Another ga released alongside Super Mario Land this month was Bionic Commando. Unlike Super Mario Land, which launched on the ZGB handheld, Bionic Commando was released on the ZEPS ho console. These two titles were the only official ZAGE releases for December, and both quickly captured players’ attention.
In Bionic Commando, players step into the boots of Ladd Spencer, an elite commando assigned to rescue Super Joe, a captured comrade. The enemies? A nacing, Nazi-inspired empire plotting to resurrect their forr leader, the infamous Master-D—a mustachioed dictator suspiciously resembling a figure from history through a secret project known as Albatross.
What set Bionic Commando apart was its unique gaplay. In a bold design move, the ga completely removed the ability to jump. Instead, players relied on a bionic arm—a grappling hook—to:
Swing across chasmsScale ledges and platformsSnatch items from a distance
At first, many players found the controls awkward and unintuitive. But those who stuck with it and mastered the bionic arm chanics discovered a fresh and deeply rewarding experience. The precise movent, clever level layouts, and inventive enemy encounters elevated the gaplay to sothing truly special.
The ga also featured a navigable overworld map, allowing players to tackle missions in a semi-nonlinear order—a feature that gave a welcod sense of freedom. Additionally, it included top-down shooting segnts during area transitions, which added more gaplay variety.
Zaboru, always or sotis respectful of great design, chose not to overhaul the original. Instead, he focused on refinent. He smoothed out the grappling chanics, slightly tweaked enemy AI, and added a handful of new weapons to enhance player strategy. These additions modernized the ga without disrupting its core identity.
At that mont, Endo—a high school gar known for his elite skills—was deep into Bionic Commando in his room. He’d already clocked over three hours, engrossed in the rhythm of grappling, shooting, and maneuvering through challenging stages.
"Damn, I can’t believe how good this is," he muttered, blasting enemies and swinging through the complex layouts with increasing finesse.
Endo absolutely loved the ga, and his excitent doubled when he discovered a hidden Zabo-man Easter egg. The Z-card he found read, "Find in the Z and I will challenge you." Intrigued, Endo followed the cryptic clue and learned that Zabo-man was hidden as an optional boss. To encounter him, players had to hang from a specific Z-shaped platform within a certain level. If done correctly, Zabo-man would suddenly appear, initiating a surprise boss battle. He wielded giant scissor hands, donned his iconic Z helt with gleaming visors, and wore his signature black coat—making him a formidable and stylish opponent.
Zabo-man was also incredibly difficult. He could leap unpredictably and use his scissor hands to sever the player’s bionic arm cable, temporarily disabling it for several seconds. This chanic forced players to adapt on the fly, often scrambling to dodge while waiting for their arm to reactivate. Overall, the Zabo-man fight was intense, stylish, and brilliantly designed—and Endo absolutely loved it.
Eventually, Endo reached the climactic showdown: Master-D had been resurrected, and the battle began aboard enemy aircraft. After defeating the first plane, Super Joe was rescued and handed Endo a new weapon—a bazooka. Ard with it, he took on the final boss: a massive warplane that required perfect timing and tight grappling precision.
With narrowed eyes and nimble fingers, Endo pulled off a series of clean swings and well-tid shots. Then it happened: the final blow. The screen cut to an 8-bit cinematic where Master-D’s head exploded in a dramatic pixelated fashion.
"WHAT! His head exploded!" Endo shouted, grinning in disbelief. "That’s amazing. Totally didn’t see that coming."
Across Japan, reactions were similar. Players were stunned by the unexpected and intense ending. For many, it cented Bionic Commando Final Boss’ head exploding as one of the most morable monts of the year.
Back at ZAGE headquarters, Zaboru sat in his office, watching the ending of Bionic Commando play out on his ZEPS monitor. He chuckled to himself.
"I hope players aren’t too traumatized by that head explosion," he said with a smirk. "But hey, it really gives the ga its edge."
Zaboru chuckled, recalling how in his previous life, he had been genuinely shocked the first ti he saw Master-D—whose appearance was uncannily similar to Hitler—et such a dramatic end. The sheer audacity of the mont had left a lasting impression on him, one he now hoped would resonate just as strongly with this generation of players.
"In most countries, they censored it—changed Master-D’s appearance and removed the head explosion altogether," Zaboru said with a grin. "Too ta. A good ga needs a little spice, don’t you think?"
Bionic Commando had succeeded—not by mimicking other gas, but by daring to be different. And that, Zaboru knew, was the true mark of a classic.
To be continued...
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