The main gameplay loop revolves around completing missions, upgrading characters, forming powerful squads, and then progressively clearing the main story missions. Regarding the gameplay, Metal Slug: Commander is a gacha RPG with idle elements, where players can unlock a variety of different characters from the MS universe. Specifically, in this game, you act as the commander of an elite group of operatives, which include characters from other Metal Slug games like Marco, Fio, Trevor, and others, and must lead them to put an end to the ongoing conflicts over the planet’s precious resources. Instead of a shoot-em-up, however, this new entry is an idle gacha RPG set in the Metal Slug universe. Metal Slug’s graphics and animations are elements that have withstood the test of time, persevering even today with the franchise’s newest game, Metal Slug: Commander. This game offered some of the most detailed hand-drawn sprites and animations that breathe life into the world and battles, which is ironic considering that the main point of the game is to take your enemy’s lives. However, while the action elements were pretty standard for the era, Metal Slug stood out among the rest for one main reason: its visuals. And as far as the gameplay goes, it was pretty awesome, offering a wide variety of stages, enemies, and weapons.
Originally released in 1996, this franchise consisted of run and gun sections featuring a variety of different playable characters. There are few side-scrolling shoot-em-up franchises as iconic as SNK’s Metal Slug.