Shock Troopers
Shock Troopers is a 1-2 player game where players select one of eight characters to play as. Each character has their own attack. Players also have to choose one of three routes to take. The object of the game is to go toward the end of the level and defeat the end-of-level boss, which is usually a huge vehicle. Crates that are scattered throughout the levels can be broken into to reveal new weapons and power-ups. There is a team mode where players have to select three characters. The characters can be switched on-the-fly during gameplay, which is useful if one of them is badly injured. Players can use the other teammates until life-ups can be found.
SCREENSHOTS
PHYSICAL
HISTORY
Shock Troopers is a run and gun arcade game developed by Saurus and published by SNK in 1997 for the Neo-Geo arcade MVS platform. Gameplay involves taking command of one or three soldiers in an eight-way shooter. A second game in the series, Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad, followed up in 1998.
Gameplay
At the beginning of each session, players choose whether to go through the game in one of two modes, "Lonely Wolf" or "Team Battle". In "Lonely Wolf", one character is controlled throughout the game, while "Team Battle" allows selecting a band of three soldiers through their missions, switching between them on-the-fly. Choosing to go it alone gives a higher starting life total, while proceeding as a team will give a wider variety of special weapons as well as a higher starting total (ten for each of the three characters instead of twenty for one).
At the beginning of the game, there is also a choice to travel through the Mountain, Jungle, or Valley route. Halfway through the game, a different route can optionally be chosen otherwise stay on the current path. Characters and paths chosen determine how much life bonus is received at the beginning of each level. Each stage is interspersed with boss battles (both in the middle and at the end of each stage). Until the very end, battling the enemy commander atop an aircraft.
Each character has their own virtues over other selections. Some might start with higher life totals, while others could move faster. Regardless of choice, the soldiers each possess a unique special weapon or "bomb", which varies in distance and range. Controls consist of an eight-way joystick and four buttons. Players move in eight directions with the joystick and fire, do evasive maneuvers, use their special weapon, and switch characters with the A, B, C, and D buttons, respectively.
Players must progress through seven levels, each ending in a boss fight. The weapons can be fired in all eight directions, but holding down the fire button allows strafing. Attacking within close range of an enemy will yield items, including point bonuses, weapon power-ups, and life. Enemy fire can be avoided with the dodge button. In "Team Battle" mode, the three selected soldiers can be cycled to utilize the traits and special weapons of each.
Plot
The Bloody Scorpions terrorist group have kidnapped scientist George Diamond and his granddaughter Cecilia Diamond in order to gain the powerful drug, Alpha-301, which converts normal people into superhuman soldiers. A special team composed of eight soldiers from different countries must fight through their ranks in order to get to their leader and save the scientist's granddaughter and the world. (The sequel, Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad, has a completely unrelated story and different characters.)
Ports and re-releases
Shock Troopers was included in SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1, a video game compilation for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii.
SNK Playmore released ports for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable developed by M2 on August 25, 2011, on PlayStation Network via NEOGEO Station.
D4 Enterprise developed and published a port for the Virtual Console for Wii, which was released in Japan on May 22, 2012; in North America on October 25, 2012; and in Europe on November 8, 2012.
A port developed by DotEmu for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux and asm.js was released by SNK Playmore as part of the Humble NEOGEO 25th Anniversary Bundle on December 8, 2015. It was released on Steam on May 18, 2016, and on GOG.com on May 30, 2017.
Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed Shock Troopers as the thirteenth most successful arcade game of December 1998.
The game was very well received. Classic Game Room described Shock Troopers for the PlayStation 3 as an "amazing" shooter with "fantastic" gameplay, controls, and the best game of 2011, despite being just a re-release. Nintendo Life's Corbie Dillard scored the Virtual Console release a 7/10 and opined it "succeeds in offering up an intense and explosive run-and-gun experience." Digitally Downloaded reviewer awarded it four-and-half stars out of five, stating: "If you’ve never played a run-n’-gun shooter before, Shock Troopers should be one of your top contenders, regardless of your skill level." According to Hardcore Gaming 101, unlike the version included in SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1, the VC version "runs almost perfectly." The website especially hailed the game's "fantastic presentation that ranks among the best in the genre."
STORY
The Bloody Scorpions terrorist group have kidnapped scientist George Diamond and his granddaughter Cecilia Diamond in order to gain the powerful drug, Alpha-301, which converts normal people into superhuman soldiers. A special team composed of eight soldiers from different countries must fight through their ranks in order to get to their leader and save the scientist's granddaughter and the world.
1CC RUNS
One-credit clears we point to as the benchmark for this game.
GAMEPLAY VIDEO
STORES best right now: Fanatical −16%
Prices are cached from each storefront and may be out of date. Last checked 24 Sept 2026.
PRICE HISTORY
Every price change we know of, per shop. Flat means the price held; PC shops reach back through IsThereAnyDeal's archive, console shops start when this site started watching.
Nintendo eShop low: $7.99 (29 Aug 2026) , Fanatical low: $1.03 (25 Jun 2026) , GOG low: $0.89 (27 Mar 2026) , Humble Store low: $2.39 (30 Jun 2023) , Steam low: $1.19 (30 Jul 2026) , Xbox low: $7.99 (29 Oct 2018)
REVIEWS
Published elsewhere, collected here. Every score is the outlet's own, on the outlet's own scale. Follow the link for the full review.
“ACA NeoGeo: Shock Troopers is an ideal game to add to anyone's Nintendo Switch library for playing while commuting, dropping into tabletop mode for some local co-operative action at a friend's house, or even diving into at home on the big screen to try and top the online leaderboards for that strong feeling of satisfaction. It may have a short playtime, but it is extremely enjoyable to go back to it again and again - a truly excellent dose of arcade fun.”
“As a co-op game with single Joy-Con support, Shock Troopers is a winner. It may be simple and silly, but I’ll probably find myself breaking this game out on plane rides for years to come. Shock Troopers was totally worth creating a European Nintendo Account for.”
“Boasting tons of fun weapons, eight unique playable characters, and a novel team-based combat option, Shock Troopers is one of the best run-and-gun shooters for the PC.”
“Shock Troopers is a fast and fun, yet simple, action game that brings back the feelings of the old arcade games. Switch version adds nothing new, except for its different modes: portable, tabletop and home console, but it is still enjoyable.”
“Shock Troopers may not add much to the top-down run-and-gun genre but it's enjoyable while it lasts. The visuals weren't particularly awe-inspiring back in 1997, but everything moves at a slick pace and neat elements of humour prevent things from becoming too serious. In single player you might get a week or so of play out of this, but with two people involved it becomes a lot more appealing - and thanks to those detachable Joy-Cons, co-op sessions are easy to arrange. Shock Troopers 2nd Squad may be considered the superior release, but the original is still worth checking out if you like your”
“Shock Troopers brings the players back to a time of simpler gameplay mechanics and it certainly has a commendable nostalgia value for those who know it and who treasure it. Some of its features feel outdated by today's standards, however, which means that more recent players will question some of the game's aspects and its gameplay will feel like it truly belongs to Shock Troopers' original time.”
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SCORES
ACHIEVEMENTS 1 set
Tracked by RetroAchievements and earned in an emulator that reports to it. A game tracked on more than one machine gets a set for each, because they are different lists earned on different hardware.