Gunforce II (known as Geo Storm in Japan) is a run and gun video game developed and published by Irem Corporation in 1994 for arcades. It is the last game in the D.A.S. Universe and Irem's last arcade game produced before its bankruptcy in the same year.
This game was created by the same staff which would later form Nazca and is considered the spiritual predecessor to the Metal Slug series.
Gameplay[]

Some of the bosses from Gunforce II
Gunforce II plays much like other run and guns, where the player characters move through the stage while shooting down enemies. Player 1 controls Max/Garius, while Player 2 controls Lei/Apple. The character uses two guns at the same time, which fire at different angles each. The player can pick up special weapons with limited ammo, which will replace one of the guns. Scattered along the stages are many vehicles, eleven in total, which the player can ride and use against the enemy forces. However, most of them don't provide protection for the player. Along the way the player will also find female hostages which can be rescued, though they only serve to add to the player's score at the end of a stage.
Stages and Bosses[]
Stage | Name | Boss | BGM |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mission 1 | Armed Cruiser* | BGM A |
2 | Mission 2 | Attack Dome* | BGM B, BGM C, BGM B |
3 | Mission 3 | Cyber Caterpillar* | BGM C, BGM A |
4 | Mission 4 | Cyber T-Rex* | BGM B, BGM D |
5 | Mission 5 | Chi Un-D | BGM A, BGM B |
*Denotes unofficial names for unnamed bosses.
Relation to Metal Slug[]
- The music of "Marine Diver" from Metal Slug 3 is a remix of BGM C, which is also a remix of Missions 3 and 10 from Air Duel.
- Many of the sound effects used in Gunforce II were reused in Metal Slug, such as weapon samples and enemy voices.
- Gunforce II and Metal Slug share a very similar graphical design, right down to small details such as explosions and shrapnel.
- A common troop enemy is found in the destroyed base in Mission 3 of Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001 although it is hidden behind the foreground graphics.
Trivia[]
- Due to Irem's impending bankruptcy, development of Gunforce II was rushed, meaning the team did not have the time to implement an ending, causing the game to simply loop upon completion.
- Cut content includes a four player co-op mode.
- Composer Takushi "HIYA!" Hiyamuta was brought on half way in development, due to time constraints, all music was remixed/rearranged music from Air Duel, Hiyamuta also voices the female POWs
- Though a sequel to Gunforce, the Japanese version was named Geostorm, after Hiyamuta's car, an Isuzu Geostorm.
Flyers and covers[]