Fans of the franchise will be extremely pleased to find that gameplay is still centered on run-and-gun shooting, where you can choose from half a dozen commandos, armed with an arsenal of weapons that you can pick up along the way to decimate the enemies that come into your path. You don't really need a story to play the Metal Slug series, but it doesn't hurt to know that this story is a prequel to Metal Slug 4 (never mind the difference in numbers), where the famous Peregrine Falcon Strike Force troops attempt to go head-to-head against General Morden and his allies from the future.