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''VideoGame/MetalSlug: 1st Mission'' and its sequel ''2nd Mission'' are two spinoffs of the popular run and gun series released in 1999 and 2000 by SNK for the [[UsefulNotes/NeoGeoPocket Neo-Geo Pocket Color]]. While Marco's Unnamed Lookalike's adventure in ''1st'' doesn't have much of a plot, ''2nd'' details the first encounter between the Rebel Army and the Mars People as recruits Gimlet and Red Eye move in to stop their negotiations.
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''VideoGame/MetalSlug: 1st Mission'' and its sequel ''2nd Mission'' are two spinoffs of the popular run and gun series released in 1999 and 2000 by SNK for the [[UsefulNotes/NeoGeoPocket [[Platform/NeoGeoPocket Neo-Geo Pocket Color]]. While Marco's Unnamed Lookalike's adventure in ''1st'' doesn't have much of a plot, ''2nd'' details the first encounter between the Rebel Army and the Mars People as recruits Gimlet and Red Eye move in to stop their negotiations.
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* {{Speedrun}}: ''2nd'' has a Time Attack mode which gives you 1 HP and infinite ammo to clear some unique missions. Setting records awards you continues for your current playthough of the main game.
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* {{Speedrun}}: SpeedrunReward: ''2nd'' has a Time Attack mode which gives you 1 HP and infinite ammo to clear some unique missions. Setting records awards you continues for your current playthough of the main game.
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No longer a trope. Can't tell if replacement or others applicable.
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* AbsenteeActor: None of the characters except for Margaret in the main series appear in both games. The Hero in ''1st'' is a Marco look-a-like, and Morden gets a brief mention in ''2nd''.
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* TheMole: Tequila from the second game is a mysterious spy who pretends to be a Rebel Army grunt and sabotages them by releasing all their hostages.
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* ReverseMole: Tequila from the second game is a mysterious spy who pretends to be a Rebel Army grunt and sabotages them by releasing all their hostages.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/metalslug1stmission.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The cover for the first game.]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The cover for the first game.]]
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** Tequila has access to all missions. This allows him to rescue POWs without playing previous missions.
to:
** Tequila has access to all missions. This allows him to rescue POWs [=POWs=] without playing previous missions.
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Linking directly instead of through redirect.
Deleted line(s) 38 (click to see context) :
* HealthMeter: Unusually for a ''Metal Slug'' game, you can take more than one hit without needing to pilot a Slug. ''1st Mission'' goes by the rules of the first ''Metal Slug'', where damage amount depends on the source. ''2nd'', however, gives you a fixed HP (the max amount depending on difficulty) both on foot and on a Slug.
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* LifeMeter: Unusually for a ''Metal Slug'' game, you can take more than one hit without needing to pilot a Slug. ''1st Mission'' goes by the rules of the first ''Metal Slug'', where damage amount depends on the source. ''2nd'', however, gives you a fixed HP (the max amount depending on difficulty) both on foot and on a Slug.
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* AbsenteeActor: None of the characters except for Margaret in the main series appear in both games. The Hero in ''1st'' is a Marco look-a-like, and Morden gets a brief mention in ''2nd''.
* AscendedExtra: Margaret originally appeared in specific ports of ''Metal Slug 2/X'' as the Combat School instructor. In ''2nd'', she engages in the plot as Gimlet's mission command and also appears at the end of certain missions.
* AscendedExtra: Margaret originally appeared in specific ports of ''Metal Slug 2/X'' as the Combat School instructor. In ''2nd'', she engages in the plot as Gimlet's mission command and also appears at the end of certain missions.
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* CassandraTruth: At the end of ''2nd'', Gimlet storms the enemy base to prevent the contact between the Rebels and the Martians. He requests backup from HQ but they ignore him, thinking he's gone shell-shocked.
to:
* CassandraTruth: {{Bowdlerise}}: The international versions changes the blood's color from red to white.
* CassandraTruth:
** At the end of ''2nd'', Gimlet storms the enemy base to prevent the contact between the Rebels and the Martians. He requests backup from HQ but they ignore him, thinking he's goneshell-shocked.shell-shocked.
** Similarly, Red Eye gets bluntly rejected by Gimlet and Margaret after she gives intel about the Mars People. She gets redeemed after HQ confirms the happenings.
