Cyborg Hunter

Plot

It is the year 2242. You are Paladin, the galaxy's toughest bounty hunter. Cyborgs are about to take complete control of the universe under the direction of Vipron, their evil leader. You are sent to the cyborg fortress to get rid of all the chief cyborgs in each of the seven areas. You are not alone in this mission. You also have Adina, your contact back at headquarters. Follow her instructions carefully and you may survive.

Gameplay

The game screen is divided into three sections. This includes a first-person view of the map, in which you can see objects that are coming your way. There are two types of objects: red objects indicate the lower cyborgs, while white ones indicate the chief cyborgs. Next to it is a map of the area, your life and psycho power count. Below these is the main action screen, which is a side on perspective of Paladin negotiating the environment and taking on enemies.

In each of these seven areas, there are several floors which can be reached via the elevator. At the beginning of the game, your only weapons are your fists, but weapons can be collected throughout each area, which include psycho punch, ray gun, light gun, and bombs. Power-ups like extra life and psycho power can also be collected. If you use the psycho punch or psycho gun, your psycho power gets depleted, and when it is empty, you must stock up on some more. You can also get shields that will protect you from laser beams, and jet engines so that you can fly over hazards. In some areas, you defeat a boss which leaves an ID card, which you can use to access other areas of the fortress. The equipment menu is accessed using and A or B buttons on the second controller.

Story is advanced by simple cut-scenes showing Adina talking, accompanied by text below. Adina will also provide gameplay tips at pre-determined points in the game.

Development

The game was originally developed as a title called Chōonsenshi Borgman (超音戦士ボーグマン), and was based on an animated TV series of the same name. For non-Japanese territories the game was marketed as Cyborg Hunter. The Japanese version of the game has a storyline more resemblant of the anime series. The original game was designed by Hirohiko Yoneda who would later work on Shenmue, and Yasushi Yamaguchi who is also credited for design on Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Music was composed by Nav and Key.

Reception

Cyborg Hunter was labelled as unoriginal, but still "addictive and challenging". Computer and Video Games magazine rated the game at 76%.
Game Freaks 365 called the game easy as the player can "waste the majority of cyborgs in a few hits", and lacking in creativity. The reviewer gave the game 6/10. Retrospective reviews have compared the game to Metroid.