Bionic Commando (NES)/Walkthrough

Each stage in Bionic Commando is linear, so it's not necessary to give explicit directions. Instead, each area is given in the order you should go through them along with objectives, tips, what you must take with you and what we recommend you take with you.

What to Take With You
You basically have nothing to choose from. Take the only gun offered and the red transmitter.

Objectives

 * 1) Climb up from where you started to the transmission room. Receive both the Communicate and Wire-tapping messages and leave.
 * 2) Far to the right of the transmission room, across the jump, and at the top of the level, is a doorway. Enter it, it leads to the base.
 * 3) Ride the elevator down to the second tunnel on the right and enter the transmission room. Receive all messages.
 * 4) After you leave the transmission room, the elevator disappears. Swing across to the left and continue going up and left until you reach the door to the boss.
 * 5) Once inside, proceed left and destroy the "main system". Just shoot the soldiers in your way and shoot it when you can.

Area Reward

 * Energy Recovery Pills

Tips

 * One hit will kill you, so your first priority is to kill every soldier you see and collect the green bullet that appears. You should be able to comfortably survive this level on 2 circles of life.
 * At the door to the boss, you can collect many bullets from the soldiers that parachute down. Hmm, parachuting in an underground base? Wow.

Neutral Area 13
This is a neutral area, so no one can attack you unless you attack first. Just keep going right until you find a door and enter it. In the first door you find a free bullet and in the second you find the flare bombs. You can use the grapple arm to get them from across the spikes. After that, go left until you go off the screen to end the area.

Getting Continues
Now you should have some life circles, so it's time to go and get some continues. If you don't, you will not be able to continue when your lives run out.

The continues are available on the stages found by descending on the green trucks that roam the board. There are two types of stages. On the first, you will get the continues (they look like a white bird insignia) by killing the enemy soldiers that have shields. On the other, you get them by destroying the jeeps. Get at least four continues (you can go back and get more as needed) and then proceed to Area 4.

What to Take With You
Still not much choice yet, but you MUST take the basic gun, the red transmitter, and the flare bombs. It would be nice to take the energy recovery pills, but Area 4 is dark and requires the flare bombs.

Objectives

 * 1) After you land, walk right until it gets dark, then, hit start to launch the flare bomb and light up the level.
 * 2) Continue left until you reach the transmission room. Receive all transmissions and exit.
 * 3) Follow the level until you reach the door to the boss room and enter it.
 * 4) You don't have to kill the boss, just the core. Stand on the platform next to the core and fire, but be careful, the boss uses a grapple arm that will knock  you off.

Area Reward

 * Wide Cannon
 * 10 Bullets

Neutral Area 15
This neutral area is just like 13, except midway in-between the doors, there is a steel wall that is in your way. When you reach it, shoot and it will disappear. This also causes the neutral area guards (in white) to appear and attack. Just shoot or avoid them. In the first door, there is a 1-up and in the second, the essential orange transmitter.

What To Take With You
The only thing you MUST take is the red transmitter. We recommend the regular gun and the energy recovery pills as your choices. You can, if you want, take the wide cannon: some people find it easier to shoot down the helicopter soldiers with it.

Objectives

 * 1) Go up until you find the transmission room. Receive all messages. Exit. If you are having trouble finding your way, remember that you can attach your grapple arm to the lights.
 * 2) Continue upward until you reach the second transmission room. Receive all messages. Be careful, after you wire-tap, an alarm will go off and enemies will appear. Get out of the room asap.
 * 3) Continue upward until you reach the boss door. Enter. The spring pads may be a bit tricky at first. Just make sure you are facing a platform you can grapple when you climb on them.
 * 4) This boss gets in your way. You have to kill him. Stand on the first wide platform and shoot. Dodge his shots by either falling off the platform or using the grapple to climb up on a higher platform. Once he is dead, destroy the core.

Area Reward

 * Rocket Launcher
 * 10 Bullets

Tips

 * 1) Some people use the Wide Cannon to shoot down the helicopter soldiers. However, the best way to get past them is to climb quickly.

Neutral Zone 16
It's just like all other neutral zones. In the first door is the green transmitter and in the second is a guy who gives you some useless advice. There is also a robot on the same platform is the second door. It will hurt you if it touches you and there is no way around it so shoot to make it disappear and run.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: Rocket Launcher.
 * Transmitter: ?? (not Red).

