Ikari Warriors

1986 · Run and Gun · Arcade

Overview

Ikari Warriors (1986) is SNK's vertically scrolling run-and-gun for two, with rotary joysticks for aiming and tanks to commandeer.

Deep Dive

Two commandos, Ralf and Clark, fight up a jungle battlefield with machine guns and grenades, and can climb into abandoned tanks for heavier firepower. The arcade cabinet's rotary joysticks turn to aim independently of movement, so soldiers can strafe while firing. Its style owed much to Rambo-era action films, and its co-operative play made it one of SNK's biggest hits of the decade.

Developer Story

Ikari Warriors was developed by SNK in 1986. Players controlled two soldiers, Ralf and Clark, fighting through enemy territory using guns and grenades. The rotary joystick allowed players to aim in one direction while moving in another — an early form of twin-stick shooter control. The two-player co-operative mode was popular.

Did You Know?

The heroes, Ralf and Clark (renamed Paul and Vince in some Western versions), later returned as fighters in SNK's The King of Fighters series.
Its rotary joysticks let players aim independently of movement — an idea SNK had already used in TNK III.
Tanks scattered around the levels could be boarded and driven, providing temporary heavy firepower.
The continue system asked players to input a code — one of the earliest examples of limited continues gated by player knowledge.