I won this game through SteamGifts.

I'll admit when I won this game, I wasn't convinced I'd enjoy it. Turns out I was pleasantly surprised! The pixel art is fantastic, the animations are full of personality, and the tactical gameplay is genuinely fun. It does a great job of translating the classic Metal Slug feel into a turn-based roguelite.

My biggest issue is that the roguelite side of things starts to feel a bit repetitive after a while. There just isn't enough variety in enemies, and the pool of upgrades and abilities feels a little too limited, especially considering how often you'll see the same options pop up during a run. I kept wishing there was a bit more to shake things up.

The achievement list also felt a bit bloated. I usually enjoy going for 100%, but this time I just wasn't interested because so many of them felt unnecessary rather than rewarding.

Overall though, I had a much better time than I expected. It may not have enough variety to keep me playing forever, but it's a fun tactical spin on the Metal Slug formula that's definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the series or roguelites.