Metal Slug X, a timeless classic from 1999

Taking advantage of the fact that Metal Slug X is one of the games that will leave the Xbox Game Pass at the end of June, and I wanted to remember this classic.

Only a year passed between them and their differences are not so evident at first glance, but what was clear was that SNK saw a lot of potential in this Nazca Corporation saga to continue exploiting it for more than a decade.

As if it were Capcom with Street Fighter II, Metal Slug X gave rise to a series of changes and novelties with respect to the sequel it was reviewing: from insignificant details, such as scenarios that suffered a change of day, showing night parts, to others more Marked, with modifications to enemies and hidden areas that dropped objects with points, prisoners or weapons.

We have a clear example in the head of the first zone in the sequel, who in this review would not come out until the third phase and with the novelty of dropping tanks from the top of the military plane. Or also the second phase, with the mummies: in Metal Slug X larger mummy dogs came out. And like these changes, more.

It was, above all, a much more demanding game, with a peak of difficulty that shot wildly with the monsters of the sewers or already the final stretch with the aliens. But it was also a revision that introduced a lot of new weapons (with location changes) and boosted shooting in fat mode.

Yes, a striking point that the sequel had was the possibility of gaining weight by eating food scattered on the map, with which we moved slower but did more damage. In this review, the amount of food and the variety of shots were increased by being "meaty." It was impossible not to go overweight as we went through all that culinary feast that was put on a tray.

Metal Slug X was a blast at every level, as was its sequel. It was a huge evolution in terms of design compared to the fantastic first Metal Slug of 1996. Everything was taken care of to the millimeter and the scenarios had a life of their own, both from the animations of the enemies and from all those secrets that were waiting to be discovered shooting in concrete areas.

It provided a commendable variety of situations, with different themed areas that took us to the desert or in the middle of the jungle to face soldiers, mummies, monsters and even aliens. And with the inclusion of certain weapons, the sea of curious people, such as Iron Lizard, a remote-controlled vehicle that exploded upon contact with enemies. There were even stones. Yes, literally.

An improvement that many appreciated was the suppression of the slowdowns that the original Metal Slug 2 had, when using a modified version of the engine of the later Metal Slug 3 from the year 2000. And that this Metal Slug X introduced more enemies on the screen. There were areas that were quite crazy, hence also the peak in its difficulty. And to think that I spent the 1996 classic with five duros...

Logically, all these classics are more enjoyable (and affordable) if we are accompanied by someone else, and the use of vehicles, which in this review underwent certain modifications, was of great help. What persisted was the problem of evacuating by mistake (very common) when simultaneously pressing the jump and fire buttons. And it was also missing not being able to jump down from a platform.

Yes, totally. It continues to be, in addition, one of the best Metal Slug due to its iconic settings and the variety of situations it posed. A classic that always wants to play, this time from NEOGEO