Metalgun Slinger (メタルガン・スリンガー) is a 2002 action
Platform Game developed by Open Sesame and released only in Japan by Atmark for the
Game Boy Advance. The story follows the adventures of Billy MacDoleane, a cowboy who must fight off a parasitic alien menace with his trusty Metalgun.
This game features the following tropes:
- Anime Theme Song: The game has a theme song for the opening ("Metalgun Slinger") and one for the credits ("RADIANT ～Billy's Theme～") with lyrics by Yuki Terakado. The latter one is only fully featured in-game as an instrumental version. No high-quality versions of them are known to be available to the public.
- Big Bad: The main enemies are alien creatures called Pérola Negra, meaning "Black Pearl". They're under the control of a being called Zeed.
- Bookends: The game starts and ends on a desert level.
- Boss Battle: Every two stages.
- Bottomless Pits: Not a single one. All pits in the game lead to alternate paths.
- Checkpoint Starvation: Stages can last from 3 to 10 minutes given how you're encouraged to seek out the outlaws hidden in them, but there are no checkpoints. Fortunately, the game does cut some slack in that boss fights count as checkpoints.
- Combos: To activate the combo meter, you must first perform stunts such as a dash or a high jump. Racking over 20 earns you an Invincibility Powerup until the combo ends. If you get over 30, the invincibility lasts for some time after the combo. This is important to use against the latter bosses, but keep in mind that stunt use is limited by the special gauge.
- Cowardly Boss: The outlaws hidden in each level attempt to flee from the player across platforming courses. If they manage to run away from the camera, you'll be forced to reset the area and try again.
- Gameplay Grading: You are given a score and ranking at the end of each level.
- Glass Cannon: The Zet Badge makes the Air Gunner skill fire a Spread Shot which is extremely useful when combined with the Dragon Gun Art's homing ability, but Billy will take double damage from enemies.
- Gotta Kill Them All: To 100% clear the game, you must kill all the hidden outlaws.
- Heart Container: Defeating the outlaws in each level reveals special chests that contain Reward Diamonds. Each 4 Diamonds get you a life boost.
- The Hero: Billy MacDoleane, the blue-haired cowboy with a Scarf of Asskicking.
- Joke Item: The starting Ace badge that's a memento from Billy's father appears to have no effects. Even in the final battle, where the story makes a big deal of it supposedly granting an 11th-Hour Superpower to Billy.
- Limit Break: You can fire up to five super moves after collecting bullets hidden in each stage. There are 5 different supers which are all invulnerable attacks best saved to kill outlaws and the bosses. There is also a general and very useless super move that fires a short spread of bullets around the screen.
-
Nintendo Hard: Enemies can kill Billy very quickly and it can be a pain to have to retry the longer levels, but if the player bothers to play carefully and learns how the game's mechanics actually work, it can be a lot of fun. - Powers as Programs: As you clear stages, you obtain four Badges and five animal-themed Gun Arts that modify your moveset. Only one of each kind can be equipped at once.
- Remixed Level: Curiously, the tutorial level's enemy arrangement is changed three times over the course of the game. This can be easily missed, as you cannot visit the previous versions of the level from the menu.
- Sequential Boss: The last two bosses must be fought back-to-back.
- Spikes of Doom: Nearly every level has beds of spikes scattered around.
- The Stinger: In a brief post-credits scene, Billy wonders why the Metalgun is still drawing power despite the death of Zeed. No sequel was ever made.
- Tactical Suicide Boss: The first final boss has two moves where she charges an energy orb over her head. Hit it enough times before she fires it and it will fall on her for high damage.
- Video Game Dashing: The only dodge skill in the game that lasts long enough to be any useful is the triple slide you get while the Snake gun art is equipped. Unfortunately, it costs plenty of meter. Worse is that there's a noticeable delay between hitting the dodge button and actually dodging.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: The first boss already has several different attacks for you to avoid.
