Mercs

1989 · Run and Gun · Arcade

Overview

Mercs (1989) is Capcom's three-player overhead run-and-gun, a follow-up to Commando, sending mercenaries to rescue a kidnapped president.

Deep Dive

Mercs sends a team of up to three mercenaries into a war zone to rescue a kidnapped former US president, fighting through jungles, rivers and bases in eight stages. Weapons can be upgraded, vehicles such as jeeps and boats can be commandeered, and a limited mega crash bomb clears the screen. It was released as Senjō no Ōkami II in Japan, the sequel to Commando, and was one of Capcom's last major overhead military shooters.

Developer Story

Mercs was developed by Capcom in 1989 as a sequel to Commando. Super Joe returned as the lead character, now heading a mercenary team. The overhead military shooter added a third player slot, varied missions, and a shop system for purchasing equipment between stages. It was one of Capcom's last major overhead run-and-gun games before the genre was largely replaced by beat-em-ups.

Did You Know?

Mercs brought back Super Joe from Commando — one of gaming's earlier examples of sequel narrative continuity for a non-major character.
Three-player simultaneous play was supported in the arcade version, one of the earlier three-player overhead action games.
The shop system between missions let players purchase new weapons and equipment, adding RPG-lite progression.
Mercs was the last entry in Capcom's overhead military shooter lineage — the studio moved to Final Fight and Street Fighter II.

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