A HAL Laboratory sci-fi visual novel on Famicom. Adult manga atmosphere, stunning visuals for the console, developed narration. Entirely in Japanese. A technical and artistic pinnacle.
Your verdict
Category
Visual Novel1 player12+
Description
SF visual novel featuring Neil Syrius exploring a trapped spaceship and uncovering its history. Published by HAL Laboratory, released in Japan in 1991. Rich text narration with choices, spaceship exploration and detailed illustrations. A high-quality HAL Laboratory SF visual novel on Famicom.
Metal Slader Glory review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
A science-fiction visual novel of stunning rendering for the NES: detailed anime portraits, polished ships and intricate settings push the machine's limits. The finesse of the illustrations and the spatial atmosphere overflow with refinement. This art direction, polished and ambitious, stands as a cult graphic feat.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
Compare prices
Loading eBay listings…
Alert active — budget
$
Collector interest
Metal Slader Glory is one of the most coveted Famicom titles, a sci-fi visual novel from HAL Laboratory released in 1991, very late in the console's life. Its high-capacity cartridge, minuscule end-of-cycle run, and reputation as a narrative high point on Famicom drive a price among the catalogue's steepest. The late release just before the Super Famicom shift makes it a flagship of high-end Famicom collecting.
An underrated gem
A sci-fi graphic novel with some of the most detailed artwork ever seen on the Famicom, this HAL Laboratory title bet everything on mood and storytelling. Its narrative nature and Japan-only confinement made it inaccessible in the West. A contemplative, visually stunning experience for fans of visual novels.
Is Metal Slader Glory still worth playing in 2026?
Metal Slader Glory is a HAL Laboratory sci-fi visual novel, famous for its exceptional graphics on NES, in which Neil Syrius explores a spaceship and unravels the mysteries of its story. The polished storytelling, the detailed illustrations pushing the cartridge to its limits and the mature mood make it a technical and artistic feat. The language barrier, decisive for this story, limits access. Kept exclusive to Japan, it will fascinate fans of retro visual novels and technical masterpieces of the machine.
