Metal Slug 5 on Xbox, return to basics after the fourth with faster gameplay. Shorter and more intense levels, excellent bosses. Superior to 4 but below the legendary 3. A good Metal Slug for series fans seeking the continuation.
Your verdict
Category
Action4 players12+
Co-op
Description
Peregrine Falcons soldiers battle the mysterious Ptolemaic group that has stolen a military research program in this installment with polished gameplay. Published by SNK Playmore, released in the United States and Japan in 2006. Fifth entry with 5 missions across ancient ruins environments, 2-player cooperation, new climbing mechanics, and the franchise's characteristic Slug vehicles.
Metal Slug 5 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
This edition refines the action with a life-saving slide and an even tighter pace, without losing any of the series' visual madness. Dodging, blasting and chaining levels in a deluge of action delivers an immediate, exhilarating thrill. Snappy, generous and superbly animated, a run-and-gun built for scoring and terribly enjoyable with two players.
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Very short"
A pure SNK arcade run-and-gun, it chains frantic stages packed with enemies, vehicles and oversized bosses, cleared in one go. Its brevity is inherent to the genre: you die, you restart, you memorise. The short length extends into scoring, two-player play and the hunt for a flawless run, taken up again to tame it all to the pixel.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Memorable bosses
Tighter and snappier, this entry quickens the pace and adds a life-saving slide to weave between shots. Its guardians, from over-gunned armor to an unexpected demonic entity at the close, break with the usual tone through their darkness. Taking down these colossi at the action's breakneck rhythm keeps all the pixel-craft pleasure that is the series' hallmark.
Is Metal Slug 5 still worth playing in 2026?
The fifth entry in SNK's series, Metal Slug 5 tightens the run and gun formula with more modern staging, a slide mechanic and revised difficulty. The action stays frantic, the pixel art splendid and the two player co-op as gleeful as ever, even if some content cut during development leaves an unfinished impression. A solid entry for genre fans. A good arcade run and gun for Metal Slug fans and enthusiasts of snappy two player 2D action.