* CassandraTruth:
** At the end of ''2nd'', Gimlet storms the enemy base to prevent the contact between the Rebels and the Martians. He requests backup from HQ but they ignore him, thinking he's gone
** Similarly, Red Eye gets bluntly rejected by Gimlet and Margaret after she gives intel about the Mars People. She gets redeemed after HQ confirms the happenings.
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* ContinuityNod: The two games are interquels set between ''Metal Slug 1'' and ''2'' and establish Red Eye was the first member of the Sparrows squad.
* CraniumRide: Certain enemy tanks must be used as platforms to get goodies that are otherwise out of reach.
* CraniumRide: Certain enemy tanks must be used as platforms to get goodies that are otherwise out of reach.
to:
** Losing a Slug in both games leads to a different mission. In ''2nd'', this is considered as Mission Incomplete and does not count for the "Clear Mission" checklist.
* ContinuityNod: The two games areinterquels prequels set between before the ''Metal Slug'' series as the titular Slug 1'' is on the prototype stage (named the SV-000 in ''1st'' and ''2'' and establish the Proto 2 in ''2nd''). It also establishes Red Eye was as the first member of the Sparrows squad.
squad and the Mars People starting off as non-backstabbing allies to the Rebels.
*CraniumRide: CraniumRide:
** Certain enemy tanks must be used as platforms to get goodies that are otherwise out ofreach. reach.
** The Rebels' helmets in ''1st'' can used as platforms for a split-second before the Hero slips off.
* ContinuityNod: The two games are
*
** Certain enemy tanks must be used as platforms to get goodies that are otherwise out of
** The Rebels' helmets in ''1st'' can used as platforms for a split-second before the Hero slips off.
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* TheDragon: Lt. Colonel Macba in both games.
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* TheDragon: Lt. Colonel Macba in both games. He also has a dragon of his own in ''2nd'' named Lt. Wired.
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* {{Expy}}: Heroes and villains alike in those two games are clear lookalikes of characters from the main installments. The english manual for the second game even erroneously mixes Gimlet and Red Eye with Tarma and Fio.
* GameplayGrading: Both games rank you as you make progress. Rank is increased by collecting medals in the first game and by rescuing prisoners in the second. The better your rank in the sequel, the more hints you receive from the ex-[=POWs=].
* GameplayGrading: Both games rank you as you make progress. Rank is increased by collecting medals in the first game and by rescuing prisoners in the second. The better your rank in the sequel, the more hints you receive from the ex-[=POWs=].
to:
* EveryTenThousandPoints: Every 20,000 point milestone in ''2nd'' is an extra retry.
* {{Expy}}: Heroes and villains alike in those two games are clear lookalikes of characters from the main installments. Theenglish English manual for the second game even erroneously mixes Gimlet and Red Eye with Tarma Marco and Fio.
* FakeLongevity:
** Unlocking the Super Devil Rank (23/23) in ''1st'' revolves collecting 23 Rank Medals in Very Hard. Multiple playthroughs are needed to collect them all.
** Due to split routes and different character routes, at least eight runs are required to complete every mission in ''2nd''. This gets difficult as some routes require a Slug to survive.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Gimlet wonders if Morden was an alien in disguise. ''Metal Slug 3'''s main twist is [[spoiler:that the Rebels were unknowingly controlled by the Martians using a Mars Person disguised as Morden.]]
* GameplayGrading: Both games rank you as you make progress. Rank is increased by collecting medals and hitting score milestones in the first game and by rescuing prisoners in the second. The better your rank in the sequel, the more hints you receive from the ex-[=POWs=].
* {{Expy}}: Heroes and villains alike in those two games are clear lookalikes of characters from the main installments. The
* FakeLongevity:
** Unlocking the Super Devil Rank (23/23) in ''1st'' revolves collecting 23 Rank Medals in Very Hard. Multiple playthroughs are needed to collect them all.
** Due to split routes and different character routes, at least eight runs are required to complete every mission in ''2nd''. This gets difficult as some routes require a Slug to survive.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Gimlet wonders if Morden was an alien in disguise. ''Metal Slug 3'''s main twist is [[spoiler:that the Rebels were unknowingly controlled by the Martians using a Mars Person disguised as Morden.]]
