Ikari II - Dogosoken [Model KAC-DS]

Ikari II - Dogosoken © 1988 KAC [K.Amusement Lising Co.].

Ikari II Dog?s?ken is an overhead military themed shooter developed by SNK and conversion of the arcade game originally released in 1986. Ralf and Clark are back, and shortly after completing their last mission, an emergency transmission reveals that a new threat is rising and is far worse than their prior job. Zang Zip, the War Dog, has enslaved the people of Earth and our two heroes must now travel to a strange alien world to save humanity. They come equipped with a standard machine gun and can pick up a range of new weapons along the way, such as the powerful bazooka (useful to also destroy obstacles), the boomerang (kill all enemies on its way) and the sword (close range). Weapons can be changed at anytime by accessing the status screen, and the warriors can also carry grenades and land mines which are primarily used to clear obstacles or defeat strong enemies. Each time the player collects a new weapon, the power gauge for that weapon increases and its attack level upgrades automatically. It is also interesting to notice that, unlike the first game, each weapon comes with unlimited ammo. Finally, a myriad of items are available throughout the game that can be stored and used at any time - they range from special temporary powers (Thunder, Wing and Arrow) to invincibility armors or extra health. Interestingly, each stage features a shop called a 'Bar' (or 'barshop' in the American version, which is apparently a strange mix between a shop and a bar). There, bounty hunters can be defeated in duel to acquire Hearts (the game's currency). As a side note, these hearts are also left behind by defeated enemies. Although Ikari II consists of five stages, special warp tiles are also scattered around each level and give access to small mini-games or mini-boss battles.