is an
action game
An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, rhythm games and ...
with
strategy
Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "troop leadership; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the " a ...
elements released as an
arcade video game
An arcade video game is an arcade game that takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-oper ...
by
Sega
is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
in 1988. It was ported to the
Master System
The is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console manufactured and developed by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series ...
,
Mega Drive/Genesis, and
TurboGrafx-CD
The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation of video game con ...
.
Gameplay
In ''Gain Ground'', players control one of a set of characters at a time, each with different weapons. To beat a level, players must reach the exit point with at least one character or destroy all enemies on the level before time runs out. There are forty levels in the arcade version of the game. The Master System and the Genesis/Mega Drive have fifty levels in the game.
Normal mode starts with three players. There are captive characters littered across all levels, which can be rescued by walking over, then escorting the controlled character to the exit point. If a player controlled character is killed, that character turns into a captive, except that they will disappear if the next active player controlled character dies, exits the level without them, or the player has no characters left in their party. In Hard mode, the player starts the game with all twenty characters, but all the captive characters are removed from the levels.
The game is over when all controlled characters in the party are killed without any reaching the exit, but there are three continues which allow a player to restart the level with their original three characters.
The game consists out of four rounds, each having ten stages, where the tenth stage is a boss level. There are also ten completely new levels added to the Genesis/Mega Drive version, this Modern Epoch takes place in the streets of the city. The Master System version also has 10 newly themed levels, placed after other versions' final round "Future", ostensibly taking place within the "Gain Ground Main System" itself according to its opening stage.
* Round 1:
Dark Ages
* Round 2:
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
* Round 3:
Pre-Revolutionary China
* Round 4:
Present day
The present is the period of time that is occurring now. The present is contrasted with the past, the period of time that has already occurred; and the future, the period of time that has yet to occur.
It is sometimes represented as a hyperplane ...
(Mega Drive/Genesis version)
* Round 5:
Future
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...
* Round 6: The Final Era (Master System version)
Characters
There are twenty
playable characters in ''Gain Ground'', each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Each character has a minor, weak weapon which can be fired in any direction, and a special weapon which has different capabilities from the normal attack and which varies between characters.
The characters in ''Gain Ground'' also vary in which hand they hold their weapons, making it easier for some characters to shoot around certain walls and obstacles than others. When selecting a character for a situation, one must consider the character's speed, weapon type and range, and with which hands they hold their weapons.
In the Master System release, instead of named characters there are unnamed class-like "fighters". Player 1's fighters are blue and male while Player 2's are red and female; they play exactly the same but have different sprites and character portraits. The fighters fill the same roles as their more powerful arcade/console counterparts, but are simplified to better suit the lower specs of the Master System hardware. There is one unique exception: the "Ninja" class. This Master System exclusive class can leave a trap on the ground at their feet for enemies to walk into and take damage. This trap functions differently than the Fire Knight's special attack, as it is persistent on the playing field until an enemy walks into it, while the special attack that the Fire Knight can use disappears quite quickly and can only be shot upwards.
* "Cyber" seems to be directly inspired by the titular hero of ''
Robocop
''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen (actress), Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Dani ...
'' (1987), but instead of being silver, he has the same color-scheme as
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
from the
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
.
* Johnny appears to be based on
Max Rockatansky
Max Rockatansky is the title character and antihero protagonist of the Australian post-apocalyptic action film series ''Mad Max'' created by director George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and producer Byron Kennedy. Max was played by actors ...
from ''
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior'' (1981). This includes his similar jacket and
sawed-off shotgun.
* Mars' appearance and use of a bow and arrow have drawn comparisons to
John Rambo
John James Rambo is a fictional character in the Rambo (franchise), ''Rambo'' franchise. He first appeared in the 1972 novel ''First Blood (novel), First Blood'' by David Morrell, but later became more famous as the protagonist of the film serie ...
's appearance from the ''
First Blood
''First Blood'' is a 1982 American war action film starring Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the film was co-written by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Stallone, deriving from the 1972 no ...
'' sequels, and also could be inspired by
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the Gr ...
.
* "Robby the Robot" is a subtle reference to the character from the vintage TV show, ''
Lost in Space
''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...
''.
* The "General" has been noted by players to bear more than a passing resemblance to
M. Bison from ''
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'' (1991), although the final boss didn't appear until three years after this game's release. Players have nicknamed the character "Bison" due to the name "General" being rather generic.