* GameplayGrading: Both games rank you as you make progress. Rank is increased by collecting medals and hitting score milestones in the first game and by rescuing prisoners in the second. The better your rank in the sequel, the more hints you receive from the ex-[=POWs=].
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* HealthMeter: Unusually for a ''Metal Slug'' game, you can take more than one hit without needing to pilot a Slug. ''1st Mission'' goes by the rules of the first ''Metal Slug'', where damage amount depends on the source. ''2nd'', however, gives you a fixed 3 HP both on foot and on a Slug.
to:
* HardModePerks: Going up a rank in ''1st'''s Very Hard mode requires getting Rank Medals. However, Very Hard is the only difficulty that rewards the Super Devil rank. In this state, the character is invincible to everything except spikes, crushing, and falling off pits.
* HealthMeter: Unusually for a ''Metal Slug'' game, you can take more than one hit without needing to pilot a Slug. ''1st Mission'' goes by the rules of the first ''Metal Slug'', where damage amount depends on the source. ''2nd'', however, gives you a fixed3 HP (the max amount depending on difficulty) both on foot and on a Slug.Slug.
* HeroicWannabe: Both Gimlet and Red Eye's end goals are to be known as heroes. While Gimlet is doing his best as a soldier, Red Eye tends to boast about being a hero and keeps getting into trouble.
* HundredPercentCompletion: Two rewards present in ''2nd'':
** Completing every mission unlocks Tequila. He is able to select any mission (including Mission 31st's three entrances) and has access to every weapon.
** Rescuing every POW unlocks Hero Mode. The playable characters can throw infinite grenades and also replace their weapons with gloves that destroys almost everything in one punch.
* HealthMeter: Unusually for a ''Metal Slug'' game, you can take more than one hit without needing to pilot a Slug. ''1st Mission'' goes by the rules of the first ''Metal Slug'', where damage amount depends on the source. ''2nd'', however, gives you a fixed
* HeroicWannabe: Both Gimlet and Red Eye's end goals are to be known as heroes. While Gimlet is doing his best as a soldier, Red Eye tends to boast about being a hero and keeps getting into trouble.
* HundredPercentCompletion: Two rewards present in ''2nd'':
** Completing every mission unlocks Tequila. He is able to select any mission (including Mission 31st's three entrances) and has access to every weapon.
** Rescuing every POW unlocks Hero Mode. The playable characters can throw infinite grenades and also replace their weapons with gloves that destroys almost everything in one punch.
* MeaningfulName: Lt. Wired uses a wire to climb and toss grenades.
* NewGamePlus:
** The S-Continue mode in ''1st'' starts the game over but keeps your current rank and health meter.
** Tequila has access to all missions. This allows him to rescue POWs without playing previous missions.
* NewTechIsNotCheap: Gimlet and Red Eye get scolded for destroying the Slugs and the prototypes as they're are not cheap to produce.
** The S-Continue mode in ''1st'' starts the game over but keeps your current rank and health meter.
** Tequila has access to all missions. This allows him to rescue POWs without playing previous missions.
* NewTechIsNotCheap: Gimlet and Red Eye get scolded for destroying the Slugs and the prototypes as they're are not cheap to produce.
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* NoNameGiven: The protagonists from ''1st'' are left unnamed.
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* NoNameGiven: The protagonists from ''1st'' are left unnamed.unnamed; the 10th Anniversary site nicknames them as "Hero".
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* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Failing a Slug Flyer mission in the first game sends you into a parachuting minigame with a very unhelpful timer. If you release the parachute too early, you must dodge a barrage of insta-killing missiles until you land -- which can be painfully hard. The sequel replaces this with a jetpack stage.
* NoticeThis: In the train-top and minecraft levels for ''2nd'', a warning sign appears before incoming obstacles. Sadly this is not very helpful in the minecraft levels, where you must find out via trial and error the correct timing for the jumps and when you need to slow down.
* OneHitPointWonder: Playing ''2nd'' in Very Hard mode reduces you to this. You also only get 1 HP in the Time Attack levels for this game.
* PurelyAestheticGender: Clearing ''1st'' once lets you play as a female soldier but she has no gameplay differences. In ''2nd'', however, Gimlet and Red Eye have weapons and missions that are exclusive to each of them.
* NoticeThis: In the train-top and minecraft levels for ''2nd'', a warning sign appears before incoming obstacles. Sadly this is not very helpful in the minecraft levels, where you must find out via trial and error the correct timing for the jumps and when you need to slow down.
