If we say Senjõ no Õkami, most people probably donÕt know what we are talking about or think it about the beautiful Okami. But it’s not. If we say Wolf of the Battlefield on the other hand, something similar will happen, ironically. But in both cases it is about the same thing, despite not being a name used here by the Capcom saga until the sad end with its third chapter in digital format.
We refer to the mythical Commando of 1985 and its unforgettable sequel in 1990, that which MERCS enhanced its 100% arcade formula and the possibility of sharing shots with up to two more people in its arcade. And since last month it is possible to buy it separately within the Capcom Arcade Stadium collection, it is a good time to remember this classic in depth.
Overview
It was 1990, Arnold Schwarzenegger was back in theaters with Total Challenge, Janick Gers was making his Iron Maiden debut with No Prayer for the Dying, and arcade video games were in full swing. At a time when action cinema was enjoying its finest hour, Capcom decided to contribute to the cause with Mercs, a title with which they hoped to succeed the famous Commando.
Game Story
It was a classic-style ‘Shoot’m Up’ in which we played a mercenary with the mission of rescuing the President of the United States from a group of terrorists bent on world domination. The action took place in Zutula, a fictional country located in South Africa that provided us with 6 screens of maximum arcade action in which we had to face an entire army of terrorists, armed with our trusty rifle and with testosterone levels only worthy of John Matrix (star of the movie Commando).
The plot endowed the game with a quality typical of action cinema at the time – having an Arnold Schwarzenegger with you, why bother calling in the army?
Weapons
In our eagerness to slaughter enemy troops, we had the opportunity to wield a number of different and interesting weapons. First, there was the machine gun. It was the weapon that came by default and was very useful when we improved it to the maximum.
We also had the flamethrower, which burned our enemies just by brushing them (the funniest weapon). Third was the laser weapon, which launched green balls at a 90o angle. Finally, we had the grenade launcher, particularly useful against vehicles.
Gameplay
Over the course of the game, we collected various items; medals that increased our score, ammo boxes that improved our weapons, bombs, medicine, and vitality kits that increased our maximum capacity for life.
In this version for recreational machines, we could play with up to three people embodying the different mercenaries in the group. On top of that, we could share the vehicles we stole from the terrorists, one of the wonders of gameplay at the time.
MERCS into Mega Drive
Due to the success of the product, Capcom decided in 1991 that it was a good time for Mercs to move to Mega Drive. And so the toughest mercenaries in video game history made their appearance on the SEGA game console.
On this occasion, the game would have some important differences: Firstly, graphic and sound quality deteriorated, as recreational machines were much more advanced at the time. Secondly, multiplayer mode was removed, so that the console could easily handle what was then one of SEGA’s most spectacular console games.
Game modes
On the other hand, and very appropriately, an additional game mode called ‘Original Mode’ was added, in which we ran a real campaign. The difficulty was enormous. We only had one life and no continuation, but the fun was that, throughout the game, we recruited more mercenaries.
We could replace them with the protagonist by pressing the Start button and selecting them from a menu. On top of this, each one used a different weapon and had its own physical characteristics, so we could upgrade them to suit our needs.
This game mode is, without a doubt, what grabs Mercs’ attention the most, and from here on in, I’d advise you all, that it’s not a waste. Speaking of the soundtrack, both versions of the title have the same music. It’s perhaps one of the best soundtracks in the history of video games, even if it is MIDI. The music accompanied the gameplay and made us feel really adventurous at the time.
Capcom Evolution from Commando to MERCS
The eighties were a golden age for the arcades and Capcom was one of the most important, contributing not only a greater number of games in terms of quantity/quality, but also creating several icons that endure today, such as Ghosts ‘n Goblins or Street Fighter.
Logically, action games predominated in the arcades, being partly to blame for the rise of run & gun games with vertical scroll following two classics released in 1985: Commando and Gun. Smoke. The second, as incredible as it may seem, was the precursor of Red Dead Redemption today, this time in charge of RockStar. While the first one gave rise to the Wolf of the Battlefield saga, where we control the soldier Super Joe in Schwarzenegger style.
Actually, despite sharing the name and year of release with the famous actor’s movie, it had nothing to do with it. Of course, it was a war game, obviously, where we had to slaughter enemy soldiers while rescuing from time to time a POW (Prisoner of War). The latter disappeared in MERCS, its 1990 sequel, but everything else was enhanced in a big way.
For starters, the design was more stylized and colorful. Not in vain the two games were five years apart and this evolution had to be noticed thanks to the first model of the CP System board. Although probably what was most striking was the fact of having multiplayer for three people in the arcade.
The latter was a pity in its domestic conversions, losing that number. In fact, in Mega Drive, it was only possible to play alone, while in Amiga 500 it was only two players. Be that as it may, the leap was palpable, both graphically, with animations of soldiers burning because of the flamethrower, as when you can pilot a series of vehicles for brief moments.
MERCS was completely linear and it didn’t matter. We went from the bottom of the screen to the top of the screen avoiding obstacles and enemies without letting go of the fire button. What mattered less was its story, where there was a coup d’état against country “R”. And all to rescue the president of the USA.
Will the Wolf of the Battlefield saga ever return?
It was also a simple development game, in the sense of having easy-to-understand, distraction-free control: we had the normal shot and then a button for the bomb (here called “Mega Crash”). So, yes, we had several power-ups typical of the genre as POW to boost normal shooting. Or the most striking: a revitalizer to increase our life limits.
And of course, it was necessary to increase this bar, because the game became increasingly difficult as we passed the phases. It wasn’t a hell of a lot of bullets, but the enemy didn’t give us a truce either, and our mobility couldn’t compare with that of typical Matamarcianos. Now it was a matter of catching the trick, being patient, and not going mad. As well as seeing which weapon was best suited to our tastes and/or situation. That a linear assault rifle is not the same as an impact radio grenade launcher. Or, of course, the all-purpose shotgun with its three-way fire, perhaps the most aided.
How difficult it was to make up for its short duration, though. The usual in all original recreational games. But at least the phases were varied, from jungle to urban environments, unleashing a whole festival of gunfire and explosions against helicopters, tanks, or large warships.
It no longer surprises as it used to, but it still holds its own to a certain extent, which is a merit for a game with more than 30 years behind it. The pity is to remember the long time lapse between this sequel (known as Senjõ no Õkami II in Japan) and its third and last installment, the uninspired Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in 2008. At least we always have alternatives for the time like SNK’s Shock Troopers or Renegade Ops as something more modern…
