Metal Slug Advance

Metal Slug Advance brought the Game Boy Advance the distinctive run-and-gun style of SNK's famous arcade series, this time adapted and slightly slowed down for the needs of a handheld. The player once again commands a soldier fighting against General Morden and his army, as well as an alien threat, moving through linear levels full of enemies, tanks, and Metal Slug armored vehicles that can be commandeered at any time to unleash their heavy firepower against wave after wave of opponents.

The game preserves the series' core principles - collecting weapons with limited ammo, rescuing hostages for bonus points, and timed sequences full of explosions and on-screen chaos, where you must react quickly to changing situations and dodge fire coming from multiple directions at once. Compared to the arcade and console entries, the pace is adjusted for the smaller screen and the GBA's limited power, making the game somewhat more accessible, though it still demands quick reflexes and knowledge of enemy placement and the hidden bonuses scattered throughout each mission. The pixel art retains vivid animation and detailed character and vehicle design even on the handheld, while the music continues the energetic melodies typical of the whole series, giving the action its characteristic military flavor.

Metal Slug fans embraced the handheld installment as a dignified, if simplified, substitute for the arcade experience for trips and moments away from a home console, when reaching an arcade cabinet or the home version wasn't possible. They especially appreciated that even on limited hardware the game managed to preserve the action's readability and the series' characteristic humor, visible in animation details and enemy design alike. Today, Metal Slug Advance is valued mainly as an accessible way to enjoy the core of the series' run-and-gun action in a pocket format, though purists still prefer the full-fledged arcade versions with their visual polish and fluidity.

Why play: For players looking for an accessible way to experience the core of Metal Slug's run-and-gun action on the go, it's a dignified, if simplified, substitute for the arcade experience with preserved readability of the action.