* OneHitPointWonder: Playing ''2nd'' in Very Hard mode reduces you to this. You also only get 1 HP in the Time Attack levels for this game.
* PurelyAestheticGender: Clearing ''1st'' once lets you play as a female soldier but she has no gameplay differences. In ''2nd'', however, Gimlet and Red Eye have weapons and missions that are exclusive to each of them.
to:
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Failing a Slug Flyer mission in the first game sends you into a parachuting minigame with a very unhelpful timer.timer (except in Kids difficulty). If you release the parachute too early, you must dodge a barrage of insta-killing missiles until you land -- which can be painfully hard. Release the parachute too late, and you'll fatally hit the ground before it fully deploys. The sequel replaces this with a jetpack Drop Pack stage.
* NoticeThis: In the train-top andminecraft minecart levels for ''2nd'', a warning sign appears before incoming obstacles. Sadly this is not very helpful in the minecraft minecart levels, where you must find out via trial and error the correct timing for the jumps and when you need to slow down.
* OneHitPointWonder: Playing ''2nd'' in Very Hardmode and Hero Mode reduces you to this. You also only get 1 HP in the Time Attack levels for this game.
* PurelyAestheticGender: Clearing ''1st'' once lets you play as a female soldier but she has no gameplay differences. In ''2nd'', however, Gimlet and Red Eye have weapons and missions that are exclusive to each ofthem. them.
* RecycledSoundtrack: ''1st'' uses music from the first game while ''2nd'' uses music from ''Metal Slug 1'' and ''2/X''.
* NoticeThis: In the train-top and
* OneHitPointWonder: Playing ''2nd'' in Very Hard
* PurelyAestheticGender: Clearing ''1st'' once lets you play as a female soldier but she has no gameplay differences. In ''2nd'', however, Gimlet and Red Eye have weapons and missions that are exclusive to each of
* RecycledSoundtrack: ''1st'' uses music from the first game while ''2nd'' uses music from ''Metal Slug 1'' and ''2/X''.
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** The final battle of ''1st'' starts with three bosses, leads into a timed EscapeSequence and ends with a dangerous showdown against Morden's mech. That has a short second phase made just to sucker punch you.
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** The final battle of ''1st'' starts with three bosses, leads into a timed EscapeSequence and ends with a dangerous showdown against Morden's Hilde Garns's mech. That has a short second phase made just to sucker punch you.
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* SuperPrototype:
** The SV-000 can turn directions and engage a Metal Slug Attack in midair unlike the finished product.
** The Slug Sub has more versatile control than the Slug Mariner.
** The SV-000 can turn directions and engage a Metal Slug Attack in midair unlike the finished product.
** The Slug Sub has more versatile control than the Slug Mariner.
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''VideoGame/MetalSlug 1st Mission'' and its sequel ''2nd Mission'' are two spinoffs of the popular run and gun series released in 1999 and 2000 by SNK for the [[UsefulNotes/NeoGeoPocket Neo-Geo Pocket Color]]. While Marco's Unnamed Lookalike's adventure in ''1st'' doesn't have much of a plot, ''2nd'' details the first encounter between the Rebel Army and the Mars People as recruits Gimlet and Red Eye move in to stop their negotiations.
to:
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Changed line(s) 23 (click to see context) from:
* GuideDangIt: Good luck finding all those prisoners in either game, especially considering all the possible mission paths one has to look through and the lack of a level select option.
to:
* GuideDangIt: Good luck finding all those prisoners in either the second game, especially considering all the possible mission paths one has to look through and the lack of a level select option.option until you unlock Tequila.
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Added DiffLines:
''VideoGame/MetalSlug 1st Mission'' and its sequel ''2nd Mission'' are two spinoffs of the popular run and gun series released in 1999 and 2000 by SNK for the [[UsefulNotes/NeoGeoPocket Neo-Geo Pocket Color]]. While Marco's Unnamed Lookalike's adventure in ''1st'' doesn't have much of a plot, ''2nd'' details the first encounter between the Rebel Army and the Mars People as recruits Gimlet and Red Eye move in to stop their negotiations.
