Metal Slug

The game

A mission through enemy lines

Marco and Tarma belong to the Peregrine Falcon special-operations force. Their assignment takes them through enemy-held stages toward General Morden, with the recovery of the stolen Metal Slug at the heart of the campaign. Progress means clearing soldiers and machinery while jumping past obstacles; the battlefield continually asks you to combine movement with shooting.

Small discoveries, heavier firepower

Rescuing prisoners brings rewards, giving you something to watch for beyond the next enemy. Lettered pickups change your offensive options: H supplies a heavy machine gun, R a rocket launcher, S a short-range shotgun, and F a flame weapon. The tank adds another layer of resource management, with its own energy supply alongside the ammunition, grenades, and time shown on screen.

This edition

The Neo Geo CD edition

SNK lists this CD release as July 5, 1996, separately from the MVS and AES versions. Its menu includes Combat School skill challenges and an Art Gallery covering characters, machinery, and other subjects. Arcade Mission supports two simultaneous players, and completed Arcade stages become available for later selection, making this edition useful for returning to familiar sections.

Start here

1. Set your starting conditions

   Open Option before beginning. HERO allows one to five lives, and there are four difficulty settings. Check the separate key configuration for each player so the button layout matches the commands you intend to use.

2. See the basic actions

   Choose How to Play for an introduction to the commands. Demonstration is also available from the main menu if you want to watch the action before taking control.

3. Begin Arcade Mission

   Select Arcade Mission for the campaign. In the opening stretch, give yourself room to try moving, crouching, jumping, and firing separately before combining them under pressure.

Original controls

These are the original game's controls. For keyboard, controller and touch settings in this player, see Controls & help.

Original Neo Geo CD controls

Control stick: move, crouch, and aim. These labels refer to the original controller.

A button

Fire on foot; at close range, attack with the knife. In the tank, fire the rotating gun. While jumping on foot, hold Down and press A to shoot downward.

B button

Jump or enter the tank. Inside the tank, B jumps; Down+B exits.

C button

Throw a grenade on foot or fire the tank’s limited cannon ammunition.

A+B and D

In the tank, A+B triggers a self-destruct ram. D is unused.

Start and Select

Start begins play, joins a game, or continues. Select pauses.

Playing tips

• Match your distance to the pickup

  With S equipped, avoid wasting shots on distant targets. Its short reach makes positioning especially important; close the gap only when you have space to do so.

• Keep heavy shots deliberate

  Use ordinary fire for routine targets when practical, preserving grenades and cannon rounds for situations where extra force would help. Check your remaining supply before relying on another explosive shot.

• Avoid accidental tank sacrifice

  Keep the tank’s jump and gun inputs distinct while learning. Pressing them together commits the vehicle to its self-destruct attack, so that combination deserves a deliberate decision.