Metal Slug 7

Metal Slug 7
Year	2008
Developer	SNK Playmore
Publisher	Ignition Entertainment
Genre	Platformer, Run N' Gun
Platforms	Nintendo DS

Metal Slug 7 (メタルスラッグ 7) is a run and gun video game by SNK Playmore for the Nintendo DS in the Metal Slug series. It was announced in the September 2007 issue of Famitsu and marks the first game in the main series that was released directly on consoles without an arcade version. The game was released in Japan on July 22, 2008 and North America on November 28, 2008 by Ignition Entertainment.

Story

From the Metal Slug XX manual:

Thanks to the reconstruction proceeding at a miraculous pace, the scars of destruction to the thoroughly destroyed headquarters of the Regular Army and it's surrounding city were becoming less and less noticeable to the objective observer.

Just as people were beginning to recover a long-lost sense of vitality and order, a video transmission arrived at HQ from the Regular Army's Division of Intel. Discovered in a clip from a documentary on the waste disposal controversy was the brief flash of a figure appearing to be one of Morden's soldiers crossing the screen.

The Division of Intel had no doubts: this was indisputably a member of Morden's Forces. HQ swiftly organized a six-man covert strike force assigned with the following objectives: confirm the presence of Morden's Forces, and then eliminate them - with extreme prejudice! Marco, Tarma, Eri and Fio were quickly assembled as the initial members for this mission. Ralf and Clark, who had previously thrown in their lots with Marco and company, were also on board.

"Hey! Long time, no see. I guess it's up to me to put things right yet again!!!"

"Back to the front, eh? Aren't we just a bunch of peas in a pod?"

So began our heroes infiltration of Garbage Island, perhaps the final lair of Morden's Forces. And these forces were sharpening their swords, awaiting their arrival and preparing to pounce.

Gameplay

There are seven missions and three difficulties: Beginner, Normal and Hard. Unlike Metal Slug 6, choosing any difficulty does not lock the player from accessing the final mission. Clearing the game in Hard Mode changes the background for the Mission All Over screen.

• Beginner Mode: Everyone's main weapon is the Heavy Machine Gun (except for Fio, who wields the Big version instead), and any HMG pickup is replaced by grenades. Special weapon ammo has been doubled. The player starts with ten credits.
• Normal Mode: Plays like previous games, with characters starting out holding the pistol. The player starts with five credits.
• Hard Mode: Enemies move a bit faster, and most types of enemies and vehicles have increased health. The player starts with three credits.

Returning from Metal Slug 6 is the different player characteristics, Rush Blaster System, and Weapon Stock. Marco and Tarma are given additional special moves.

Metal Slug 7 uses the Nintendo DS touchscreen as a map of the level, making it easier for the player to look at it and know where to get power ups or captured prisoners. The game also introduces the Prisoner's List menu and the return of the Combat School mode which was originally featured in the console versions of Metal Slug, Metal Slug 2/X, and Metal Slug 6.

Controls

Below are the default controls for the game. Specific moves that require button combinations can be set to a singular button. The X Button, while not used by default, can have an action applied to it. Auto fire is available; it is off by default.

Button	Actions on Foot	Actions Inside a Slug
D-Pad	Move Aim weapon	Move Aim weapon
Y	Primary Fire	Primary Fire
B	Jump	Jump
Down+B	N/A	Exit Slug
A	Secondary Fire	Secondary Fire
Down+A	N/A	Grenade
X	Nothing	Nothing
L	Special	Frontal Attack
R	Change Weapon	Change Weapon
L+Y	Special Melee	N/A
L+A	Throw Weapon	N/A
Up+L+Y	Special Action	N/A

Characters

The game has the same set of characters from Metal Slug 6 with the same abilities as its predecessor. Moves in bold represent a character's Special Action done by pressing Up + Special + Primary Fire.

	Marco: His default weapon (Pistol on Normal and Hard, Heavy Machine Gun on Beginner) has twice the ordinary strength. New to his moveset is the Salvo (Burst Shot in MSXX) where he can auto-fire but has to stay still.
	Tarma: While riding in or on a Slug, durability and the effects of power-ups are doubled; additionally, the Vulcan cannon's power is increased by 50%. He also is capable of using Vulcan Fix when on or in any vehicle. New to Tarma is the Slug Kick where it can either recover or reduce a vehicle Slug's health.
	Fio: Begins each mission with the Heavy Machine Gun (on Beginner mode, she begins with the Big Heavy Machine Gun). Weapon supply is also increased by 50%.
	Eri: Receives twice as many grenades upon starting or resupplying. She can aim grenades in a specific direction and at various distances.
	Ralf: Melee attack speed is doubled and his special melee can damage vehicles, at the expense of weapon and grenade supplies being halved. He can also use the special Vulcan Punch attack, a series of melee strikes capable of damaging vehicles. Can take two hits from most attacks before losing a life.
	Clark: He can perform his Super Argentine Backbreaker against most non-vehicle enemies, and he's immune to damage during the move, also earning generous amounts of points with such action.

