Metal Slug 6

Metal Slug is a brand that has stood on the same recipe for over twenty years: hand-drawn 2D pixel art, absurdly oversized weapons, hordes of enemies, and humor that never takes itself seriously. Rifle in hand, the player fights through jungles, bases, and icy plains, frees captured soldiers in exchange for score and bonus weapons, and regularly hops into a tank, a camel, or a robot to handle the onslaught that literally floods the screen with bullets and debris. The series launched in 1996 on Neo Geo and has remained faithful to that same hand-drawn style ever since, setting it apart from most modern action platformers.

The sixth installment, introduced in arcades in 2006, brought the series a new plot about an alien invasion, along with a notable shift in the bestiary - alongside the classic soldiers of General Morden and the aliens, an army of reanimated mummies with their own commander appeared for the first time. The player once again chooses among established members of the Peregrine Falcon squad - Marco, Tarma, Eri, or Fio - and fights through snowy bases, underground ruins, and technologically advanced alien ships. The gameplay was enriched by an evasive dash, letting players slip much more nimbly between walls of enemy projectiles, plus a hidden bonus mission on a mysterious island that the player unlocks by completing an inconspicuous condition in an earlier level. Battles with giant bosses remain the highlight of every mission, and cooperation among up to four players at a single cabinet turns the on-screen chaos into team improvisation rather than a solo shootout. The weapon arsenal ranges from a basic machine gun through a shotgun and flamethrower to rocket launchers and laser weapons temporarily picked up from crates, each fundamentally changing the pace and playstyle of that section. Shortly after its arcade release, the sixth installment also appeared on home consoles as part of compilations, giving players without access to an arcade a chance to experience it.

Why play it: Metal Slug 6 is the ideal choice for players who want to experience the series in its original arcade form - fast, uncompromisingly tough, and built to be played over and over with several people at one cabinet, not in the comfort of a single save file.