Review: Metal Slug 7 (NDS)

So it’s not long before a crippling amount of de ja vu sets in. It plays the same and looks identical, but this can hardly be used to fault Metal Slug. One of the highlights of the series are the cartoon graphics and over the top animations. There’s nothing greater than taking a flamethrower and burning a soldier alive, or blowing a tank up only to see someone crawl out of its crippled carcass. Right before you stab him with your knife. It may not be a magical graphical powerhouse, but it does what it does in style. Metal Slug 7 certainly seems suited to the limitations of the DS hardware.

The level design does have some interesting moments, a nice flying section, being chased by a boulder and not to mention the assortment of colourful bosses you get to face. Gamestyle however, still remembers playing the Metal Slug Anthology (Wii) not long ago and it does start to blur into one. There’s nothing that really stands out, making us gawk at the screen after what we witnessed. The levels are well varied, it’s just all been done before, something that is becoming a recurring theme in this review. Once again though there’s the phrase, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”, which SNK probably has as the company motto. The titled Metal Slugs make an appearance (walking robots if you’re not in the know) and allow you to dish out considerable damage to the enemy forces and can take more than one hit unlike your human character. With that being the case expect to see the “Continue” screen an awful lot, lives are plentiful though on the easier difficulties.

Aside from the main story, which consists of seven levels, you just receive a training room where you practice at reaching those high scores, as well as a POW list where you can see the details of the prisoners you’ve helped to escape. It’s not a spectacular package by any stretch of the imagination. The main campaign only taking a couple of hours (most likely less), especially if you choose to play on the lowest difficulty. But even though it was completed on the day it came threw our letterbox, it’s still nestled in the DS and we’re quite accustomed to having quick ten minute blasts, something we believe Metal Slug 7 was intended for. It’s the perfect commute companion. No thought is required other than fast reflexes to avoid the bullet ridden screen making it great for a short bus ride or train journey.

Disappointingly the touch screen support of the DS is wasted. While the action takes place on top, the bottom is used as a map with the stylus used to drag the screen about to see what lies ahead of you. It’s pretty pointless because by the time you do this you’ll have a million bullets connecting with your body. While Gamestyle wishes it was used in a more effective way, we suppose it’s better than shoehorning in an idea that doesn’t fit well with the classic Metal Slug gameplay.

While it may not have evolved a great deal Metal Slug 7 still carries on the classic gameplay that made the series popular. We are left wondering though what a possible eighth entrant may hold, surely by that point some changes will need to be made.

Rating: 7 / 10

Words by Adam Gulliver