A new Metal Slug game is coming, though it may not be what fans were expecting. Publisher SNK released a trailer for Metal Slug Code: J, an upcoming mobile game. Although it’s a mobile game, it looks to include all of the fast-paced action the series is known for. Check out the reveal trailer below:
Metal Slug History Lesson
TiMi Studios is developing Metal Slug Code: J, which is a working title. The studio has a good track record having previously worked on Call of Duty Mobile and Arena of Valor. TiMi also developed the mobile title Contra: Return, so it already has experience transferring a sidescrolling shooter to mobile platforms. Additionally, news broke last Wednesday that TiMi is developing Pokemon UNITE, a MOBA based on the popular RPG series.
Along with The King of Fighters, Metal Slug is perhaps SNK’s most well-known franchise. The first game launched in 1996 on the Neo Geo, though a PlayStation port released the following year. The last release in the main series was 2009’s Metal Slug XX, which was a remake of Metal Slug 7. The series also received two tower defense spin-offs in 2014 and 2016 respectively, though they were Japan-only releases. Most of the titles in the main series are also currently available on the Nintendo Switch e-shop.
The series features quick-paced, run-and-gun gameplay. Similar to Contra, this pits players against waves of enemies with the ability to pick up powerful weapons along the way. There is also usually a variety of vehicles players can use to their advantage. Code J will use virtual buttons and a joystick on the screen. Based on the trailer, the gameplay is adapting to the mobile format rather well with all the frantic bullet-spraying fans have come to expect. Metal Slug Code J has no release date yet.
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