1980s
Mercs
1989 · Run and Gun · Arcade
Overview
Mercs is a classic 1980s run and gun game developed by Capcom for Arcade.
Deep Dive
Mercs is a classic 1980s run and gun game developed by Capcom for Arcade.
Developer Story
Mercs was developed by Capcom in 1989 as a sequel to Commando. Super Joe returned as the lead character, now heading a mercenary team. The overhead military shooter added a third player slot, varied missions, and a shop system for purchasing equipment between stages. It was one of Capcom's last major overhead run-and-gun games before the genre was largely replaced by beat-em-ups.
Did You Know?
- Mercs brought back Super Joe from Commando — one of gaming's earlier examples of sequel narrative continuity for a non-major character.
- Three-player simultaneous play was supported in the arcade version, one of the earlier three-player overhead action games.
- The shop system between missions let players purchase new weapons and equipment, adding RPG-lite progression.
- Mercs was the last entry in Capcom's overhead military shooter lineage — the studio moved to Final Fight and Street Fighter II.
