Bionic Commando

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Bionic Commando

Bionic Commando - ARC - USA.jpg

Arcade - USA.

Developer Capcom
Publisher Capcom
Published 1987-03-20
Platforms Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Arcade, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, ZX Spectrum
Genres Action, Platform shooter, Platformer, Shooter
Themes Action, Science Fiction, War
Series Bionic Commando
Multiplayer Alternating versus
Distribution {{{Distributions}}}

Bionic Commando is a military themed platform shooter developed and published by Capcom, originally released for the arcade on 1987-03-20, and later ported to many other platforms. This was the first title in the Bionic Commando series which has spawned several more games including various remakes and reboots.

In the game, you play a soldier who uses his bionic grappling hook arm to infiltrate an enemy army. You can throw your arm and connect it to various platforms to swing your way around the maps, but it can also be employed as a defensive shield by punching away enemies and their projectiles. You have to make your way through five stages before confronting the enemy general.

Personal

Own?No.
Won?No.

I first learned about Bionic Commando after playing the NES remake. While I was creating a Web page shrine for the game, and learned about the original arcade game and its various ports. Having never even seen the game in an arcade, I played it on MAME, and was quite disappointed by it. The NES remake was markedly better. However, while playing the game, I spent of lot of time getting to know it, and, while I still find it to be pretty awful, can now appreciate it.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
3 3 5 5 2

Best Version: Arcade

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The game is technically impressive for its time with impressive video and audio hardware.
  • The game has a wide assortment of characters and backgrounds, all of which are beautifully drawn.
  • Harumi Fujita's soundtrack sounds properly militant.
  • Each stage is pretty unique introducing new enemies, hazards, and mechanics.
  • The swing mechanic was certainly a creative concept.

Bad

  • It takes a lot of practice to get used to the movement of the bionic arm.

Ugly

  • The game is way too hard, even when you set it to easy mode. This is mostly due to a frustratingly slow bionic arm and obnoxiously fast enemies. But there are also sections of the game where you have no choice but to move up to a platform swarming with enemies, which is extremely difficult to do without getting hit. And, since this game doesn't give you hit points, it's often a death sentence.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Screenshots

Videos

Longplay, Amiga.
Longplay, arcade.
Longplay, Atari ST.
Longplay, Commodore 64 (Europe).
Longplay, Commodore 64 (North America).
Longplay, ZX Spectrum.

Logos

There are four separate logos used for the various Bionic Commando arcade versions. The original Japanese Top Secret logo, the arcade cabinet logo, the arcade game logo, and a plural "Bionic Commandos" logo based on the in-game arcade logo.

Play Online

Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Arcade, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum

Representation

Strong female character?FailThere are no women.
Bechdel test?FailThere are no women.
Strong person of color character?FailEveryone appears to be white.
Queer character?FailThere are no queer characters.

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English (Europe) Bionic Commandos
English (USA) Bionic Commando
Japanese トップシークレット Toppu Shikuretto Top Secret

Links

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