would expect from an SNK product.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The music in this reworked gacha game has received high praise, with players noting its nostalgic value and the impressive collection of tracks from the entire saga, including original compositions that stand out. Fans of the Metal Slug series will particularly enjoy the background music, which is described as both amazing and a great addition to the gameplay experience. Overall, the music enhances the enjoyment of the game, making it a worthwhile purchase for fans.
- “Interestingly enough, if you're a fan of Metal Slug music in general, the BGM collection on this game is pretty amazing. By the end, you can keep using it as a personal jukebox of sorts. Very nice! Some of the original new tracks for this version go really hard too and are very dope!”
- “That said, you get all the music in the entire saga, so yeah... worth it.”
- “Interestingly enough, if you're a fan of Metal Slug music in general, the BGM collection in this game is pretty amazing. By the end, you can keep using it as a personal jukebox of sorts. Some of the original new tracks for this version are really impressive and enjoyable!”
- “I think that 10 bucks for this game is a steal if you are into tower defense-like games and/or Metal Slug. There is a lot of original content here, including sprites, art, and music, that I am glad is not lost in gacha hell.”
- “It made me really nostalgic booting it up and hearing the music.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised for its smooth performance, though some players note that balancing issues exist among factions. However, the complexity of managing over 300 characters makes optimization challenging, and the story mode is criticized for being underdeveloped. Additionally, the game is misclassified as a tower defense, as it functions more like an auto battler without effective auto-farming capabilities.
- “The game works really well and runs smoothly. The balancing does come into question when talking about some of the factions, but by default, they're usually quite balanced and strong.”
- “With 300+ characters and 10 slots to build your army, optimization is a near impossibility.”
- “However, the story mode seems lazy and barebones and is arguably what you get for the price of the game ($10 USD). The game store page describes the game as a tower defense, which isn't the case as it plays more like an auto battler but isn't optimized to auto farm stages.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the Metal Slug franchise is marked by a deep sense of nostalgia and frustration, as players reflect on the love and care that has gone into the series, juxtaposed with feelings of misery stemming from corporate exploitation. The closure of the game elicited a bittersweet sense of relief for some, highlighting the complex emotional relationship fans have developed over the years.
- “This game made me feel miserable for so many years, and when it finally shut down, I thought I was finally free...”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its bizarre and amusing Engrish translations, which, despite appearing as placeholder text, contribute to its quirky charm. Additionally, the jarring combination of gacha game original characters with the Metal Slug universe adds to the comedic effect, making the overall experience both cheap and entertaining. Recent updates, such as the option to skip victory animations, have also been noted humorously by players.
- “A cheap and kinda nasty game coupled with hilariously odd Engrish translations (some stories are actually placeholder text from the looks of it, but it adds to the weird charm of the whole thing!) and wildly out of place gacha game OCs that clash really badly with the Metal Slug characters and sprites...”
- “Hilariously, as of November 18, 2024, SNK has updated the game to allow the player to skip the victory animation.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the game is noted to be visually appealing, showcasing typical SNK character designs; however, it suffers from the limitations of being a mobile game ported to PC, which may affect the depth and complexity of character growth.