The game was advertised in the United States as a sequel to Commando, going as far as to refer to the game's main character as Super Joe (the protagonist of Commando) in the promotional brochure,[8] who was originally an unnamed member of a "special commando unit" in the Japanese and international versions.[9][10]
The protagonist is a commando equipped with a bionic arm featuring a grappling gun, allowing him to pull himself forward or swing from the ceiling. Despite being a platform game, the player cannot jump. To cross gaps or climb ledges, the hero must use the bionic arm.
The story takes place ten years after an unspecified World War between two warring factions.[11] The game follows a commando who must infiltrate an enemy base and foil the enemy's plot to launch missiles by destroying the launch computer. The player then fights the final boss, the leader of the enemy forces, protected by armed bodyguards.
Gameplay
The game is presented in a side-scrolling format, with eight-way scrolling.[12] Unlike most platform games, the player is unable to jump, instead navigating the level via the use of a mechanical arm that can be used as a grapple to pull him up ledges, collect power-ups and as an offensive weapon against enemies.
Prizes such as points and power-ups can only be obtained from crates that appear on the screen suspended from a parachute and are revealed by shooting them. Unlike most of the later games in the series, the player cannot use the arm and shoot at the same time, the arm cannot be used in the air and the only power-ups are weapon enhancements.
Ports
There are home ports for MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, and Atari ST. For the Commodore 64, there are two distinct versions: a US version by Capcom, and a UK version by Software Creations. In some versions, there is an additional level between levels 3 and 4, featuring enemy helicopters.[citation needed] The UK home computer versions were published by U.S. Gold.[12]
The music for the ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, Amiga, and Commodore 64 PAL conversion was arranged by Tim Follin, using a music driver programmed by Stephen Ruddy.
In Japan, Game Machine listed Bionic Commando on their April 15, 1987 issue as being the fifth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[20]U.S. Gold's release for home computers sold 70,000 copies in the United Kingdom by 1989, becoming their best-selling Capcom release up until then.[12]
Home versions generally received average or decent reviews, apart from the ZX Spectrum version which was greeted by some critical praise, receiving ratings of 9/10 and 92% from Your Sinclair[16] and CRASH.[21]
Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 called Bionic Commando "totally brilliant" for how it replaces the jumping mechanics used in most platformer games with grappling mechanics, writing, "It necessitates almost entirely rewiring one’s brain in order to successfully play the game".[22]
Legacy
The world record high score for Bionic Commando was set in October 2007 by Rudy Chavez of Los Angeles, California. Chavez scored 2,251,090 points.[23]
↑ Capcom. Bionic Commando (Arcade). Level/area: Instruction manual, page 1. It has been 10 years since the devastating world war. The enemy surprised us with gigantic missiles this time.
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