In a nice set of classic arcade light gun shmup games from Taito, Operation Night Strikers certainly delivers and even has a nice M2 sheen to it.
Operation Night Strikers contains three typical light gun games and a special addition of sorts that technically fits into the genre.
Specifically, this collection contains Operation Wolf, Operation Thunderbolt, Space Gun, and Night Striker, with the latter being closer to Space Harrier than a typical light gun game.
Operation Wolf and Thunderbolt are pretty much classics in the genre, and had a massive following all over the world back when they hit the arcades in the 80s.
Taking an almost Commando-esque approach to one-man body counts, Operation Wolf and Thunderbolt laid the groundwork for the more free-hand light gun games of Virtua Cop and Time Crisis that would follow.
Space Gun was a much harder and more technical light gun game, with references to the Alien movies throughout. Even with its increased difficulty and complexity, the game was still a hit both in Japan and abroad.
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Then we get to Night Striker. This was more akin to a crossover between Space Harrier and Outrun, as the car you piloted could also fly, and you had multiple routes through the game. Later stages also had the player’s car transform, either into a mecha or a bike, so there was a lot going on.
While the arcade version of Night Striker is regarded rather fondly in Japan, its Mega CD port was notoriously terrible, which this collection inexplicably includes, although as part of a separate DLC pack.
That’s the only real criticism of this collection: while the various arcade versions of these four games are included as standard, the various console ports of each are a separate paid DLC pack.
I’m not sure why this route was taken, as it’s the only thing that really holds this collection back. It would have made more sense to just include the console ports alongside the original arcade games for an increased price. So the extra DLC feels a bit off.
That aside, M2 has done a gloriously good job with this collection. Having worked with M2 myself on Assault Suits Valken Declassified, I can testify to their passion and diligence when it comes to classic games such as these, and it’s very much apparent here.
Each game has built-in achievements and is highly customizable in terms of controls, regular stick or motion, and all sorts of screen options. Each of the games also have sidebars with all sorts of extra data on how you’re doing, which is very handy on games like Operation Wolf.
Night Striker also gets some special treatment with all the extra information thrown at you, which makes sense as M2 is in the process of making a proper sequel to Night Striker entitled Night Striker GEAR.
Overall, Operation Night Strikers is an excellent collection of shmups from Taito’s glory days in the arcades. It’s a shame that the console ports are an additional DLC pack, but the core collection of games is still handled excellently by the retro game masters at M2.
Operation Night Strikers
Platform: Switch (Reviewed), PC
Developer: M2
Publisher: Clear River Games
Released: 7th August 2025
Price: $24.99 (DLC $19.99)
Score: 9/10
Disclosure: Clear River Games sent me a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. While I have worked with M2 in the past, I have had no involvement with their work on this release.
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