Why Metal Slug 5 is a Return to Form

Now THIS, is more like Metal Slug!
After the disappointing Metal Slug 4, SNK came back, called SNK Playmore at the time, to develop Metal Slkug 5 and boy, is it noticeable.
Everything feels great, and, the level of quality that the previous Metal Slug games returns proudly in 5.
While it still isn't quite as grand and refined like Metal Slug 2 and 3, it has enough that's new and does the classic elements well enough that it stands pretty high in a series ranking.
The classic characters are back, and it's a classic Metal Slug story again... in that it really doesn't matter. Go out and blast some bad guys.
The concepts for the boss fights are way more creative, and they're complimented by levels that feel right at home in the franchise, yet don't rely much on assets from previous games.
There's new enemy types with new sprites that look pretty good, and as usual, the animations are just sublime.
The entire Metal Slug franchise is loaded with some of the best pixel art and animations ever produced, and 5 is continuing that legacy very well.

[@rpgclipdatabase]

SNK > Playmore > SNKPlaymore > SNK
Full circle

[@linamoss292]

Keep playing Metal Slug games!

[@terrymoss2183]

The character portraits are terrifying lol

[@yongamamanzini3965]

Nice!, Can't wait to see you play the next metal slug games!!

[@anotherblowncartridge]

Thanks! Theres plenty more to get through. Probably will do the neogeo pocket games next.

[@DarkSpungus]

s l u g

[@meme.interzone]

Yaaaay Metal Slug doesnt suck as much

[@laurabaldesarra3538]

Interested to see your takes on Metal Slug XX and Advance

[@anotherblowncartridge]

They're on their way!

[@clementchuah6706]

SNK didn't came back, this is a reformed of the company itself with different developers, although some NAZCA developers did return in the making of Metal Slug 6, which shows how extremely different Metal slug 4 is compared to Metal slug 1-3 and X.
Tho ignoring the fact how many people are nostalgia blinded/obsessed in the series's well known detailed frame by frame animation and using it as some sort of critic for Metal Slug 4 alone, I feel like the levels are extremely messy as the enemies are all over the place, for the bosses on the other hand, I had zero idea what they were solely created for, and majority of them are just bullet hell than enemies that are always few foot steps from hitting you and constantly raising your guars. Despite there are some epic bosses which I adore, I don't feel much of being a badass because I can't understand what is the reason I honestly did to get that, MS1-3 and X makes sense, but 4 and above? Honestly I don't get any goosebumps, I just feel like "okay so this is the boss" and not "holy shit what is that?!".
Overall I still felt like MS5 did a greater job at replicating these mentioned sequels out of all the SNK Playmore Metal Slug games which they made, felt like they could had still gone over more on building the plot and designing more original enemies than slapping color platelets or different attacks on the Rebel army and the Metal Slug vehicle, Plotlemic is just veteran Rebel army but combat and technology wise, more advanced.

[@anotherblowncartridge]

Very well said. And thank you, the research I did wasnt nearly as in depth as what you've shared here. I appreciate you writing this out. And I ultimately really agree with your takes on the games too