Metal Slug Mobile, Digital Bridges' fairly successful mobile version of the SNK arcade classic, will remind you of how much fun it can be to run in a mostly straight line while pumping a battalion's worth of grunts full of heavy metal. The game might not be as great as its NeoGeo brethren, but it's enjoyable enough to dissipate a day's worth of aggression in about 30 minutes of all-out assault--which is a golden ratio for cell phone games and a bargain on any level.
The blond, pompadoured hero of Metal Slug Mobile isn't interested in manipulating the balance of threat, applying economic sanctions, or making strategic feints; no, when it comes to whaling the tar out of his enemies, this juggernaut's tactic of choice is to motor right into the jaws of death with an inexhaustible machine gun in one hand and a prayer in the other. This arrangement is sustainable because Metal Slug is generally a pretty easy game, even on the hardest difficulty level. Unlike the arcade original, this version of Metal Slug gives you a health meter, letting you take a few hits and keep on fighting rather than having your little guy keel over after getting shot once. There are hordes of enemies to deal with, but they rarely appear more than three or four at a time and their shots do negligible damage to your ubersoldier. Even if your character does start to flag, the pusillanimous goons have plenty of medical power-ups ripe for the taking--as well as heavy bullets for your rifle and some other inexplicably strange items, such as frogs and white things that look like rolls of toilet paper.
Metal Slug Mobile looks and sounds just fine. The sprites are classically small and barely animated, but they're set against bright backgrounds that are easy on the eyes. The sound is effective, featuring a martial title-screen tune and even a bit of digitized voice. Metal Slug Mobile runs at a fairly slow speed, but this sluggishness doesn't get in the way of the fun; it works to reduce the pace of the game and make the mobile control scheme more manageable.
The gameplay is fairly consistent throughout the game, focusing on basic running, jumping, shooting, and bayoneting an endless array of soldiers, with the occasional tank emplacement and helicopter thrown in. There are POWs to rescue as well, although their existence is peripheral at best to the overall goal of butchery. The only real gameplay variation comes in a couple of vehicle sequences where your soldier has the opportunity to do the exact same thing as he has been doing--only in a fully articulated one-man tank or a small fighter plane. The tank runs are more annoying than novel, as the tank is incapable of turning around and you must often wait for enemies to jump into your line of fire to blast them. However, the vehicles are still a net benefit as they help to break up the monotony.
While Metal Slug Mobile has pretty solid gameplay when compared to similar action games running on mobile platforms, fans of Metal Slug should be aware that some corners have been cut to fit the game into its easy-to-digest mobile format. For starters, you can only shoot to the side--the all-directional fire of the original game isn't included here. Also, your only basic non-movement options are to jump (by pushing up) or to fire. There are no grenades in the game.
Metal Slug Mobile is not the most scintillating action title ever put on mobile, but it's good for several hours of mobile pyrotechnics. Recommended for side-scrolling action fans and would-be Chuck Norris disciples.
