Rearmed follows Nathan Spencer, a commando with a bionic left arm that can extend and be used as a weapon, or to swing from various objects. Spencer is sent to destroy a weapon known as the Albatross project under construction by the Badds. The game was developed using Grin's Diesel engine and features in-game art by Shinkiro. Music for the game was composed by Simon Viklund and consists largely of remixed versions of the original music. The soundtrack was released on May 27, 2008 by Sumthing Else Music Works. In Bionic Commando Rearmed, the player controls Nathan Spencer, a soldier who has been given a bionic arm. The arm is equipped with several features including a grappling hook which can be used to reach distant objects. The player uses Spencer's bionic arm to swing across gaps or climb to higher ledges. Often, the player must make a series of grappling actions in a row to successfully traverse hazards such as a wide gap or an electrified floor. Spencer earns a variety of weaponry and items by defeating level bosses. Some items and weapons must be acquired before certain areas can be entered: for example, the player must locate flares that can then be used to illuminate dark areas. Levels are presented to the player as an overworld-style tactical map showing friendly and enemy areas. The player controls a helicopter to move between areas, and can then select to infiltrate that area on foot. While in the overworld view, enemy convoys will also move between areas. If the player's helicopter encounters a convoy, the player must fight through it on foot and destroy the enemy anti-air truck before the helicopter can proceed. Such levels are presented from a top-down perspective. While Bionic Commando Rearmed remains mostly true to its NES counterpart, a number of gameplay enhancements were made. A health bar replaces the game's original health system of a limited health pool which grows after collecting bullets from defeated foes. Players collect health items from enemies to restore health, as opposed to the original system which involved earning more hit points. Defeating enemies with full health now awards players extra points, encouraging players to avoid being hit in order to obtain high scores. Players can extend Spencer's bionic arm to grab oil barrels and throw them at enemies, or use them as temporary shields. Weapons can now be changed instantly during gameplay, as opposed to being limited to one weapon per mission. Boss battles have also been redesigned. Each battle now makes unique use of Spencer's weaponry and bionic arm. In one example, the player must latch the arm to a screw on the boss character's vehicle, then pull back to expose a weak point in the armor. Additionally, the final boss battle has been extended to a complete level as opposed to the ending sequence of one. Hacking into enemy communications now involves navigating a three-dimensional puzzle as opposed to simply choosing to hack. New to the remake are Challenge rooms which involve using the bionic arm to traverse a course as quickly as possible. Force feedback has been implemented when using the bionic arm, firing weapons, and other events. Multiplayer Rearmed's campaign can be played locally with another player. Although the overall gameplay is identical, enemy AI adapts difficulty to accommodate the extra player. Character lives are shared between players, meaning that each player life lost hurts both players. Once all extra lives are depleted and a player dies, the AI reverts to its single player configuration for the remaining player until that player completes the level or an extra life is found. Additionally the cooperative campaign is saved separately from the solo campaign, meaning that weapons, equipment, and powerups do not carry over from one campaign into the other. During play, the game's camera will zoom in and out to accommodate both players, and will split the screen dynamically should the camera not be able to zoom any further. Competitive multiplayer modes have also been added, and can be played locally or over a network. Game modes include the standard versus and last man standingmodes, and Don't Touch the Floor, in which characters attempt to knock other players to a hazard at the bottom of the level for points.

Bionic Commando: Rearmed

Platform
steam

Region
Worldwide