The two games make a good job in condensing the series' spirit to a pocket's size with the usual hectic action and detailed animation, but come with more platforming-focused and sometimes maze-like level design. Interestingly, both feature far more levels than the arcade games and have an unique route system: stages where you pilot a Slug force you to keep the vehicle until the end. Getting blasted out of it sends you into an escape mission and then a different and longer route, so there are various possible ways to get to the end depending of the player's skill.
While ''VideoGame/MetalSlugAdvance'' can be seen as a SpiritualSuccessor to these two, the 2010 ''Metal Slug Team Mission'' mobile game is unrelated.
----
!!Those games feature the following tropes:
* AllThereInTheManual: The manuals give a much more detailed description of the plot presented in the games.
* BigBad: Colonel Hilde Garn in the first game. Commander Kanan in the second.
* CassandraTruth: At the end of ''2nd'', Gimlet storms the enemy base to prevent the contact between the Rebels and the Martians. He requests backup from HQ but they ignore him, thinking he's gone shell-shocked.
* CollectionSideQuest: ''2nd'' keeps track of the prisoners you rescue. There are 100 in total.
* ContinuingIsPainful:
** Both installments have checkpoints and limited continues. Kindly enough, the default setting is 9 chances. ''2nd'' also doesn't remove the prisoners you had rescued before dying.
** Tequila cannot use continues, but any [=POWs=] he rescues are kept anyway.
* ContinuityNod: The two games are interquels set between ''Metal Slug 1'' and ''2'' and establish Red Eye was the first member of the Sparrows squad.
* CraniumRide: Certain enemy tanks must be used as platforms to get goodies that are otherwise out of reach.
* DegradedBoss: The final boss of ''1st'' shows up near the end of ''2nd'', but it lacks some of its moves and doesn't have its second phase.
* TheDragon: Lt. Colonel Macba in both games.
* EscortMission: Failing a Slug level forces you to clear an escape mission and take a longer route through the game. This includes the Metal Slug missions in ''2nd'', even though it lets you keep going on foot after losing the tank.
* {{Expy}}: Heroes and villains alike in those two games are clear lookalikes of characters from the main installments. The english manual for the second game even erroneously mixes Gimlet and Red Eye with Tarma and Fio.
* GameplayGrading: Both games rank you as you make progress. Rank is increased by collecting medals in the first game and by rescuing prisoners in the second. The better your rank in the sequel, the more hints you receive from the ex-[=POWs=].
* GottaCatchThemAll: The second game keeps track both of rescued prisoners and of the stages you managed to find. Clearing all 38 missions unlocks a third character who can freely select stages, which is helpful for finding any remaining prisoners.
* GuideDangIt: Good luck finding all those prisoners in either game, especially considering all the possible mission paths one has to look through and the lack of a level select option.
* HealthMeter: Unusually for a ''Metal Slug'' game, you can take more than one hit without needing to pilot a Slug. ''1st Mission'' goes by the rules of the first ''Metal Slug'', where damage amount depends on the source. ''2nd'', however, gives you a fixed 3 HP both on foot and on a Slug.
* InformedEquipment: For some reason, Tequila's animations don't change to account for his current weapon.
* TheManBehindTheMan: Discussed in ''2nd'' when the Mars People show up and turn out to be negotiating an alliance with the Rebels. Upset with all the killing he's been doing lately, Gimlet comments he would've preferred the aliens to have been manipulating the rebels or for the Rebel Army to [[NotEvenHuman have been aliens in disguise all along]].
* MarathonLevel: The first mission in either game introduces both the Metal Slug and the Slug Flyer or the Sub. If you play badly you will also learn the consequences for failing the vehicle areas, further extending the stage.
* MinecartMadness: ''2nd'' has a couple of those towards the end, where crashing into anything is instant death and there's plenty of awkward jumps to be made. Remember you'll sometimes need to hold down on the D-pad to slow down.
* MissionControl: Between missions in ''2nd'', Gimlet receives information from Margaret and Red Eye receives information from a generic Prisoner.
* NoGearLevel: Upon getting captured in ''1st'', you have to break out of a CardboardPrison with only your knife at hand. ''2nd'' removes the Prison Camps but still features this mechanic in certain levels.
* NoNameGiven: The protagonists from ''1st'' are left unnamed.
* NostalgiaLevel: The first Time Attack stage in ''2nd'' is the first stage from ''1st''.
