IKARI
(Ikari Warriors)
Game Cover
Game

©1986 K. Amusement Lising Co.
©1986 SNK Electronics Corp.
Release: 1986-11-26 (¥5500)
Cartdridge KAC-IK
Shooter/Action

American Version
country
Released in America as
IKARI WARRIORS
( NES-IW-USA )

European Version
country
Released in Europe as
IKARI WARRIORS
( NES-IW-XXX )
Ikari (aka Ikari Warriors) is an overhead military themed shooter developed by Micronics and conversion of SNK's arcade game originally released in 1986. The game revolves around two Rambo-like warriors (complete with torso attached shorts and red headbands) who crash in an enemy infested jungle. Their objective is clear - they must now proceed towards the enemy headquarters, blow up tanks, gun turrets, fortified bunkers and lynch the enemy leader. Our commando-warriors, Ralf and Clark, come equipped with a standard machine gun and throwing grenades. More weapons can be picked up from downed enemies such as Fire Bullets (F), Long Range gun (L), spread/triple shot gun or bomb grenades (B). Other special and secret items are also available for the picking such as Speed ups (S), kill all enemies on screen (K), the rare mega-ammo (H) that fully refills the player's ammunition supply or the knife that kills enemies by simply touching them. All the ranged weapons have limited ammo and must be continually resupplied. But the meat of the game really lies in the vehicles - a tank and an helicopter can be acquired along the way, they both are bullet-proof and deal a fair amount of damage to enemy units. They however run on fuel and simply self-destruct when depleted. Ikari features four gigantic levels and a two simultaneous player mode.
Related
Ikari II (Fc) Ikari III (Fc)
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Ikari - Famicom This Famicom port by Micronics shows many differences with the arcade game. First of all, the game is split into four large areas whereas the arcade was a long uninterrupted level. Players can also pilot helicopters and new enemies have been added to the mix as well. Interestingly, the last boss is also completely different. The arcade game ends on a rotting general - this is also the case in this version, however, a hidden staircase leads to the final and fourth level. There, players fight the final boss, a large smiling skull-face.

Ikari - arcade Ikari (aka Ikari Warriors in the west) was an arcade game by SNK originally released in 1986 (picture on the left). It was an instant hit and was ported to countless home systems of the time - Commodore 64 (1986), Amstrad CPC (1986), Famicom (1986), PC (1986), MSX (1987), ZX Spectrum (1988), Amiga (1987), Atari ST (1988), Atari 2600 (1989) and Atari 7800 (1990). A sequel called Ikari II Dogō sōken (aka Ikari Warriors II Victory Road) followed the same year, in 1986. It was also ported to several home systems at the time, and sometimes simply named 'Victory road' - Commodore 64 (1987), PC (1987), Famicom (1988), Amstrad CPC (1988), ZX Spectrum (1989), Amiga (1989). The third (and last) episode, Ikari III: The Rescue was released in the arcades in 1989. It was then ported to the PC (1989), Famicom (1990) and Commodore 64 (1990). Ralf and Clark reappeared in SNK games though and they can be seen in the King of Fighters series.

Teaser text from the American version:
AMERICA'S ARCADE HIT COMES HOME!
You and a friend are warriors with secret orders to invade an enemy nation. Working together as a team, you must fight for survival against a relentless onslaught of enemies!


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Japanese Guidebook
Japanese Guidebook


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Documentation
Click on picture to enlarge

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Infinite continues:
When you lose a life, the screen holds for a few seconds right before the dramatic 'Game Over'. To continue, press A, B, B, A before the Game Over screen appears.





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Ikari is a difficult game to master, not only because of the design of the levels (they are simply huge), but because the controls feel floaty and slow to react. The original arcade game had a rotary joystick that allowed players to move in one direction and fire in another. This conversion tries hard to give you the same amount of 'firing freedom', but fails miserably. Controls are incredibly stiff and too slow to respond to the continuous enemy threat. Levels are humongous (each one take at least thirty minutes to complete) but there is a price to pay for such indulgence - they are immensely repetitive and the difficulty is very uneven. Visually the game is correct especially considering its age, the gameplay is simple, addictive and riding a tank is always fun. But, all in all, Ikari is really basic and average, and I really advise anyone who wants to play the game to use the continue cheat (see the secret section). Think about all the qualities befitting a commando man - the pectoral muscles, the strong shoulders, the characteristic headband, the pink tank... the PINK tank ? What was Micronics thinking ? Sure, a tank has all the manliness of a Hummer but come on ! Pink ? Purple would have been alright, purple is a bit more manly than pink, but pink ? Then it suddenly hits you like a burst of machine-gun fire. A closer inspection reveals the frightening truth - Ralf's headband that we mistakenly believed to be red is in reality pink, explosions are pink, fuel is pink even the game's title is pink. Under a manly and tough exterior lies the gentle and sensitive souls of two commando men who crash landed on their way to their honeymoon. No wonder they are pissed and start shooting at anything that moves.
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