is a 1996 run and gun video game developed by Nazca Corporation and originally released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system. Set in 2028, the game follows Peregrine Falcon Strike Force soldiers Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving as they seek to overthrow a coup d'état by the Rebel Army, led by Donald Morden.
Metal Slug was conceived by the same staff who created several titles at Irem that shared a similar presentation, such as In the Hunt and GunForce II. The core concept during development was a simple yet exciting side-scrolling shooter, with an easy control scheme and visuals inspired by the works of Hayao Miyazaki. Gameplay was originally more slow-paced, with players controlling the titular tank instead of soldiers across shorter, less complex missions with a darker atmosphere. The project was heavily overhauled after poor responses during location tests, and the game's length was extended at the request of SNK to make it more attractive to console players, while incorporating more platform elements into its design.
Upon its release, Metal Slug garnered mixed reviews, which lauded its sense of humor and fluid hand-drawn animation but criticized its short length and lack of replay value. The game proved highly popular in arcades and was subsequently ported to other platforms by third-party developers, with varying changes and additions from the arcade original. It was later included on compilations and re-released through download services for other systems. The game's success led to a franchise with multiple sequels, remakes and spin-offs, beginning with Metal Slug 2, released in 1998.
Gameplay
thumb|left|Arcade version screenshot
Metal Slug is a run and gun game reminiscent of Contra where players assume the role of captain Marco Rossi and lieutenant Tarma Roving of the Peregrine Falcon Strike Force, shooting constantly at a continual stream of enemies in order to complete each mission. At this point, players confront a boss, who is usually considerably larger and tougher than regular enemies. The player does not die by coming into contact with enemies, and correspondingly, many of the enemy troops have melee attacks. Kawai and Takashi Nishiyama served as chief development manager and producer, respectively. Kazuma "Kire-Nag" Kujo and Meeher acted as co-designers. Shinichi "Hamachan" Hamada, Kenji "Andy" Andō, Atsushi Kurooka (currently of PlatinumGames), Tetsuya Yokota, H. Yamada and "Pierre" Takada worked as programmers. Artists Akio Oyabu, Susumu, Kazuhiro "Max.D" Tanaka, Tomohiro, Takeshi Okui (currently of Monolith Soft) and Kozo were responsible for the pixel art. Composer Takushi "Hiya!" Hiyamuta scored the soundtrack. The team recounted the project's development process and history through various publications.
Metal Slug was first playable during a location test at Osaka, and was later showcased to attendees at the 1995 Amusement Machine Show from 13 to 15 September. The plot was similar to the final version, but revolved around Regular Army members Phil Gene and Michiko Nakajima controlling the SV-001 and SV-002 prototype tanks instead.
Release
thumb|left|A Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinet playing a demo of Metal Slug
Metal Slug was first released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system on 19 April 1996, followed by the Neo Geo AES on 24 May. The North American AES release has since become one of the more expensive titles on the platform, with copies of the port fetching over US$20,000 on the secondary video game collecting market. On 5 July 1996, a Neo Geo CD version of the game was released, featuring a "Combat School" mode that allowed players to revisit previously-played missions with new objectives. followed by the PlayStation on 7 August; the Saturn port was developed by SNK, while the PlayStation port was developed by Ukiyotei. Though the software market was increasingly dominated by polygon-based games, conversions of Neo Geo games to the Saturn and PlayStation had been selling well in Japan, motivating SNK to produce conversions for Metal Slug as well. To retain all the animations of the arcade version, the Saturn version uses newer compression techniques, inter-level loading, and a 1 MB RAM expansion cartridge. The Saturn port was available in two revisions: 1.002 and 1.005, which included some minor bug fixes. Both ports feature the "Combat School" mode from the Neo Geo CD release, while the PlayStation version features "Another Story", a new mode consisting of plot-based minigames, and an art gallery featuring concept art. In 2006, Metal Slug was included alongside its arcade sequels as part of Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. It was later released for PC in 2009 (as Metal Slug Collection PC), and later for the PlayStation 4 in 2020 by Limited Run Games; the latter version was an emulated iteration of the arcade version, without additional game modes or content featured in previous home releases. In 2008, Metal Slug was included as part of SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 for Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP, and was also released by D4 Enterprise for the Wii's Virtual Console. In 2010, a version by M2 for the NEOGEO Station service was published by SNK Playmore on PlayStation Network. In 2012, a wireless version was released by DotEmu for iOS and Android.
Metal Slug is available as one of the 20 pre-loaded games with the Neo Geo X, and was also included in the Neo Geo 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle, released in 2015. Hamster Corporation re-released Metal Slug for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch between December 2016 and March 2017 under their Arcade Archives series. The game was also recently included in the international version of the Neo Geo mini, the Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro plug and play game device and the Neo Geo MVSX table top.