Bionic Commando: Rearmed

Nathan Spencer’s rescue mission turns an old-school action platformer into a surprisingly demanding test of momentum, aim, and patience. Set behind enemy lines in a militarized sci-fi conflict, Bionic Commando: Rearmed follows the bionic soldier as he searches for captive operative Super Joe while dismantling the Imperial threat. Its defining twist remains brilliant: Spencer cannot jump, so every gap, rooftop, and death trap must be conquered with his telescoping mechanical arm. The result feels like a sharp, arcade-era challenge rebuilt with slick 2.5D scenery, hand-drawn character art, and a remixed score that gives its NES roots real punch.

Progress comes through compact side-scrolling stages packed with soldiers, turrets, destructible objects, hidden items, and huge screen-filling bosses. Players latch onto ceilings and platforms, build a pendulum swing, fire weapons while hanging in midair, and use the arm to grab enemies or pull switches from a distance. Learning to control swing angles is the real combat system, since bad positioning can send Spencer into spikes, water, or a bottomless drop long before an enemy finishes him. Alongside the campaign, obstacle-focused Challenge Rooms push movement mastery, while top-down encounter sections break up the usual platforming; local co-op and competitive multiplayer add alternate ways to enjoy the core mechanics.

Rather than simply coat a retro game in modern graphics, Rearmed preserves the original’s unusual structure while refining its controls, enemy behavior, arsenal, and boss encounters. Its level design often feels closer to a puzzle platformer than a run-and-gun, rewarding players who stop, study anchor points, and plan a clean route instead of rushing forward. The difficulty can be unforgiving, especially in the precision challenges, but checkpoints and repeatable stages keep failures from becoming exhausting. Fans of Contra-style action, the grappling movement of Worms or Umihara Kawase, and demanding retro revivals find plenty to enjoy, while newcomers should arrive ready to unlearn the instinct to jump.