Bionic Commando (1987 video game)
Bionic Commando, released in Japan as Top Secret (Japanese: トップシークレット, Hepburn: Toppu Shīkuretto) is a run and gun platform game released by Capcom in arcades in 1987. It was designed by Tokuro Fujiwara as a successor to his earlier "wire action" platformer Roc'n Rope (1983), building on its grappling hook mechanic; he was also the designer of Commando (1985). The music was composed by Harumi Fujita for the Yamaha YM2151 sound chip.
| Bionic Commando | |
|---|---|
Arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Capcom Software Creations (UK C64) |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Tokuro Fujiwara |
| Composer(s) | Harumi Fujita |
| Series | Bionic Commando |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Run and gun, platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
The game was advertised in the United States as a sequel to Commando, going as far to refer to the game's main character as Super Joe (the protagonist of Commando) in the promotional brochure, who was originally an unnamed member of a "special commando unit" in the Japanese and international versions.
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.
It was later released for several home systems (ported by Software Creations and published by Go!). Capcom later produced a home version for the Nintendo Entertainment System, also titled Bionic Commando, that was drastically different from the arcade game.