Unique from other platformers, the player character is unable to jump, instead using a bionic arm to cross gaps and climb ledges.

[citation needed] The Bionic Commando universe is set in a timeline in which Nazism is not completely eradicated following World War II.

[2]: 4 [3] The Imperial Army's Swastika insignia was changed into a new one resembling an eagle; and the leader of the villains, originally called Weizmann in the Japanese version,[4]: 4  was renamed Killt, although the soldiers and characters keep their same Nazi-like appearance.

[5] One of the most prominent differences is the identity of the ultimate antagonist of the game, who is meant to be a revived Adolf Hitler in the Japanese version.

[8][9] In 1988, Capcom produced a home version for the Nintendo Entertainment System, also titled Bionic Commando, that was drastically different from the original arcade game.

A version much truer to the coin-op original was released for the Amiga (OCS) in 1988;[10] it was also ported to the other leading micros: the Atari ST, Commodore 64,[11] Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum.

[12] The music for the original arcade game was developed by Harumi Fujita, a member of the then all-female Capcom Sound Team.

Also, the characters (an unnamed male or female commando) have a few more moves, such as the ability to climb down from platforms, and can also utilize a sniper rifle in some segments to eliminate distant enemies.

In November 2015, Capcom released the 5 Disc Senjo no Okami & Top Secret Original Sound Collection (戦場の狼＆トップシークレットオリジナルサウンドコレクション)[13] It included the soundtrack from all in-house developed games from those two series.