Slugs

Alongside the returning SV-001, Slugnoid, and Slug Flyer, three new vehicles make their debut on this game:

• Slug Truck (Slug Trolley in MSXX): A train-like machine that works in a similar way to the SV-001, except that the cannon must be connected to the unit to access it.
• Slug Gigant: A giant robot capable of massive firepower. Its Wave Cannon can neutralize enemy fire with its melee attack.
• Slug Armor: A LV Armor variant, it has both a Vulcan and a cannon, can slide at high speed, and can double jump.

Weapons

A new weapon to the arsenal called the Thunder Shot fires a stream of electricity that homes and circles around enemies and vehicles.

Weapon ammo on Normal and Hard has been increased to match the previous games, no longer reducing the amount like in Metal Slug 6.

Weapon	MS1-MS5	Metal Slug 7
		Beginner			Normal/Hard
		Others	Fio	Ralf	Others	Fio	Ralf
Heavy Machine Gun	200	∞	∞	∞	200	300	100
Rocket Launcher	30	60	90	30	30	45	15
Shotgun	30	60	90	30	30	45	15
Flame Shot	30	60	90	30	30	45	15
Laser Gun	200	400	600	200	200	300	100
Enemy Chaser	40	80	120	40	40	60	20
Iron Lizard	30	60	90	30	30	45	15
Drop Shot	30	60	90	30	30	45	5
Super Grenade	20	40	60	20	20	30	10
Two Machine Guns	200 (MS4) 300 (MS5)	600	900	300	300	450	150
Zantetsu Sword	N/A	20	30	10	10	15	5
Thunder Shot	N/A	40	60	20	20	30	10

Missions and Bosses

The first six missions have 14 POWs while the Final Mission has 16 POWs to rescue.

No.	Name	Boss	BGM
1	Scrap Island	Scrap Tower (Miniboss) Worm Mecha	Scrap Island
2	Coal Mine	Crablops	Coal Mine
3	Underground Fortress	Upper and Lower Crablops	Underground Fortress
4	The Waterfall	Fall Mecha	The Waterfall
5	Ruins Base	The Union	Ruins Base
6	Snowy Country	Rebel Gigant	Snowy Country
7	The Beginning is the End	Big Gate (Miniboss) Kraken (Final Boss)	The Beginning is the End

Soundtrack

The songs in the game are composed by Toshikazu Tanaka after his work in Metal Slug 5. An official soundtrack of the game, titled Metal Slug 7 Original Soundtrack ~iTunes Limited Edition~, was released on the iTunes Store in Japan on August 8, 2008. A few tracks are remixed, such as "Assault Theme", "Final Attack", "Barracks", and a version of the Metal Slug 4 boss theme.

Metal Slug XX

A revised version of the game, titled Metal Slug XX (メタルスラッグ XX), was released on December 23, 2009 in Japan and North America on February 23, 2010 by Atlus for the PlayStation Portable (and compatible with the PlayStation Vita). This version of the game features additional content including co-op multiplayer, multiple routes, a reworked Combat School, and Leona as a downloadable character.

Metal Slug XX was also released on Xbox Live Arcade on May 19, 2010 and was made backwards compatible on Xbox One in 2016. A remastered version was released for the PlayStation 4 on May 29, 2018 and for Steam on January 31, 2019.

Pre-release

METAL SLUG 7 Vidéo Exclu -1 - Gameplay au TGS'07

A demo featuring the first two sections of Mission 1 was playable on Tokyo Game Show 2007. The demo has several differences compared to the final:

• A completely different enemy set is present, and the Scrap Tower is nowhere to be found. The SV-001 is found in the first section rather than on the third.
• The first section ends much farther, with the player walking over a vent acting as a bridge. The second section also begins much earlier.
• The Rebels and POWs use their voice clips from Metal Slug 6. The GO! sound effect is high-pitched.
• The Weapon Stock is small and located on the lower left corner. The Rush Blaster Meter has no multiplier indication. The collectible weapons originally had unique sprites to accommodate the scaled graphics.
• The Combat School mission theme was used for the Mission 1 theme.

Screenshots

Metal Slug 7 Official Art

Metal Slug 7

Entering Garbage Island

Using the Slug Truck

Running from a giant iron ball

Fighting the Huge Ivy

Parachuting into the ruins

Fighting the Union

Battle of Gigants!

Facing the Future Rebels

Covers

Nintendo DS cover

Trivia

• This is the first game since Metal Slug X to be devoid of any alternate routes. Unused areas in the game would be later be implemented as alternate routes in Metal Slug XX.
• Metal Slug 7 is the only game in the main series to has yet to see a re-release on a different system. It was originally going to be re-released on the Xbox 360 but it was replaced by Metal Slug XX.
• This is the only game in the main series to be exclusively single-player. Unused data has broken remnants of multiplayer.

External Links

• Official website of Metal Slug 7 (in Japanese)