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Failing a Slug Flyer mission in the first game sends you into a parachuting minigame with a very unhelpful timer. If you release the parachute too early, you must dodge a barrage of insta-killing missiles until you land -- which can be painfully hard. The sequel replaces this with a jetpack stage.
* NoticeThis: In the train-top and minecraft levels for ''2nd'', a warning sign appears before incoming obstacles. Sadly this is not very helpful in the minecraft levels, where you must find out via trial and error the correct timing for the jumps and when you need to slow down.
* OneHitPointWonder: Playing ''2nd'' in Very Hard mode reduces you to this. You also only get 1 HP in the Time Attack levels for this game.
* PurelyAestheticGender: Clearing ''1st'' once lets you play as a female soldier but she has no gameplay differences. In ''2nd'', however, Gimlet and Red Eye have weapons and missions that are exclusive to each of them.
* ReverseMole: Tequila from the second game is a mysterious spy who pretends to be a Rebel Army grunt and sabotages them by releasing all their hostages.
* RiseToTheChallenge: The EscapeSequence before the final boss in ''1st'' is a long climbing challenge under a time limit.
* SequentialBoss:
** The final battle of ''1st'' starts with three bosses, leads into a timed EscapeSequence and ends with a dangerous showdown against Morden's mech. That has a short second phase made just to sucker punch you.
** ''2nd'' follows suit with 4 sequential bosses for its final battle.
* {{Speedrun}}: ''2nd'' has a Time Attack mode which gives you 1 HP and infinite ammo to clear some unique missions. Setting records awards you continues for your current playthough of the main game.
* TitleDrop: The events of the first game are called "First Mission" in-universe. At the end of ''2nd'', the higher ups decide to hide everything that happened from the public and write it off as a training mission. Gimlet remarks they should have called it a "Second Mission" instead. In Red Eye's story they do call it that, but then she's annoyed because it was her debut mission.
* YouAllLookFamiliar: Subverted. Prisoners appear as identical bearded blond dudes as usual, but if you go check the rescued prisoner list [[GameplayAndStorySegregation what you'll find]] is a ''CastOfSnowflakes''. And some of those people are actually women!
The two games make a good job in condensing the series' spirit to a pocket's size with the usual hectic action and detailed animation, but come with more platforming-focused and sometimes maze-like level design. Interestingly, both feature far more levels than the arcade games and have an unique route system: stages where you pilot a Slug force you to keep the vehicle until the end. Getting blasted out of it sends you into an escape mission and then a different and longer route, so there are various possible ways to get to the end depending of the player's skill.
While ''VideoGame/MetalSlugAdvance'' can be seen as a SpiritualSuccessor to these two, the 2010 ''Metal Slug Team Mission'' mobile game is unrelated.
----
!!Those games feature the following tropes:
* AllThereInTheManual: The manuals give a much more detailed description of the plot presented in the games.
* BigBad: Colonel Hilde Garn in the first game. Commander Kanan in the second.
* CassandraTruth: At the end of ''2nd'', Gimlet storms the enemy base to prevent the contact between the Rebels and the Martians. He requests backup from HQ but they ignore him, thinking he's gone shell-shocked.
* CollectionSideQuest: ''2nd'' keeps track of the prisoners you rescue. There are 100 in total.
* ContinuingIsPainful:
** Both installments have checkpoints and limited continues. Kindly enough, the default setting is 9 chances. ''2nd'' also doesn't remove the prisoners you had rescued before dying.
** Tequila cannot use continues, but any [=POWs=] he rescues are kept anyway.
* ContinuityNod: The two games are interquels set between ''Metal Slug 1'' and ''2'' and establish Red Eye was the first member of the Sparrows squad.
* CraniumRide: Certain enemy tanks must be used as platforms to get goodies that are otherwise out of reach.
* DegradedBoss: The final boss of ''1st'' shows up near the end of ''2nd'', but it lacks some of its moves and doesn't have its second phase.
* TheDragon: Lt. Colonel Macba in both games.
* EscortMission: Failing a Slug level forces you to clear an escape mission and take a longer route through the game. This includes the Metal Slug missions in ''2nd'', even though it lets you keep going on foot after losing the tank.
* {{Expy}}: Heroes and villains alike in those two games are clear lookalikes of characters from the main installments. The english manual for the second game even erroneously mixes Gimlet and Red Eye with Tarma and Fio.
