Shock Troopers

Lore & Background

Shock Troopers was developed by Saurus and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade platform in 1997. Gameplay involves taking command of one or three soldiers in an eight-way shooter. At the beginning of each session, players choose between two modes: 'Lonely Wolf' (controlling one character throughout) or 'Team Battle' (selecting a band of three soldiers, switching between them on-the-fly). Choosing to go it alone gives a higher starting life total (20 for one character), while proceeding as a team gives a wider variety of special weapons and a higher starting total (10 for each of three characters). Players also choose a route—Mountain, Jungle, or Valley—at the start, with an optional route change halfway through. Each character has unique virtues, such as higher life totals or faster movement, and each possesses a unique special weapon or 'bomb' with varying distance and range. Controls consist of an eight-way joystick and four buttons for firing, evasive maneuvers, special weapons, and character switching.

Reader's Guide

Shock Troopers is significant as a well-regarded run and gun shooter from the late 1990s, noted for its branching paths and team-based mechanics. The game was commercially successful in Japan, listed as the thirteenth most successful arcade game of December 1998 by Game Machine. Critical reception was very positive: Classic Game Room described it as an 'amazing' shooter with 'fantastic' gameplay and controls, calling it the best game of 2011 despite being a re-release. Nintendo Life scored the Virtual Console release 7/10, calling it 'an intense and explosive run-and-gun experience.' Digitally Downloaded awarded it four-and-a-half stars out of five, recommending it for players of any skill level. Hardcore Gaming 101 praised the Virtual Console version for running 'almost perfectly' and hailed the game's 'fantastic presentation that ranks among the best in the genre.' The game has been re-released on multiple platforms, including SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 (PS2, PSP, Wii), PlayStation Network (PS3, PSP), Virtual Console (Wii), and via Humble Bundle and Steam for Windows, OS X, and Linux. Its legacy endures as a classic of the run-and-gun genre.

Did You Know?

• Shock Troopers was developed by Saurus and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade platform in 1997.
• The game features two modes: 'Lonely Wolf' (one character) and 'Team Battle' (three characters switchable on-the-fly).
• Players can choose between Mountain, Jungle, or Valley routes at the start, with an optional route change halfway through.
• The plot involves the Bloody Scorpions terrorist group kidnapping scientist George Diamond and his granddaughter Cecilia Diamond to obtain the drug Alpha-301.