Victory Road

Victory Road (怒号層圏) is the sequel to Ikari Warriors. It was developed by SNK, and released in the arcades in 1986, later in the same year that the original game appeared. Like the original, Victory Road featured an 8-way rotary joystick that could be twisted in place to rotate the onscreen character allowing the player to face in one of eight directions while moving in another.

The objective is to defeat the enemy aliens using grenades and other weapons. The story directly picks up at the ending of Ikari Warriors. Congratulated by General Kawasaki for rescuing him, Paul and Vince return home to their native country in a plane arranged by the general. Expecting a hero's welcome upon arriving home, a mysterious storm appears and they are hurtled thousands of years into the future. They are met by an alien creature who says that the villain Zang Zip has taken over the land.

The arcade features sampled voiceovers from the main characters and the game's bosses. In the North American release, the voices were changed to speak English dialogue. For example, upon starting the game the player would be greeted by a giant floating head who would exclaim, "Warriors! Show some guts! You can't escape me! Come get me if you can! Ha ha ha ha haa!" At this point the floating head would fly off screen and the gameplay commenced. After the player loses a life, one would hear "Come on, let's fight!" upon returning to the game.