Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode (NES) Playthrough
386A playthrough of Vic Tokai's 1988 license-based action-adventure game for the NES, Golgo 13: Top Secret Mission.
Based on Takao Saito's iconic manga, Golgo 13: Top Secret Mission follows the exploits of Duke Togo, better known as Golgo 13, professional hitman and badass extraordinaire.
Though the series was virtually unknown in North America - only a small handful of volumes had been made available in English by 1988 - the NES release still retained the license. Top Secret Episode was the first truly adult-oriented game to appear on the NES, and it's quite unlike anything else in the console's generally family-friendly line-up. The film-worthy plot involves acts of espionage, murder, and the development of weapons of mass destruction, and the game's imagery makes no attempt to shy away from its controversial subject matter and adult themes. Somehow, the implied sex scenes, swastikas, and enemies who spray blood when shot all survived Nintendo's content review.
As Duke Togo, you travel the world taking care of business by turning the bad guys into swiss cheese with pistols, spear guns, and your trusty M-16. Much of the game plays out as a semi-linear 2D side-scrolling platformer, but it regularly switches genres to break up the flow of the action. Enemy ambushes play out as first-person shooting galleries, explorable building interiors are presented as 3D mazes, traveling long distances sees Duke piloting a helicopter through horizontally-scrolling shoot 'em up segments, and there are even a few special instances where you'll get the chance to take out a target by looking down the scope of your rifle.
The storytelling is some of the best I've seen in an NES cart, and it's served well by its ambitious multi-genre approach, but the gameplay stumbles in its execution. The sizable delay between when you hit the button and when Duke jumps in the platforming sections makes movement feel sluggish, and the platforming and shooting gallery segments both suffer from overly fussy collision detection. These things can be overcome with practice, and though they do result in a game that's much more difficult than it really needs to be, they don't bury an otherwise brilliant R-rated thriller turned video game.
(And for anyone who hates getting lost in the 3D mazes - read the instruction manual! It provides helpful maps for all of those sections.)
Golgo 13: Top Secret Mission isn't flawless, but if you can see beyond its shortcomings, you'll find a compelling, memorable experience that was crafted by a small but dedicated team who largely succeeded in pulling off their creative vision.
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