Developer: SNK Publisher: SNK Released: 1990 Genre: Action
The Ikari Warriors series in the arcade were pretty good games overall. Unfortunately they were absolutely dreadful on the NES, especially the first game. Somehow despite that fact it was one of those titles that everyone owned, much to my dismay growing up. After suffering through the home ports of the first two titles you can see how I did not expect much from the final game in the series. Surprisingly Ikari III: the Rescue is far better than its predecessors. It still has its share of problems that drag it down but you can certainly do worse than this.
Ikari III wisely ignores the intergalactic adventures of the second game and brings things back down to Earth. Vince and Paul are enlisted to rescue the president’s daughter Elisa from a criminal organization named Crime Ghost. Ikari III switched up more than just the genre. It has distinct levels rather than being one continuous adventure. You will notice that the NES version looks and sounds a lot like other SNK games like Crystalis and Guerilla War. Speaking of the NES edition while it is more or less the same as the arcade there are a few exclusive bosses and a new level. In some ways it is even better.
SNK changed the genre from run and gun action to a beat em up. Rather than a side scrolling brawler like most games in the genre Ikari III still uses the top down perspective. Forget any grand ideas of a deep combat system along the lines of Double Dragon. Gameplay is kept simple as you can only punch, kick, and jump kick. Kicking in particular is a bit odd; rather than a straightforward thrust it is a roundhouse. This can be good when dealing with multiple enemies but is annoying when facing a single opponent. Weapons are still in the game but are scarce; the machine gun is the most common but only has ten bullets. They clearly want you to focus on fisticuffs.
There is no problem with that per se, but the hit detection needs work. Trying to connect with kicks is a crap shoot and the fact that it spins your character around is stupid. The timing of landing jump kicks is also suspect. This means you will spend most of your time punching which gets monotonous. The hit detection on all of your attacks can be wonky at times as a matter of fact; it is infuriating to see enemy soldier blatantly walk through your punches and grab you which happens constantly. Yet somehow in spite of everything I just described the game is still playable surprisingly enough. It could have and should have been better.
The pacing in Ikari III is a bit weird. The game vacillates between sending one or two soldiers and massive groups at once. This is probably because the enemy variety is lacking. For the majority of the game you will face generic soldiers who take pot shots and run away and others who are practically martial arts masters. I suppose this is the game’s way of making a lot out of very little but it does not help at all. By the time you reach the underwater section of Act IV you will practically be begging for something new. The levels are short but feel like a slog due to the enemy density. Had SNK added a little more variety this could have been pretty solid like P.O.W.
SNK adjusted the difficulty of the NES version to make it a lot easier than its brutal quarter munching counterpart. The biggest difference is the removal of the time limit and what that entails. In the arcade the timer was a distance meter that depicted how far away a large enemy force was from your position. If they caught up you were sent back to the beginning of the level. It was stupid and unnecessary. With that gone you can enjoy the game on its merits. You are still constantly surrounded by enemies and will take cheap hits but there are frequent hearts to refill your life bar. You have unlimited continues and respawn at the same spot making it easy to brute force the game if necessary. But I do not think that is necessary as the game is simpler and less frustrating than its predecessors.
In Closing
Ikari III: the Rescue is a massive improvement over the first two games in every way and an enjoyable experience. It has its flaws and whether they will hinder your enjoyment comes down to personal preference. That being said there are still plenty of brawlers and action games that I would recommend first.
