1980s
Ikari Warriors
1986 · Run and Gun · Arcade
Overview
Ikari Warriors is a classic 1980s run and gun game developed by SNK for Arcade.
Deep Dive
Ikari Warriors is a classic 1980s run and gun game developed by SNK for Arcade.
Developer Story
Ikari Warriors was developed by SNK in 1986. Players controlled two soldiers (named after Sylvester Stallone's "Rambo" and Arnold Schwarzenegger's characters) fighting through enemy territory using guns and grenades. The rotary joystick allowed players to aim in one direction while moving in another — an early form of twin-stick shooter control. The two-player co-operative mode was popular.
Did You Know?
- The protagonists were named Ralf (based on Rambo) and Clark (based on Schwarzenegger's characters) — SNK's homage to 1980s action films was explicit.
- The rotary joystick let players face one direction while moving another — an early twin-stick control concept a year before Robotron.
- Tanks scattered around the levels could be boarded and driven, providing temporary heavy firepower.
- The continue system asked players to input a code — one of the earliest examples of limited continues gated by player knowledge.
