Summary
Capcomis instantly recognizable in the gaming industry. Audiences know the developer/publisher forStreet Fighter,Mega Man,Devil May Cry,Resident Evil, and other iconic franchises. These are far from their only works, however.
TheCapcomcompany has been around since the early 1980s. Because of that, their earliest titles were arcade games. Players today may not be aware of them, but these titles garnered a great reception in their day, pioneering certain gameplay aspects or putting a fun twist on established facets. As such, they deserve their place in Capcom’s history.
1Little League
July 1983
The developers first got their feet wet with Medal Games or coin-ops. Mainly popular in Japan, these werearcade gameswhere players purchase medals to play. The first of these by Capcom came in July 1983 withLittle League. As the name suggests, it’s a baseball title with the standard rules applying. However, that comes with a caveat.
Like many early games,Little Leaguerelies on imagination. It has no screen, but rather an exterior illustration and sound effects. How appropriate for the company’s humble beginnings.
2Fever Chance
October 1983
In October of the same year, Capcom releasedFever Chance. It’s another medal game, so it has no visuals aside from the cover art. Said art depicts a roulette wheel, which complements the idea of chance. Unfortunately, onlookers don’t have much else to go on.
There’s little to say aboutFever Chance. The goal is solely to get a high score to stop at a specific spot on the wheel. The most interesting aspect is the art’s group of cartoon characters with exaggerated expressions. That said, it’s hard to knock the game.Plenty of arcade machines have the same function. Ironically, though, it was the following title where Capcom hit a jackpot.
That jackpot came when the developers releasedVulgusin May 1984. Though still an arcade title, it’s an actual video game instead of a static coin-op. In that, it features a screen with moving parts. Sure, it’s quaint by today’s standards, but it was a novelty at the time.
To complement the leap into the future,Vulgusis aspace shooter. Players control an intergalactic vessel, flying over the land and stars. They also dispatch enemies with lasers and bombs. It’s a simple yet solid concept, as proven inSpace Invadersand others within the genre. It’s a format that countless other games would adopt.
Here’s another genre that would become iconic: theside-scrolling platformer. Taking cues fromJourney to the West,SonSonsees a monkey boy and his pig sidekick jump across various obstacles to reach a Buddha statue. They must vanquish enemies along the way with fire spells from their staves. That premise sounds like a giant leap forward, but not as much as one would expect.
Releasing in July 1984 (a few months afterVulgus),SonSonstill has the hallmarks of the previous title. Namely, the characters are always moving. Players simply control their speed, jumping, and where they shoot. The foundation is similar to a space shooter, the main difference being the direction–horizontal instead of vertical. Nevertheless, this run-and-gun genre would prove popular in the industry, particularly as the hardware advanced.
Capcom changed things up with their following title. In September 1984, they releasedPirate Ship Higemaru. This chaotic title involves a sailor named Momotaro aboard a mazelike vessel. He must fend off an invading crew of pirates by throwing barrels. Using this method to defeat foes and break objects helps him rack up points for his high score. The strategy is typical for an arcade title.
In fact,Pirate Ship Higemaruis basically a copy of Sega’sPengo, which came out in 1982. It also involves pushing objects into adversaries. The difference is that it involves penguins instead of pirates. Once again, Capcom takes what worked and adds its own variation to the formula.
The company had already taken vertical shooters to the futuristic reaches of space. In November 1984, they applied that genre to the Earthly past.1942loosely follows the Battle of Midway. Players fly an Allied aircraft over land and sea, dodging enemy planes and projectiles. They win by eventually destroying the Japanese aerial forces at Tokyo.
Needless to say, this objective is odd for Japanese developers. That’s because1942represents Capcom’s first major attempt to target the Western market. Coupled with reliably solid gameplay, this tactic led to the international success they’d hoped for.1942was not only popular at the time, but it spawned several ports and follow-ups in both the East and West.
It was perhaps because of that success that Capcom followed1942with yet another vertical shooter. In February 1985, they put outExed Exes. This game takes place on an alien planet overrun byinsectoid monsters. Players must pilot a starfighter through the swarm and exterminate the villainous vermin. They’ve seen it all before.
That’s probably whyExed Exeshas the same framework as Capcom’s previous shooter titles. Fans can still enjoy it on that level. However, the developers do offer some minor upgrades, such as more defined graphics illustrating detail and depth. As a result, players have an easier time buying into the world. This is emblematic of Capcom’s advancing as a developer.
The company applied the same growth to itsrun-and-gun formulain April 1985. Not to be confused with the movie released the same year,Commandofocuses on a soldier named Super Joe. Unfortunately, he’s not in a super situation, as he’s lost in a jungle crawling with hostile forces. If he wants to survive, he must shoot his way out.
The ensuing adventure represents another step up. The folks at Capcom take the already-solid gameplay loop and deepen it in small yet meaningful ways. For instance, they enhance the standard shooting by letting Joe aim in more directions. In addition, he can free prisoners and shoot enemy commanders for higher scores. These elements not only aid in variety, but they help the scenario feel more immersive. That clearly resonated with gamers.
As accomplished asCommandowas, the developers eclipsed it in July of the same year. EnterGhosts ‘n Goblins: a tale about a knight who must rescue his lost love from Satan’s grasp. Along the way, he tangles with all manner of demonic monsters and fantasy creatures. The ordeal may be miserable for him, but the finished product was Capcom’s most fleshed-out effort to date.
The developers took everything they learned from prior titles and expanded on it. There’s tremendous variety in both enemy and level design. Complementing them is a plethora of weapons, each with a unique function integrated seamlessly into gameplay. These aspects makeGhosts ‘n Goblinsan exhilarating (if challenging) experience,one which helped put Capcom on the map.
How curious that Capcom followed a fantasy hit with a western, which is a gaming genre guaranteed to be overlooked. October 1985 saw the debut ofGun.Smoke. Again, it’s obviously not based on the long-dormantGunsmokeTV series. Instead, it involves a bounty hunter named Billy Bob. This walking cowboy stereotype traverses the Old West. Under constant attack by outlaws, he survives by being faster on the draw. It’s typical run-and-gun fare at its core.
In keeping with the pattern, Capcom injects several small novelties to strengthen the setting and distinguish it from its peers. Most of that novelty stems from collectibles. Rifles increase the range of fire; boots boost movement speed; horses bulk up Billy Bob’s armor.These factors are all enough to impress and carryGun.Smoketo success. It just didn’t achieve the smashingsuccess or enduring appeal ofGhosts ‘n Goblins.
