Battle Circuit (1997). Play Free Online

Summary

Battle Circuit feels like stepping into a neon‑slick manga panel where a ragtag band of bounty hunters chase the mad Dr. Saturn across a futuristic earth. The roster reads like a quirky comic‑book lineup—Cyber Blue, a half‑human with cybernetic arms; shape‑shifting Captain Silver, who throws ice; Pink Ostrich, a massive sentient bird escorted by a kid named Pola; fashion‑model‑turned‑claw‑fighter Yellow Iris; and Alien Green, a walking space‑plant. Up to four friends can mash the joystick together, each blasting through side‑scrolling stages that echo the beats of Final Fight while the art pulls a bright, pop‑cultural edge.\n\nGameplay leans on classic combos, but each hero can spend the coins you scoop from vanquished foes on "upgrade discs" that deepen movesets. Pressing both attack buttons triggers a draining super, and when two players unleash theirs in sync they fuse into a crowd‑clearing team attack. A unique "Battle Download"—activated by a double‑button jump—temporarily buffs you in ways that fit each character. The soundtrack, a mix of pop‑sharp electronic themes crafted by Syun Nishigaki, stitches the whole arcade experience together.

Storyline

Battle Circuit is set in the near‑future city of Neo Koba, where a team of super‑powered bounty hunters chase down criminals identified by special serial numbers. The game opens with the player confronting criminal 9696X, the scientist Doctor Saturn, and his blob‑like sidekick aboard a spacecraft orbiting Earth.
After defeating them, the chosen hunter returns to the employer, Harry, who immediately assigns a new target: Johnny of the Delete Gang, who is carrying a mysterious floppy disk.
Johnny is found in a disco‑styled hideout, where the hunters learn the disk holds the Shiva (Tentei) System, a malicious program capable of seizing control of every computerized system worldwide. The player must battle through various Delete Gang members across multiple stages to retrieve the disc and claim the bounty.

Edited by Maya Carter