Ultimate Guide: Mercs
In 1990, Capcom fifinally released a sequel to its smash hit Commando from five years earlier. Taking control of those soldiers-for-hire, Wolf Force, it’s time to kick some ass!
Way back in issue 138, Retro Gamer featured that all-american hero, Super Joe, as he charged through a virtual army of soldiers, tanks, jeeps and gun emplacements in the arcade classic Commando. Now, the wolf of the battlefield is back, and this time he’s part of a covert three-man mercenary team on a vital mission that the US military cannot officially be seen to be involved with. While promoting world peace in central Africa, a former US president has been taken hostage by a group of dangerous revolutionaries. Unable to intervene directly, the White House has called upon the mercs to extract the dignitary from the fictional country of Zutula. This being a run-and-gun game, there’s plenty of enemy fire, power-ups and massive explosions ahead; this team is many things, but covert is not one of them. Released in Japan in 1990 as Senjo No Okami II (Wolf Of The Battlefield II), Mercs features three simultaneously playable characters: Super Joe, as we know is an ex-green Beret, and now (for reasons not made clear by the game) a mercenary for hire. Joe is joined by Howard Powell, a former anti-terrorist operative and founder of the squad, and Thomas Clarke, previously of the US Air
Force. Bland names for identical shirtless figures, save a change of colour, and each player has an eight-directional joystick and two fire buttons for a standard and extreme Megacrush attack. As the concurrent, and unusual, three-player play would suggest, Mercs’ upright cabinet varied from the norm, with its extra-wide panel to accommodate the trio of combatants. And unlike Commando’s one-hit-dead system, there’s an energy bar which decreases as the mercs take enemy fire. On the surface, this appears to make the game easier than its predecessor; we’ll soon discover that Mercs makes up for this, and more, by throwing as much as possible at the player or players over the course of its six-and-a-bit compact, yet manic levels.
But first Joe and company must tackle one of the most deceptively easy first stages ever, the landing area. Dropped off on a secluded beach, the heroes make their way inland past token resistance from a handful of soldiers. Palm trees block their way and must be destroyed in order to progress, and there’s a mildly tricky choke point there, and again at the aftermath of a rockslide just around the corner. After a brief sally through a collection of sandbags that are very reminiscent of Commando, the
Funnily enough, we weren’t allowed to put our names in the game Anthony Ball
mercs are already facing off against the end-of-level boss, a Harrier jump jet that’s easily dodged and subsequently destroyed. However, upon entering level two, things hot up considerably – you didn’t expect it all to be that easy did you?
While a direct sequel to Commando, Mercs borrows considerably from another run-and-gunner. Released by SNK in 1986, Ikari Warriors took the template of Commando and added usable vehicles and a two-player option. In Mercs, to help the three heroic soldiers are several different types of vehicle that they can utilise at specific junctures throughout. A jeep provides adroit movement around the playing area, bolstered by a rapid-fire cannon, while the massive tank has slow, but destructive shells, tough armour and is difficult to steer, making it an attractive target for enemy soldiers. Additionally, there’s an armed speedboat and several gun emplacements that can be commandeered for a short time, although the latter’s usefulness is tempered somewhat by making the merc an indisputable sitting duck.
To further help, scattered around the battlefield lay a plethora of wooden crates. Shooting these reveals one of a number of power-ups and weapons. Burgers and cans of spinach are selfexplanatory, offering small boosts to the soldier’s energy, while a first-aid kit raises it even further. While we’re on energy, the bar is lengthened permanently by the UP bonus, while medals increase a player’s score. Rather carelessly (and irresponsibly, we might add), many crates also house powerful weapons, and of these, the standard assault rifle can be upgraded with
POW pick-ups, also featuring regularly in the boxes. Each mission ramps up the difficulty, with swarms of soldiers and enemy vehicles homing in on the mercs. After the initial landing, it’s a journey through Zutula, firstly the nearby town where the boys already find themselves facing off against tanks, jeeps and gun towers. Then it’s onto the port, and an enemy battleship laden with cannons and machine gun emplacements. After penetrating a nearby mountain pass to the enemy base, the mercs find themselves at the airport as a Hercules transport holding their target begins to taxi down the runway. Can they shoot it down in time and save the ex-president?
conversion duties to the home computers were handled mainly by US Gold and its developer Tiertex. The 8-bit ports struggled to adapt the fast-moving and chaotic action well (with the Commodore 64 coming out on top from a poor selection), while the Amiga and Atari ST mounted more credible efforts. However, best of all was on the Sega Mega Drive, which not only carried an excellent version of the arcade machine, but also included an extra mode with new maps, pick-ups and gameplay. Here, the player could collect a multitude of medals which could then be used to purchase weapon power-ups, energy boosts and in-game hints, as well as follow a map-focused story separate from the main game.
In the arcades, Mercs remains an entertaining experience thanks its action-packed gameplay, catchy tunes and fun additions, such as destructible environments and multiple vehicles. It’s far from flawless – the lack of a fixed firing mode, as pioneered by Ikari Warriors’ rotational joystick, hampers the game, as the majority of enemies emerge from above your avatar, and this increases the difficulty even further. But for anyone looking for some hardcore action with more variety than the classic Commando, you can’t go far wrong with this bullet-crazy rescue mission from the early Nineties.