Bionic Commando: Armed, Rearmed and Dismantled

Bionic Commando is a series that I think most people know about, but may not be aware of the various games that were released over the years. I’m not sure what led up to it, but recently I decided to dive in head first and play through all 7 games in the series. I planned on going a bit more in depth, but I had to scale things back due to personal obligations, so this will just be a mini-review of the entire series with a brief rundown of each entry and my general thoughts about them. I’m going to try and keep this as simple as possible, which means I might leave out a few minor details here and there, so apologies in advance if I happen to miss anything. With those introductions aside, let’s get this started!

Bionic Commando/Top Secret (Arcade) (1987)

The original Arcade game that started it all. The game starts off simple enough, but begins to shake you down for your lunch money by the time you reach the second level. The basic gameplay consists of using your grappling arm to climb and swing your way across each level, while shooting down any enemy that gets in your way. There are bonus items and weapon upgrades parachute in, although good luck keeping them for very long because you will get mowed down by the enemies pretty quickly. There are only 5 stages and the entire game takes about 15 minutes to complete, which was fairly typical of arcade games of the time.

I wish I had more to say about the game. It’s pretty average as far as arcade games go and the core concept is pretty great, so it’s easy to see why Capcom didn’t waste any time making a home console port that pretty much improved the formula in every way. There were also ports to various PCs of the era, but I really don’t see any need to dive into them since they all stayed pretty faithful to the Arcade game.

Bionic Commando/Top Secret: Hitler no Fukkatsu (NES/Famicom) (1988)

This is a complete reimagining of the arcade game, instead of the traditional level structure from arcade game, there is now a level map that lets you freely visit each area in any order you wish, although it's still a mostly linear experience aside from a few areas you will have to revisit when you have the proper equipment. The game starts the player off with no health and zero continues, but you can quickly upgrade your health by collecting exp that enemies drop, and continues are easily gained by attacking the enemy convoys you encounter on the map. The grappling hook has been improved and has a better sense of control. There is a bit of a learning curve when using the grappling hook at first and you may find yourself struggling to get past even the simplest obstacles, but it soon becomes second nature once you get a handle on things.

The only real criticism I have is that the enemies don’t pose much of a threat, especially once you get the rocket launcher, and most of the boss fights consist of shooting a single reactor until it explodes. I also kind of wish that there was a password system, while the game only takes around 2 hours, some minor trial and error and repeated deaths in the more trickier areas can easily extend the games runtime. That’s hardly a mark against the game though. Most games from this era weren’t designed to be beaten in a single sitting and once you get more familiar with the basic mechanics you can easily fly through most of the earlier levels in no time.

The US/EU release had some changes compared to the Famicom version, most notably all references to Nazis were removed and Swastikas were replaced with a new symbol. These changes aren’t very subtle either, even back in the day it wasn’t hard to figure out what the enemies were supposed to represent. Interestingly enough, the rather gratuitous ending scene where the Fuhrer’s head explodes was left fully uncensored, so kudos to the localization team for managing to slip that one past the Nintendo censors.

There is a reason why Bionic Commando is considered one of the GOATS for the NES. The gameplay is solid, the challenge is high, and it has that classic Capcom charm. I actually just beat Bionic Commando for the first time without using a Game Genie while writing this and I found it to be tough initially, but things got easier once I got the hang of the swinging mechanics and gained access to more weapons. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’ve never played it before. Hell even if you have played it before, go back and play it again!

Bionic Commando (GameBoy) (1992)

The handheld version at first glance looks like a straight port of the NES version with a similar storyline and opening levels, but it has enough differences to stand on its own. The game trades in the Post WW2 aesthetic for a more futuristic setting, with flashy Mega Man-esque styled cutscenes for good measure. There aren’t too many differences from the NES version gameplay wise. The basic game mechanics and map layout are almost exactly the same, so there won’t be too many surprises if you’ve already played through the first game.

There are changes in some of the level designs, with some levels having completely new layouts and more complicated obstacles to get across, especially later in the game where things can get absolutely brutal. I also noticed that the grappling hook felt more refined and the enemies seem a bit more aggressive. The bosses also aren’t nearly as one note as in the NES version. Thankfully there is a password system this time around, making getting through some of the more grueling parts of the game more manageable since it doesn’t have to be completed in a single sitting. Unfortunately, the game ending lacks any kind of exploding head action, which means you won’t be seeing some dude’s brains bursting all over your Game Boy’s monochrome screen.

