Bionic Commando (1987). Play online

Summary

Bionic Commando trades the classic jump for a bionic arm that lets you grapple, pull, or swing up to the next platform, turning traversal into a constantly shifting puzzle. Levels branch out in a partially non‑linear layout, so you can choose which sector to clear before unlocking the next set of abilities. When it hit the arcades in the late ’80s, the mechanic felt revolutionary even if the joystick felt a bit clunky at first.

The title quickly became a hit, ranking fifth among Japan’s arcade releases that month and later shipping 70,000 home‑computer copies in the UK, where it topped U.S. Gold’s sales charts. Its chiptune soundtrack earned the 1989 Golden Joystick Award for Best 8‑Bit Soundtrack. A 2008 remake, Bionic Commando Rearmed, refreshed the visuals and audio while adding a puzzle mode with 56 bite‑sized stages, showing that the arm’s appeal still stretches across generations.

Storyline

Ten years after an unnamed world war, the arcade game Bionic Commando follows the elite soldier Super Joe. The mission orders him to infiltrate and sabotage a chain of enemy rocket silos that threaten to launch a pre‑emptive strike. Using his signature bionic arm, Joe swings through the fortified installations, destroying the launch sites and stopping the looming attack.