Plot
From a ''Gain Ground'' flyer:
A long period of peace has deprived the earthlings of their instinct to wage war. The Federated Government, greatly concerned regarding this ever increasing dangerous situation, developed a Gain Ground simulation system in the year 2348 in an effort to instigate their ever waning fighting spirit. However, suddenly without warning, the Supercomputer went berserk and took many of the citizens as hostages. In order to rescue the POWs, three of the bravest warriors were urgently dispatched to go forth into the deadly Gain Ground.
Release
''Gain Ground'' started off as an arcade game. Released in Japan, the United States and Canada in 1988, ''Gain Ground'' ran on the
Sega System 24
Sega is a video game developer, publisher, and hardware development company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with multiple offices around the world. The company's involvement in the arcade game industry began as a Japan-based distributor of coin- ...
architecture. The developers have stated that their original inspiration was ''
Gauntlet''. ''Gain Ground'' was ported to the
Sega Master System and the
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1991.
Renovation Products
was a Japanese video game and software developer founded in October 1983 by Kazuyuki Fukushima. The company had several video game divisions including: Wolf Team, Laser Soft, Renovation Game (Japanese publishing division), Renovation Products ( ...
released the Genesis version in North America. Both conversions were handled by
Sanritsu
Sanritsu Denki is a Japanese video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that have been developed either internally by the publisher or externally by a video game developer.
They often finance the deve ...
. In 1992, a
PC Engine Super CD-ROM²
The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched in ...
version (''Gain Ground SX'') was released by
NEC Avenue
was a Japanese Music publisher, music and video game publisher part of NEC.
History
NEC Avenue was founded in 1987 as a record label within NEC. NEC Avenue eventually got involved with video games, and secured licenses to produce console versio ...
.
It was re-released in
Radica Games
Radica Games Limited was a Hong Kong company that produced electronic games, founded in 1983. It began by producing electronic souvenir games for casinos. In the late 1990s, it became known for its ''Bass Fishin'' line of games. On October 3, 20 ...
' ''TVPlay Legends Vol. II
TV Games
A handheld TV game or plug and play game is an integrated home video game console and game controller, usually Battery (electricity), battery powered, which connects directly to a television. The game software is built directly into the unit, wh ...
'' compilation. In 2004, the game was remade for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
as part of
Sega
is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
's Japan-only ''
Sega Ages 2500
is a series of video game ports, remakes, and compilations published by Sega. It consists of Sega arcade games and home console games, typically those for the Sega Genesis and Master System. The series was launched on the Sega Saturn in 1996. Ent ...
'' series as ''Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 9: Gain Ground''. This version has additional new levels that must be unlocked, with new music to accompany them. The Mega Drive/Genesis version was released on the European, Australian, and American
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
Virtual Console
The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on pa ...
in February 2007. ''Gain Ground'' was included in ''
Sega Genesis Collection
''Sega Genesis Collection '' (''Sega Mega Drive Collection'' in PAL regions) is a compilation of video games developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Sega for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The collection includes twenty-eight Sega ...
'' on the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
and the
PSP in 2006 and in ''
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
''Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection'' (''Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection'' in PAL regions) is a Video game compilation, compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment and published by Sega for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The ...
'' for
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
and
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
in 2009. In June 2010, the game became available on
Steam
Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
as part of ''Sega Mega Drive Classics Pack'' (''Sega Genesis Classics'' in the United States). It was included in the console version of the Mega Drive/Genesis Classics Pack in May 2018.
As a tribute to the game, Chapter 15 and 17 of the crossover game ''
Project X Zone
(pronounced as "Project Cross Zone") is a crossover tactical role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft with assistance from Capcom and Red Entertainment and published by Namco Bandai Games. It is a follow-up t ...
'' are stages directly pulled from ''Gain Ground''. Chapter 15's title is "Gain Ground System" and both stages even have the party rescuing three of their companions (two in the first and one in the second) in true fashion to the original game. Incidentally, no characters from ''Gain Ground'' actually appear in the crossover.
Reception
''Game Machine'' reports that ''Gain Ground'' was among the most popular arcade games of February 1989.
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
's Levi Buchanan ranked ''Gain Ground'' as the fifth top Renovation game.
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
ranked ''Gain Ground'' 88th on their "The 100 Best Sega Genesis Games" list.
Notes
References
External links
''Gain Ground''at
MobyGames
MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...
*
Translation of an interviewwith Yoshiki Ohka, one of the programmers for ''Gain Ground'', via the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gain Ground
1988 video games
Arcade video games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
NEC video games
Sanritsu Denki games
Sega arcade games
Sega video games
Master System games
Sega Genesis games
TurboGrafx-CD games
Video games featuring female protagonists
Virtual Console games
Video games developed in Japan
Action-strategy video games