Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road (1988). Play online

Summary

Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road started life as an arcade beat‑’em‑up that let you twist an 8‑way rotary stick, letting the on‑screen soldier aim in one direction while moving in another. When SNK brought the sequel to the NES, the controls were simulated by locking the character’s facing as long as you held the fire button, preserving that distinctive feel.

The NES conversion also added a simple economy: you collect "zeny" to purchase stronger guns and armor, and the game drops in sampled voice clips for the hero and the bosses, which was pretty novel at the time. Dying swaps your flamethrower for a reliable machine gun, and armor can absorb a few hits without triggering a timer loss.

Power‑ups hide beneath breakable rocks, and you’ll discover hidden mini‑stages behind green doors where a lone boss guards the next chunk of the trek. The title’s blend of run‑and‑gun action and light RPG elements makes it a curious slice of late‑80s console design.

Storyline

Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road (often just called Victory Road) thrusts players back into the world of Paul and Vince, the elite soldiers from the original game. The core objective is simple yet frantic: eliminate the invading alien forces using grenades, rifles and a handful of other weapons. After the climactic rescue at the end of Ikari Warriors, General Kawasaki personally thanks the duo and flies them home aboard a plane he provides. Mid‑flight, a bizarre storm erupts, catapulting the pair thousands of years into the future. There they encounter a strange alien who warns them that the tyrant Zang Zip now rules the land, setting the stage for their new battle.