$9.99Bionic Commando
Death row did not stick. As bionically enhanced Nathan Spencer, you swing through ruined Ascension City on a bionic arm, grabbing soldiers and concrete slabs and throwing them back. A blunt, linear third-person shooter built around momentum and bad decisions.
Is Bionic Commando worth it?
Bionic Commando is worth it if…
- you like swinging with real pendulum momentum to learn
- you like third-person shooting mixed with grabbing and throwing things
- you like short, linear campaigns that end before they drag
- you like big dumb action stories with F-bombs and boss fights
Screenshots
Swinging through a broken city
Your arm fires at distant ledges, girders and walls, then you swing, release, and catch the next one. You scale towers, climb sheer rock, walk up walls and zip straight to a handhold when swinging feels too slow. The city gives you room to work with: tower blocks, suspended roadways, monorails and canyons, with more than one route through them. Chain a few clean swings over a ruined street and the whole shooter turns into a rhythm game.
The arm is also the heavy artillery
The same arm that moves you fights for you. You hook soldiers from across a courtyard, hoist them up and slam them down, whip them into the air or toss them off a ledge. You rip up cars, crates and chunks of concrete and throw them at troops, robots and helicopters, pummel at close range or pull pieces of the landscape apart. Guns are still there, from rifles to sniper rifles and explosives, with small upgrades earned from combat challenges. When a fight has height in it, you can swing under a squad and land boots-first.
A loud sequel with a short fuse
This is the follow-up to the 1988 original, five years after Spencer beat the Imperials. Betrayed, jailed and sentenced to death for crimes he did not commit, he gets out because terrorists set off an experimental weapon in Ascension City on execution day. Now the air defenses belong to them, and he goes in behind the lines. Missions run point to point with soldiers, robots and a boss at the end, plus side objectives and collectibles. The plot is generic and the dialogue leans hard into old action movies, with Spencer voiced by Mike Patton over a strong, brassy soundtrack.
What should you know before playing?
Can you play it solo?
Yes. The campaign is single-player, a straight run through Ascension City and the surrounding canyons and rigs. There is also a separate multiplayer mode with stat tracking, so you can see if you rank as commando or private.
How does the swinging actually control?
You latch onto a valid anchor, build speed like a pendulum, then let go and grab the next one. A short tutorial teaches swinging, climbing, zipping and combat moves, and it takes about an hour to learn them all. Spencer walks slowly, so the arm is the fast way around.
Do guns matter if the arm is so strong?
They do. Ammunition is limited, and some robotic enemies only take damage from behind, so you pair explosives, rifles or a sniper rifle with zip-kicks, grabs and thrown objects. Challenge kills earn small upgrades for weapons and health.
Is there anything for owners of Rearmed?
Owning Bionic Commando Rearmed unlocks three extras here: a retro Spencer skin, a prototype weapon and a secret room in the Fissure level.
Will the map let you go anywhere?
Not quite. You can pick routes through each area, but radiation fog, walls, water and wide gaps fence you in, and straying too far can kill you fast. Save points are spaced out, so a death after a detour for collectibles can send you back a stretch.
