'Metal Slug Tactics' is delayed until 2023

Dotemu and Leikir Studio say the turn-based RPG isn't ready for primetime.

Dotemu/Leikir Studio

Another day, another game delay. You'll now have to wait until next year to get your hands on Metal Slug Tactics, according to publisher Dotemu and developer Leikir Studio. “Marco, Eri, Fio, and Tarma are tinkering away to make Metal Slug Tactics as explosive as possible on release, but the squad needs a bit more time in the shop to prepare for the battles ahead,” Dotemu wrote in a tweet spotted by IGN. “See you in 2023!”

Dotemu announced the game just over a year ago, during Summer Game Fest 2021. The upcoming title will drop the fluid run-and-gun gameplay you may be used to from Metal Slug, as it's a "dynamic tactical RPG with roguelike elements." However, Metal Slug Tactics does retain the pixel-art style of the other games.

It also features Metal Slug's core antagonist, Donald Morden, who has been quietly building an army to enact his revenge on the planet. Naturally, it will be up to you to stop him when Metal Slug Tactics hits PC and Nintendo Switch sometime next year.