* GameplayGrading: Both games rank you as you make progress. Rank is increased by collecting medals in the first game and by rescuing prisoners in the second. The better your rank in the sequel, the more hints you receive from the ex-[=POWs=].
* GottaCatchThemAll: The second game keeps track both of rescued prisoners and of the stages you managed to find. Clearing all 38 missions unlocks a third character who can freely select stages, which is helpful for finding any remaining prisoners.
* GuideDangIt: Good luck finding all those prisoners in either game, especially considering all the possible mission paths one has to look through and the lack of a level select option.
* HealthMeter: Unusually for a ''Metal Slug'' game, you can take more than one hit without needing to pilot a Slug. ''1st Mission'' goes by the rules of the first ''Metal Slug'', where damage amount depends on the source. ''2nd'', however, gives you a fixed 3 HP both on foot and on a Slug.
* InformedEquipment: For some reason, Tequila's animations don't change to account for his current weapon.
* TheManBehindTheMan: Discussed in ''2nd'' when the Mars People show up and turn out to be negotiating an alliance with the Rebels. Upset with all the killing he's been doing lately, Gimlet comments he would've preferred the aliens to have been manipulating the rebels or for the Rebel Army to [[NotEvenHuman have been aliens in disguise all along]].
* MarathonLevel: The first mission in either game introduces both the Metal Slug and the Slug Flyer or the Sub. If you play badly you will also learn the consequences for failing the vehicle areas, further extending the stage.
* MinecartMadness: ''2nd'' has a couple of those towards the end, where crashing into anything is instant death and there's plenty of awkward jumps to be made. Remember you'll sometimes need to hold down on the D-pad to slow down.
* MissionControl: Between missions in ''2nd'', Gimlet receives information from Margaret and Red Eye receives information from a generic Prisoner.
* NoGearLevel: Upon getting captured in ''1st'', you have to break out of a CardboardPrison with only your knife at hand. ''2nd'' removes the Prison Camps but still features this mechanic in certain levels.
* NoNameGiven: The protagonists from ''1st'' are left unnamed.
* NostalgiaLevel: The first Time Attack stage in ''2nd'' is the first stage from ''1st''.
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Failing a Slug Flyer mission in the first game sends you into a parachuting minigame with a very unhelpful timer. If you release the parachute too early, you must dodge a barrage of insta-killing missiles until you land -- which can be painfully hard. The sequel replaces this with a jetpack stage.
* NoticeThis: In the train-top and minecraft levels for ''2nd'', a warning sign appears before incoming obstacles. Sadly this is not very helpful in the minecraft levels, where you must find out via trial and error the correct timing for the jumps and when you need to slow down.
* OneHitPointWonder: Playing ''2nd'' in Very Hard mode reduces you to this. You also only get 1 HP in the Time Attack levels for this game.
* PurelyAestheticGender: Clearing ''1st'' once lets you play as a female soldier but she has no gameplay differences. In ''2nd'', however, Gimlet and Red Eye have weapons and missions that are exclusive to each of them.
* ReverseMole: Tequila from the second game is a mysterious spy who pretends to be a Rebel Army grunt and sabotages them by releasing all their hostages.
* RiseToTheChallenge: The EscapeSequence before the final boss in ''1st'' is a long climbing challenge under a time limit.
* SequentialBoss:
** The final battle of ''1st'' starts with three bosses, leads into a timed EscapeSequence and ends with a dangerous showdown against Morden's mech. That has a short second phase made just to sucker punch you.
** ''2nd'' follows suit with 4 sequential bosses for its final battle.
* {{Speedrun}}: ''2nd'' has a Time Attack mode which gives you 1 HP and infinite ammo to clear some unique missions. Setting records awards you continues for your current playthough of the main game.
* TitleDrop: The events of the first game are called "First Mission" in-universe. At the end of ''2nd'', the higher ups decide to hide everything that happened from the public and write it off as a training mission. Gimlet remarks they should have called it a "Second Mission" instead. In Red Eye's story they do call it that, but then she's annoyed because it was her debut mission.
* YouAllLookFamiliar: Subverted. Prisoners appear as identical bearded blond dudes as usual, but if you go check the rescued prisoner list [[GameplayAndStorySegregation what you'll find]] is a ''CastOfSnowflakes''. And some of those people are actually women!
