It is the first installment of the Bionic Commando series. 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 Story Behind Bionic Commando

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 protagonist is a commando equipped with a bionic arm featuring a grappling gun, allowing him to pull himself forward or swing from the ceiling. 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).

Capcom later produced a home version for the Nintendo Entertainment System, also titled Bionic Commando, that was drastically different from the arcade game. The player then fights the final boss, the leader of the enemy forces, protected by armed bodyguards. 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, who was originally an unnamed member of a "special commando unit" in the Japanese and international versions.

How Bionic Commando Plays

The player then fights the final boss, the leader of the enemy forces, protected by armed bodyguards. The game is presented in a side-scrolling format, with eight-way scrolling. 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.

For the Commodore 64, there are two distinct versions: a US version by Capcom, and a UK version by Software Creations. There are home ports for MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, and Atari ST. 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, who was originally an unnamed member of a "special commando unit" in the Japanese and international versions.

For the Commodore 64, there are two distinct versions: a US version by Capcom, and a UK version by Software Creations. 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).

Despite being a platform game, the player cannot jump. Capcom later produced a home version for the Nintendo Entertainment System, also titled Bionic Commando, that was drastically different from the arcade game. There are home ports for MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, and Atari ST.

The arcade was where all of this started, and for two decades it was where the newest hardware in gaming lived. Cabinet makers could spend money a home console never could, so arcade boards ran years ahead of anything you could put under a television.

Bionic Commando Arcade — Frequently Asked Questions