Bionic Commando for Gameboy is a solid handheld conversion and Capcom did an excellent job bringing the experience to the small screen. While it doesn’t really add anything new to the formula, it does have some much needed QOL improvements and there are enough differences to help it stand on its own. I wouldn’t recommend it over the NES version, but it is still a worthwhile playthrough and worth checking out for anyone that is thirsty for more Bionic Commando.

Bionic Commando: Elite Forces (Gameboy Color) (1999)

The first proper sequel in the series so far, taking place some time after the events of the Game Boy Bionic Commando, although it might as well be another remake since the story is essentially the same as the previous games. Super Joe is once again captured by the same enemies and you must once again rescue him, only this time you have the option of choosing between a Male or Female Bionic Commando. There is a save function this time around letting you save at the end of every level, as well as at command posts. Attacking enemy convoys now serves as an easy way to gain extra lives and there is a sniper mini-game that I thought was going to be a bigger component to the game, but doesn’t really add all that much to the overall experience. Other than that, the general gameplay is almost exactly the same, which is hardly a mark against the game since it still feels as solid as ever.

The game takes full advantage of the GameBoy Color almost to a fault. The character animations are smooth, but the sprites lack any kind of detail. While I appreciated the detailed environments some of the levels had, there were more than a few occasions where platforms and objects you could interact with were very hard to see due to them blending into the background. Added to the fact that the camera feels just a bit too zoomed in, leading to some levels being hard to navigate and many blind jumps that resulted in some unfair deaths. You are able to see your surroundings by holding up or down on the d-pad, but that isn’t much help when you’re in the middle of swinging and it isn’t visibly clear where exactly you’re supposed to swing next. I understand that the Game Boy Color screen has limited real estate, but this wasn’t an issue in the Game Boy game and if I was having this problem playing on a 32 inch monitor, I can only imagine what the experience must have been like playing on original hardware.

Bionic Commando: Elite Forces is a decent enough experience, but it is very much more of the same and kind of wore out its welcome by time I reached the end. The game started off well enough, but for better or worse it's almost beat for beat exactly the same as the previous entries in the series. I wouldn't recommend it as an entry point into the series, but anyone who enjoyed any of the previous games will probably get some enjoyment out of it.

Bionic Commando: Re-Armed [PC, PS3, XBOX 360] (2008)

The second remake/re-imagining of the NES game and my personal favorite of the entire series. Continuing the trend of the previous entries of the series, everything from the map layout to the gameplay mechanics are pretty much the same as in the original, with the usual QOL improvements you’d expect from a modernized version of a classic game. Much like with the Gameboy game, Re-Armed plays out very similar to the NES version level-wise. But new levels, obstacles and hazards were added that really help mix things up a bit. The grappling hook is the best that it has ever been and the controls are fluid and respond very quickly, which I think helps take some of the edge off of the learning curve for new players. There are also new boss fights added to the game that are a lot more involved compared to the ones in the NES game, but a few of them do end up getting reused later in the game and feel a bit repetitive since they’re essentially the same boss fight only longer.

The soundtrack helps take the game to another level, with a mixture of original music and remixes of songs from the previous games. One of my favorite small details in the game is that you can hear the beat of the music from the outside of buildings and in back rooms. It was a clever sound design choice that really added to the overall experience. The soundtrack is up there as one of my all-time favorites and is one I always try to mention whenever the topic of great gaming soundtrack comes up. Don’t believe me? Well, take a listen to this absolute banger of a song.

Bionic Commando Rearmed is a fantastic remake of the NES game and developer Grin did an excellent job at staying true to the original while also adding some new things to it to keep it from feeling like another repeat. While I didn’t have nearly as much to say about this one compared to the other games I covered so far (there’s really only so much I could say about the same basic formula), this is another entry in the series that I would consider a must play. Also, for those of you wondering, the head explosion does make its return!

Bionic Commando [PC, PS3, XBOX 360] (2009)

The gritty reimaging that absolutely nobody asked for! I’m not sure what the deal was with developers at the time taking random IPs and applying the edgy filter to them. It never worked and was almost always universally panned. The games always took themselves way too seriously and the end results were usually always lifeless recreations of the original source material. I really didn’t want to start off talking negatively about this one right off the bat, but man it's hard not to when you see how badly they massacred my boy Spencer with that terrible character redesign. Thankfully, a costume based on the original NES design can be unlocked early on in the game, so you won’t have to look at that eyesore for too long before you can play as Spencer the way God intended.

