Bionic Commando (NES)/Walkthrough

Bionic Commando is one of the most innovative games ever made. The gameplay centers around a character uses a bionic arm to swing around instead of jumping.. It was originally released as an arcade game, and many versions of it exist, including one on PC and Game Boy. Unfortunately, Capcom never released a sequel. The game Boy version which came later was a remake of the original Bionic Commando. It was released in 1988.

Plot
You are a commando for the Federation. Super Joe has been lost behind enemy lines and it is your job to rescue him. Luckily, you are not just any commando, you are a Bionic Commando.

Jargon
The name of the commando played by the player is given the name Ladd later in the game.

Life Bar
You start off with no life whatsoever and you can be killed with just one shot. Each person you kill usually gives you green bullets that work as a sort of experience system. Once you get so many bullets, you will go up a level and be able to be hit one more time than you were before.

Chart of Levels

 * 1 - 5 Bullets
 * 2 - 15 Bullets
 * 3 - 30 Bullets
 * 4 - 60 Bullets

Items

 * Energy Recovery Pills: It actually looks like a green potion. You get it when you beat Area 1. By pressing start, you will regain all your life.
 * Flare Bombs: You get these in Nuetral Area 13 in the second door. You only need them once, in Area 4. Press start to light up level 4.
 * Rocket Launcher: The rocket launcher is more powerful than your main weapon, but has a slower rate of fire. You get it as a reward for beating Area 5. You will only need to use it once, in Area...
 * Wide Cannon: It's pretty much useless. It fires three bullets in three different directions, but they do not go far. You get it for beating Area 4.

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.