There are many things I appreciate about the Turbo Grafx-16 library. As a shooter fan I was spoiled for choice. Some might even say there were too many shooters. But when you realize NEC basically released 90% of the games for that system you can understand why. The arcade ports were more accurate than what you find on the NES as well. Bloody Wolf is a game I rarely saw in the arcade. While I liked it the home port is where I learned to appreciate it. This version of Bloody Wolf is better than the coin op although it still isn’t great.
Bloody Wolf was the second in Data East’s line of top down shooters including Heavy Barrel and Desert Assault. The best way to describe Bloody Wolf is the broest of bro shooters as you team up to rescue the President. At least it was in the arcade. Sadly, two-player coop has been lost which frankly sucks. There are a number of additions to make this a more substantial title but I don’t know if they make up for the loss of multiplayer.
Although Bloody Wolf is a top down action game it is a weird one. The camera is angled so that the game almost resembles a platformer. That is because you can jump and there is some mild platforming at times. It doesn’t forget that it is an action game however. There are plenty of weapons, mostly found in crates and such. These range from flamethrowers, rocket launchers, and shotguns. You have a primary and subweapon and can only carry one of each. There are tough decisions to make at times which is a lot better than choosing a favorite and sticking with it.
While Bloody Wolf is an action game it does remind me of Metal Gear at times. You have an inventory and can find key items that are permanent. Infrared goggles let you see laser traps, keys open locked boxes, and fins help you swim faster. There is even body armor to protect you from damage. None of these are crucial but they do help. In addition, you can extend your life bar and rescue hostages like that game. Its simple but I like it.
The level design for the home port has been changed, making each map larger. This version also does away with the timer, allowing you to freely explore each stage. Aside from more enemies new traps have been laid down such as barb wire and explosive barrels. It works for what they have done with this version. If the game were ported as is most would breeze through it in record time as it was intended in the arcade. The additions don’t stop there. Stage five, after a certain event, is brand new. Here it is nonlinear as you are tasked with saving hostages within an enemy encampment. I really like this and wish more mission variety like this were added. The final boss battle is also brand new and a hair puller, I’ll warn you now.
Most won’t have trouble progressing in this one as the difficulty is balanced. Medicine and health boosts are fairly common as well as new weapons. Most of your cheap hits will come when the screen suddenly shifts. There are a few boss battles that can be maddening. The first boss has armored soldiers who can only be killed with grenades or your melee knife. These bastards protect him and are summoned regularly. The final boss in particular is insanely cheap. You have nothing but the knife to deal with his rapid movements and boomerang. It’s really unfair and infuriating. Death sends you back to a checkpoint, but you have unlimited continues.
The Turbo Grafx version looks better than the arcade which was rare for the time. More detail has been added to the backgrounds to go along with their expanded size. The game tosses a ton of large sprites on screen with no slowdown as well. The awful localization has been improved, to what extent is up for debate.
In Closing
Bloody Wolf is a pretty good arcade port and decent all-around action title. There were few of these for the system in the US so at least it is decent. While it is fun it is still lacking compared to other action games like Mercs. It’s a good game but not one that I would call a priority.