I will give the game credit for getting the hook swing mechanic down, at least when you aren’t being restricted from freely using it. There is a radioactive barrier that will kill you for swinging off too far and climbing too high. There is an in-game reason as to why the barrier exists and I get why they would use it to prevent players from getting to places they don’t want them to go, but it still felt like an unnecessary limitation added by the developers in place of creative level design. There are also oddly placed cutscenes and loading screens that would pop up as soon as I started to get into a groove, ruining any momentum the game had built up to that point. Maybe I’m just being a bit too harsh, but there’s almost limitless possibilities with what they could have done and the end product just comes off feeling a bit lazy.

Bionic Commando 2008 is a mixed bag, and while it’s hardly the trainwreck that I remembered, it still really isn’t a very good game. I went in as open-minded as possible and was curious to see if my harsh feelings towards the game from back when I originally played it weren’t just misguided opinions of a hung-over 20-something year old. After completing my very swift 5 and a half hour run I will admit that there were brief moments of brilliance, but they were hampered down by poor level design, lackluster combat, repetitive enemy encounters and a storyline that took itself way too seriously. The game does seem to have developed a small fan following over the years, but I am not one of them and I’d find it hard to recommend this disappointment of a game to anyone.

Bionic Commando: Re-Armed 2 [PS3, XBOX 360] (2011)

Bionic Rearmed 2 does away with the grid-based level map from the previous 2D Bionic Commando and goes with a more linear level-based map. As you progress through the game you are given new weapons, some of which you can use in previous areas to collect hidden weapons and upgrades that were located in areas previously inaccessible. Some levels have moments where you can use a sniper and a helicopter to clear out an area. This idea was kind of introduced in Elite Forces with the Sniper min-game, but with more of an impact on a level and can be used to clear out enemies, obstacles and unblock different paths to collect upgrades. I will give the game some credit, after playing what were essentially the same 4 games back to back, the semi-open endedness of the levels felt like a breath of fresh air.

There are now Active and Passive abilities that can be found throughout the game. The Active abilities are essentially secondary weapons like grenades, while Passive abilities can range from health regeneration and stronger firing power for weapons. I think my biggest criticism for this is that there isn’t a way to quickly change between each ability, instead requiring you to access the menu anytime you want to change your loadout. While this is fine for Passive abilities, switching between Active abilities is a necessity to get through levels and the lack of a way to swap between them on the fly is a huge oversight.

The most controversial addition to the game was the introduction of “Bionic Legs”, which gives the player the ability to jump. The levels are still designed with hook only runs in mind and even have “No Jumping” challenges, which kind of makes me wonder why they added jumping in the first place. I wouldn’t exactly call it a jump either, it’s more like a small hop that barely gets you off the ground. As I’m sure you can already tell I wasn’t particularly fond of this new addition. I guess it could be good as a handicap to help new players out in some situations, but it just comes off feeling like they were trying to fix something that was already perfected.

I will admit that I was originally too harsh on the Rearmed 2 back when it was released, I went in expecting to completely tear the game apart. While it didn’t exactly win me over, I do appreciate the effort that was put into it. While the game might not have been as tightly crafted as the first Rearmed, it had its heart in the right place and at least tried to take the series in a new direction. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it's a good game, but it might be worth checking out for those wanting more Rearmed and can look past some of the more glaring flaws as long you keep your expectations in check. As of writing this Bionic Rearmed 2 is currently only available to purchase on the PS3 PSN store, so if you have any interest in the game at all I’d recommend buying it sooner rather than later.

Overall the Bionic Commando series has more hits than misses.

• Bionic Commando NES and Rearmed are both stellar action/platformers that I would recommend to everyone.

• The GameBoy port is a well made handheld rendition of the NES game.

• The Arcade game was solid for what it was and even Elite Forces isn’t that bad despite all of its flaws.

Unfortunately, the last two entries were both critical and financial failures that caused Capcom to once again hang up the grappling hook for the foreseeable future, which is a damn shame because the series has a lot of untapped potential that could really benefit from the capabilities of modern hardware. I mean can you imagine how awesome using the grappling hook would feel with the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers? I also wouldn’t mind if the series received a much deserved Bionic Commando Collection release that includes all of the games in one neat package, especially since ReArmed 2 was a digital only console exclusive and risks being inaccessible after the inevitable closure of the PS3 PSN store.

Anyway, this article has gone on long enough, thank you for taking the time to read all of this. Please leave a comment below and tell me all of your deepest and darkest fantasies about Bionic Commando.