Even though mobile games get a bad rep among console users, there are a handful of those which can and should be ported to more systems, as long as proper adjustments are made beforehand. Honestly, there are some good times-wasting games out there that are perfect for a system like the Switch. That’s why I wanted to check out Metal Slug Attack Reloaded. Now, I’ve looked into the mobile game and one thing I can say for sure is that it’s a bit on the aggressive side with its pay-to-win tactics. Much like many other mobile games, its gacha mechanics lead to a lot of luck sometimes to be able to progress through the game.

Let’s start off with how Metal Slug Attack Reloaded is visually. It looks like Metal Slug. This is a series that hasn’t changed how it looks in decades in reality. The biggest issue is actually the simplicity of the map design. I’m aware this was originally a mobile game, but does it not warrant a little more effort than just a lot of brown? It makes it near on impossible at some points to see what kind of characters you have coming at your base, or if you even have any minions left to protect you.

That leads us into the actual gameplay. While you may be used to the side scrolling shooting of Metal Slug, this is a little bit more… AFK. Basically, you pick a deck of minions with varying costs to use, and then summon them when you have enough energy. Energy simply restores over time, and the game says as you defeat enemies, but it’s hard to even tell if that’s true sometimes. You’ll be able to spend energy to upgrade your maximum energy and the rate it restores at, but keep in mind it’s only for that battle. Outside of that, every once in a while you can press a button to make your minions use a special attack, and that’s the whole of the gameplay.

Now, the gacha mechanics are actually where I think Metal Slug Attack Reloaded really falls flat on its face. This is meant to be a system where you can obviously spend real money to get ahead with summoning new minions or getting duplicates which lets you upgrade and level what you have already. The thing with this port is that obviously isn’t an option, and the rate you get the in-game currency from missions seems to be the exact same. The reason this is an issue is because this is a mechanic made to make you hit a wall and spend money in the mobile game, but since you basically end up stuck and needing to grind out for better minions and levels, you really just want to hit a wall.

Long story short, we get it: some mobile games are cool and worth porting to a wider console-based audience, but if you’re willing to do so, you need to adjust many of its mechanics in order to properly fit within the appropriate playstyles of such systems. This is not a free-to-play game, and nor does it feature an in-game store, so I really didn’t like how frustrating it was to constantly hit a difficulty wall, only for me to feel forced to go back to previous levels to grind incessantly. The gameplay loop is really repetitive, and the difficulty scaling is a mess, but it works in small bursts.

Graphics: 6.0 It honestly just looks like Metal Slug. The biggest issue is just how much of the game is comprised of shades of brown. From the load screen to the actual matches, it’s a lot of brown everywhere.	Gameplay: 6.5 This is an interesting tower defence-ish twist on Metal Slug. The gameplay loop is really repetitive and the difficulty scaling is a mess, but it works in small bursts.
Sound: 5.0 Honestly the music is the same as every other game. It’s very middle of the road, it doesn’t feel fresh or exciting, but it’s not bad overall. The sound effects are spot on the same with every other game as well.	Fun Factor: 4.0 The novelty of the gameplay loop can wear off very quickly especially as you hit difficulty walls and just need to grind an earlier level to get anywhere.
Final Verdict: 5.0

Metal Slug Attack Reloaded is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

A copy of Metal Slug Attack Reloaded was provided by the publisher.