Shatterhand (1991). Play online

Summary

Shatterhand lets you punch through a robotic army with bare fists that can even deflect enemy fire. Coins you collect become a shop system: 300 coins restores health, 100 upgrades your attack power and changes your vest color, and 2000 buys an extra life.

Scattered letter icons (α and β) let you build a floating satellite companion; each three‑letter combo summons a different robot, from laser‑blasting ααβ to sword‑wielding αβα. Repeating the same combo fuses you with the robot for a short power surge, while taking a new combo replaces the old helper, which can also be damaged and destroyed.

The game spans seven Areas. After the opening factory stage (Area A), the remaining five stages (B‑F) are selectable in any order, with the final arena (Area G) unlocked only after clearing them all. An anti‑gravity section even flips the screen so you battle upside‑down.

Unlike the Japanese version, Shatterhand swaps the original carnival level for a submarine stage and refreshes most character sprites. Its 8‑direction scrolling and quirky power‑up mechanics still feel fresh to any NES enthusiast.

Storyline

Shatterhand takes place in 2030, when a rogue military group called Metal Command, led by General Gus Grover, threatens world domination by mass‑producing cyborg soldiers. The protagonist, Steve Hermann, is a young Bronx police officer who loses both arms during a clash with the renegades. The Law and Order Regulatory Division (L.O.R.D.) offers him a pair of experimental cybernetic limbs, and he accepts, becoming the government’s secret weapon. Now codenamed “Shatterhand,” he must battle Metal Command’s forces across futuristic cityscapes and industrial complexes. The game follows his quest to dismantle the cyborg army and stop Grover’s conquest.