Area Reward

 * 1) Pendant.
 * 2) 10 Bullets.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: Rocket Launcher.
 * Transmitter: ?? (not Orange).

Area Reward

 * 1) Rapid Fire Device.
 * 2) 10 Bullets.

Tips

 * 1) The robot boss at the end will die from one Rocket Launcher shot.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: any.

Area Reward

 * 1) Permit
 * 2) 10 Bullets.

Tips

 * 1) The boss at the end cannot be damaged.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: any.
 * Accessory: any.
 * Item: any.
 * Transmitter: any.

Objectives

 * 1) If you possess the permit, you can enter the base. If not, exit to the left.
 * 2) In the first door is the δ (Delta) transmitter (Blue).
 * 3) The second door contains 10 bullets, however you only have enough time to grab a maximum of 6-8 before they disappear.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: any.
 * Transmitter: δ (Blue).

Objectives

 * 1) Head upwards and to the left doorway. Inside is a hallway rocket robot; if it is up, duck, if it is down, grapple to the ceiling. Two shots from the Rocket Launcher will destroy it.
 * 2) The red communication room will open the boss door if you Wire-Tap.
 * 3) The silver communication room will tell you that you should use the δ (Blue) transmitter in Area 7 and Area 9. If you Wire-Tap here, you'll receive a message from Joe and then the alarm will sound.
 * 4) The boss room contains two new infantry that carry shields. You can't shoot them, but you can kick them by swinging with your grappling hook.

Area Reward

 * 1) Iron Boots.
 * 2) 10 Bullets.

Neutral Area 19
Skip Area 19 unless you need bullets.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: any.

Objectives

 * 1) Across the first bridge a red enemy will attack you. You can grapple past or kill it.
 * 2) The first door contains four bullets, but you only have enough time to get 3.
 * 3) The second door contains an enemy that will tell you to kill him; he drops a bullet.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: any.
 * Transmitter: δ (Blue).

Area Reward

 * 1) 3-Way
 * 2) 10 Bullets.

Objectives

 * 1) The green guard outside the first door will tell you that they've been waiting for you. Inside is a red enemy that calls you a little boy.
 * 2) The green ally inside the second door tells you Joe has been taken to the P.O.W. camp at Area 7.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: 3-Way.
 * Transmitter: δ (Blue).

Objectives

 * 1) Blow down the wall at the start with the 3-Way.
 * 2) The final boss is another invincible grapple unit, and the main console has a turret, however you can still destroy it without taking damage. You'll have to be patient, but just hop onto the platform when he is on the other side, duck if you think he's about to strike with his grapple, or fire, duck, fire, and run off. You should be able to get 1-3 shots off each time you get on the platform. With the 3-Way, this console takes about 30 shots to destroy.
 * 3) After beating the boss, you'll break open a room and save Joe. Joe will tell you that Killt, leader of the Empire, has been trying to revive Master-D, the Badds mastermind behind a huge laser cannon. Joe tells you he's going to go to Area 12 to stop them, but that he gave a special machinegun to Destroyer-3 at Area 18.

Area Reward
There is no reward.

Objectives

 * 1) At the first door is a green guy. Speak with him and say no. Go to the second door and speak with the red guy on the left, also tell him no. Speak with the white guy on the right side of the second door and tell him yes. Enter the second door and get the machinegun.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: any.
 * Transmitter: ?? (not blue).

Area Reward

 * 1) 1-Up.
 * 2) 10 Bullets.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: any.
 * Transmitter: ?? (not blue).

Objectives

 * 1) To get across the two gaps and the fire pit, you're going to have to use some special grappling techniques. Fall into the right pit and grapple the top left block of the right side of the pit. When you climb up you'll be on the wall and you'll automatically bounce off to the other side and up to safety. Walk across the fire (take damage), but don't fall down. Duck and grab the side of the orange platform (just press once, don't move yet). Remember to hold  and press  and it should boost you up.

Area Reward

 * 1) Bullet Proof Vest
 * 2) 10 Bullets.

Area 12
You can't come here until you complete Area 11.

