Military Madness
Turn-based lunar warfare with zone-of-control tactics.
Military Madness, a turn-based strategy game from 1989, was created by Hudson Soft and brought to North America by NEC for the TurboGrafx-16. It launched the Nectaris series, unfolding on the Moon in 2089 as players lead Allied-Union forces against the Axis-Xenon Empire. The title was later noted as a major inspiration for Dune II.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Hudson Soft
- Publisher
- Hudson Soft (JP); NEC (NA)
- Composer
- Jun Chikuma
- Series
- Nectaris
- Platforms
- Android
- BREW
- Microsoft Windows
- MS-DOS
- PC-9801
- PlayStation
- TurboGrafx-16
- X68000
- Released
- 9 February 1989 (JP); 15 February 1990 (NA)
- Genre
- Turn-based strategy
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Military Madness is a science fiction-themed turn-based strategy game where players assume command of the Allied-Union across sixteen increasingly difficult maps set on the Moon in 2089, each giving a pre-determined set number of units. The objective is to either occupy the enemy prison camp or destroy all opposing forces. Players command units on a hex map using a command box; each unit has different mobility and shooting ranges. Terrain affects mobility, attack, and defense. Units gain experience through combat, and friendly units near each other receive offensive and defensive bonuses. Units cannot be produced, but the Allied-Union can capture enemy units at factories or find unsecured factories to gain units. Units can be repaired by returning them to controlled factories, though a stored unit cannot move until the current turn ends. Transport units carry terrestrial units across the map. A unique feature is the Zone of Control system: surrounding an enemy unit in a circle decreases its offensive and defensive capabilities, but a surrounded unit can still move one hex. Available modes include a single-player campaign, a tutorial called Manual, and a two-player versus mode. A password system tracks progress; after completing the basic 16 maps, the game restarts with a more difficult advanced set.
Release
Military Madness first released for the TurboGrafx-16 in Japan by Hudson Soft on 9 February 1989 under the name Nectaris, and in North America by NEC on 15 February 1990. It was re-released for Wii's Virtual Console worldwide in December 2006, marking its first PAL appearance, and was included in the TurboGrafx-16 Mini in 2020. The game was ported to PC-9801 and X68000 in 1993 by SystemSoft under the name Nectaris. A 1995 MS-DOS port by Sunflowers, published by Hudson Soft in Europe, added new units. A Windows 95 version appeared as a CD-appendix with the August–September 1997 issue of LOGiN magazine and later as freeware on Hudson's website, featuring a unit placement editor. A Windows 98 version followed in 1999. An updated PlayStation version by Matrix Software, published by Hudson in Japan on 26 February 1998 and by Jaleco in North America on 22 January 1999, added 3D battle sequences. It was re-released on PlayStation Network in Japan on 14 May 2008. A mobile BREW version by Flying Tiger Development appeared on 19 April 2005, and an Android version on 12 May 2009 with touch controls and redrawn graphics.
Reception
Military Madness was well-received by critics when it came out on the TurboGrafx-16. It sold 200,000 copies in Japan, but struggled in North America because the console couldn't compete with Nintendo and Sega. Aktueller Software Markt liked the graphics and sound but found the music too short. Power Play praised the game's helpful guidance, visuals, and atmospheric music, though it wished for more maps. Electronic Gaming Monthly's reviewers enjoyed the moon setting and compared it favorably to Desert Commander. Ray noted the game had deep strategy but simple controls and clear rules. Tetsuya Inamoto from Game Watch said the rules were easy to grasp even for a full-scale war simulation. The game won a Best War Game award and Video Games & Computer Entertainment's 1990 Best Military-Strategy Game award. In 1997, Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked it the 48th best console game ever, calling it easy to learn yet very deep, with a tutorial that teaches basics well and later levels that introduce new mechanics at a steady pace.
Legacy
The 1989 manga adaptation of Military Madness, titled The Shape of Happiness, was drawn by Tamakichi Sakura and appeared in the Famitsu Comix collection. A 1992 Super Famicom game called Earth Light shared similar mechanics and was coded by the same programmer. The sequel Neo Nectaris launched in 1994 for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM², set a decade after the original, and later arrived on the Wii Virtual Console. A portable Game Boy version, Nectaris GB, came out in 1998 via Hudson Soft in Japan. The 2010 remake Military Madness: Nectaris hit WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network, while an iOS port titled Military Madness: Neo Nectaris appeared in February 2010. The game is noted as a key influence on the 1992 real-time strategy classic Dune II.
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