Ikari Warriors

A run-and-gun classic. It’s slow, it’s tough, and it lets you drive a tank. The essence of the 80s commando fantasy.

Ikari Warriors brings the top-down commando action home. It’s known for two things: the rotary joystick (which you don't have on C64, so controls are… creative) and the tanks. Driving the tank is the power trip you play for—crushing enemies and blasting bunkers.

The C64 port struggles a bit with speed, and the brown-heavy palette is very faithful to the mud-and-guts theme. It’s a tough game, often feeling like a war of attrition. But as a co-op shooter, it delivers that specific satisfaction of clearing a screen of enemies inch by inch.