Metal Slug 3 Review

Metal Slug 3

Publisher: SNK Playmore Developer: SNK Playmore / Hamster (Switch) Platform: Switch Release: 2000 Genre: 2D Shooter / 2D Platformer Rating: 9.1 \ 10.0: Outstanding

Above are two players fighting mutant crabs.

I adore every mainline game in the Metal Slug series, and ever since I first played it, I have regarded Metal Slug 3 as not only franchise's best entry but as the best arcade game I have ever played. When I noticed that only the first three Metal Slug titles had been ported to Switch rather then the Metal Slug Anthology compilation which had been ported to the PS4 only month's before the Switch's release, I was disappointed, but still excited to play them on the go.

For those unaware, Metal Slug is a series of run-and-gun arcade platformers best known for its punishing difficulty and its top notch spritework. Most of the games are aggressively linear, which detracts from their replay value, but Metal Slug 3 has numerous hidden shortcuts and alternative routes - so many, in fact, that I have played through this game at least ten times and am fairly sure I haven't discovered all of them. Each entry features numerous vehicles and weapons, and a mix of soldiers and supernatural creatures to fight. With few exceptions, attacks will kill you instantly and you therefore must be wary of gunfire.  but the game will often place powerful weapons and vehicles in locations that allow you to go on a temporary power trip in which you can cause significant environment destruction while mowing down dozens of enemies. The game is consistently fun, but moments such as these were especially exhilarating. MS3 leans more heavily on the aforementioned supernatural aspect which, in conjunction with the branching pathways and over-the-top scenarios ensure that it never gets stale. Throughout the adventure you'll battle massive mutant crabs, zombies, Martians, and, depending on what paths you choose, yetis, flesh-eating slugs, mummies, and anthropomorphic Venus flytraps. The zombies are especially noteworthy, as they can infect you and greatly modify the gameplay. As a zombie, you move slowly, jump slowly, and cannot use special weapons, but there are two major advantages: You are invulnerable to attacks from all non-zombies and your grenades are replaced with streams of blood vomit that can nearly clear the entire screen. This is a massive step up from other transformations in the series such as mummification, which is an objective downgrade from human form. The fifth and final mission features some phenomenal setpieces, including a jetpack-based pursuit of a military convoy and a vertically-scrolling shootout with in space with UFOs, and it's easily the pinnacle of the series.

The presentation of each Metal Slug game is top notch, and 3 is certainly no exception. Every sprite and animation was crafted with incredible detail, and small visual touches such as soldiers jumping in the air with shocked expressions when they first notice you and sticking white surrender flags out of the hatches of their tanks when you destroy them add immensely to the game's charm. Anyone will tell you these games look fantastic, but their music is unfortunately far less frequently discussed. The instruments may be synthetic, but they still sound great; the electric guitar pieces that play during the zombie, underwater, and outer-space missions and the brass-heavy pieces from the jungle mission, final boss, and credits are particularly memorable. My one gripe with the presentation is one that's the fault not of the game, but the port: Slowdown. I experienced semi-regular performance drops that caused the game to slow down, and while they never rendered the game unplayable, they were quite annoying at times. Metal Slug 3 is a strictly sprite-based arcade game from 2000 that runs without a hitch on far weaker consoles (even handhelds), and although this is not a deal breaking issue, it's certainly worth noting and quite puzzling given that the Switch is the most powerful handheld console ever released.

The performance issues are disappointing, but this port also has some handy features, including the ability to create and load a single save state, add credits, adjust the time limit (which has never had any impact in the gameplay throughout all of my experience with Metal Slug), customize controls, and adjust the width of the screen if for some reason you're bothered enough by the 4:3 aspect ratio enough to ruin the visual fidelity by stretching it to 16:9. Even without these additions, the Metal Slug games are incredibly well-suited for the Switch. They can all be beaten in under 90 minutes which allowed me to easily play through them in one sitting when on the go, and this pairs excellently with the possibility for a second player to drop in or out at any time. I had played through this game many times before buying it on my Switch, and in the several months since then I've played through it nearly ten times. each time with a different friend when away from my home and I never got tired of it. Unfortunately, this version does not have online co-op, but this a nitpick, as I would not have used this feature frequently.

Despite this port’s flaws, it is still well worth buying. Most people probably won’t be able to get as much value out of it as I have which can make the $8 price tag seem a bit steep, but if you expect to play through it more than once, then I’d say that the price is more than fair. Few other games are as much of a joy for me to play than this one, and I’d highly recommend it to any one seeking a short but sweet experience that can be enjoyed even more with a friend.

Originally on the SNK Neo-Geo
Also available on PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable (via Metal Slug Anthology), PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, and PC

Ups
Branching paths add replay value
Amazing pixel art
Great soundtrack
Fantastic variety and final mission
Portability allows for easy co-op
More variety than the rest of the franchise
New options added to Switch port

Downs
Very short
Frequent slowdown
Lack 360  and Steam's online co-op

The System Difference: Most console ports of Metal Slug 3 and the other games in the series also allow for unlimited continues, but lack most of the other options that the Arcade Archives version has. However, unlike in this release of the game, I have never encountered any framerate drops or slowdown when playing Metal Slug Anthology on the Wii. Additionally, this Switch port lacks the online co-op that was added to the version of the game available on all non-Nintendo seventh and eighth-generation consoles and PC, and the port to the original Xbox features two additional modes that are mysteriously not present in any of the numerous releases of the game from the past 15 years.

ESRB: T Content: Blood and Violence Price: $7.99 (Digital)