Beast Busters | 1989
Beast Busters is a rail shooting horror game released by SNK for arcades in 1989. It is the first three-player light gun shooting video game and was ported to the Amiga and Atari ST in 1990.
The game's setting is an unprecedented event that occurred in the year 199X. The dead have come back to life and are attacking the living under the codename "Beasts." In response to this abnormal event, the city's mayor offers a large reward to anyone who can resolve the incident and contain the outbreak. Armed bounty hunters Johnny Justice, Paul Patriot, and Sammy Stately enter the city overrun by Beasts to uncover the cause and escape through gunfights.
Players choose one of Johnny Justice, Paul Patriot, or Sammy Stately to explore the city and defeat the Beasts. The arcade machine allows up to three players to play simultaneously, each using a mounted gun shaped like a machine gun to fight zombies. During gameplay, players can acquire power-ups such as rockets, grenades, armor, health packs, and ammunition.
The gameplay consists of seven sections, with cutscenes between each section explaining the zombie invasion of the city. Each stage features sub-bosses and a final boss that transform twice. The game is known for its unique bosses, such as zombies turning into dogs or a jeep coming to life. One stage includes a mission where the militia must rescue a female CIA agent.
In terms of reception and legacy, in January 1990, Game Machine in Japan listed Beast Busters as the most successful vertical arcade unit of the month, and it was the fifth highest-grossing dedicated arcade game in Japan in 1990. It also ranked as the ninth highest-grossing arcade game in 1991. In North America, it became the second highest-grossing arcade game in early 1990, following Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The game was often compared to Operation Thunderbolt, Line of Fire, and SNK's Mechanized Attack. ACE rated the game 4 out of 5, praising its horror theme and story, describing it as a combination of Operation Wolf and Splatterhouse.
There is an anecdote that Michael Jackson owned an arcade machine of this game and often took it with him on tour.
In 1999, a sequel, Beast Busters: Second Nightmare, was released for the Hyper Neo Geo 64. The same year, a handheld spin-off in the form of an action RPG, Dark Arms: Beast Buster, was released for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. In December 2014, Beast Busters Featuring KOF was released as a free download for iOS and Android devices, followed by a paid version, Beast Busters Featuring KOF Deluxe, in June 2015. The game service ended in August 2015.