What To Take With You

 * Weapon: 3-Way or Rocket Launcher.
 * Transmitter: Red.

Objectives

 * 1) At the first com station, Super Joe will tell you that you need to destroy a power source to open the pathway to the other side of the base.
 * 2) Go to the bottom of the elevator and to the left and into the tall passage with electric balls charging some of the floors. Go up each floor slowly (press, then once more to avoid taking damage). If you grapple diagonally, you will get hurt. Head to the center and enter the boss room to fight the power source.
 * 3) Power source console.
 * 4) Head outside and up the passage, again using the grapple to avoid taking damage.
 * 5) Go to the bottom of the elevator again and head right through the now open hallway.
 * 6) At the second com station, Joe will tell you that he will destroy the other power source (he doesn't) and that it's your job to take out the leader. Wire-Tapping here will let you know that the enemy knows Super Joe is coming; however it will also set off the alarm.
 * 7) Take the door at the top right of the elevator.
 * 8) Inside the tall passage with yellow floors, grapple the ceiling right away to avoid taking damage from the rolling ball.
 * 9) In the center is a door to a console room that has already been destroyed (but contains a shielded grapple enemy). Ignore it and make your way to the bottom where you'll enter a door to another power source console, but this time soldiers parachute in while you have to deal with the springs and the turret.
 * 10) Make your way back to the top and exit the passage. Take the elevator to the bottom and dispose of the two soldiers. Head left through the open hallway, and take the elevator down to the spikes. Grapple your way across the spikes and enter the door.
 * 11) The revival room. As you approach Killt, a cutscene will take place where Master-D absorbs him into his body and then awakens. Since you are going to put up a fight, he retreats into the Albatros and fights you from there. If you're standing on the ground, remember to duck to avoid taking damage. There's one weak spot at the top right of the ship, but to get there you have to grapple up the left jet of the pair at the bottom right, then grapple straight up. You can pull yourself up and fire away, then drop when the top jet is about to fire. With the 3-Way, if you fall off of the right most jet you can fire upwards and hit the weak spot 1-2 times. After the Albatross takes about as much damage as a console, it will explode and a new stage will begin.

Final Area

 * 1) From the start head right and grapple over the spikes. Speak with Hal and he'll give you a Bazooka to take down Master-D's chopper (he also reminds you to aim at the cockpit as you jump, even though you can't jump).
 * 2) Make your way to the right until you reach the end. Hal forgot to tell you that you're only going to have one chance to destroy the helicopter, because when you land on the ground the chopper's machine gun will kill you in one hit. As such, you're going to have to fire a well timed shot into the cockpit as you're falling. Chances are you won't get it the first time, so hopefully you have some extra lives. If you manage to hit the chopper's window, a small cutscene takes place where the Bionic Commando calls Master-D a monster and then Master-D explodes along with the chopper.
 * 3) Because you blew up a giant helicopter inside a base, the entire base is going to blow up. You have 60 seconds to escape. It shouldn't be too difficult to grapple your way up quickly, but you'll run into one final challenge half way to victory. Another giant mechanical grapple soldier stands in your way. Grapple up the left side of the passage and to the left of the soldier, then when he activates, grapple up onto the platform, and then fall to the right and grapple to the right platform. If he knocks you to the side, you should be in a position to more easily grapple the platform. If he doesn't kill you, making the 60 second time limit should be a piece of cake.
 * 4) After escaping, a cutscene takes place where the commander asks where Joe is, then runs back into the base. A soldier on the communication line says they can't wait any longer. A different soldier asks him to wait, then he sees something. The base explods, and then out of the fire a helicopter makes its way to safety. Hanging the helicopter's tow line is the commander and Joe. The credit sequence begins.

Credits
Prior to the credits is a short sequence of dialogue and two images: one of the commander and Joe hanging from the helicopter, and the other of the two among cheering soldiers. "This is Ladd, our mission accomplished. Super Joe is safe. We are returning now.

April 7, 1989: Battle has ended and we have a new hero now. I was feeling different as I received the blessings from comrades"

The credits roll by, and then a final message appears: "Now, so much time has elapsed and I'm old now, I think it's time for me to tell you the whole story. I hope this story will be told for a long time...

October 2nd, 2010 Joe"