Sometimes it’s better to let things remain in the past. Nostalgia makes us believe they were better than they were and so the re-release lacks the same magic. What can work really well instead is a complete reimagining of a classic. That’s what developer SNK Corporation has done with Metal Slug Attack Reloaded, a tower defense and deck building variation on the classic arcade run and gun game, Metal Slug.
Metal Slug Attack Reloaded retains the 2D pixelated art style of the 1996 original arcade game, but it swaps the genre out in favor of becoming a more beginner friendly tower defense game. It also combines elements of deck building games by making you select the units you want to go into battle with beforehand. Once you start, you can build units and either drip feed them into the line of fire or unleash them all at once for maximum impact.
There are five factions to choose from and over 300 characters to recruit. It’s odd playing a tower defense game where the towers are actually people charging at the enemy with their guns out, but it works. As time passes, your action points go up and you can recruit units. Wait longer to recruit the bigger, stronger ones, or flood the field with canon fodder to slow the enemy advance.
Before you go into battle you’ll customize your deck to have the units you wish to summon in it. During the fights the screen fills with units, both yours and the enemy’s, and missiles, explosions, bullets, and lasers fly everywhere. It’s chaotic and very reminiscent of arcade bullet hells and run and guns.
If you want to grab Metal Slug Attack Reloaded, you can buy it on Steam, right here. It’s available for $9.99 / £8.50.
There are loads of other retro games you can play once you’re done with Metal Slug, or you could try some strategy games.
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