Taito’s arcade shooters were a big deal in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Fast-paced action, flashy cabinets, and soundtracks you couldn’t get out of your head made them hard to walk past. Operation Night Strikers pulls together four of these classics on Nintendo Switch and PC, so you can jump back into Operation Wolf, Operation Thunderbolt, Space Gun, and Night Striker just as they played in the arcades.
Each one has its own flavour. You’ve got Operation Wolf with its side-scrolling hostage rescues, and Night Striker blasting forward in high-speed, into-the-screen chases. M2 handled the emulation and threw in features that make them easy to play at home without losing the original edge. Whether you’re using Joy-Con motion aiming or a more traditional setup, it’s easy to settle in for a quick game or two.
The focus here is on giving you the core arcade experience. It works well for short bursts, but it’s also a reminder of why these games kept people coming back when arcades were everywhere.
Rescue Runs and High-Speed Pursuits
The four games in Operation Night Strikers each deliver a straightforward premise, keeping the focus firmly on action. Operation Wolf puts you in the middle of a rescue mission, infiltrating enemy territory to free hostages. Its sequel, Operation Thunderbolt, raises the stakes by adding two-player co-op and shifting to an into-the-screen perspective and continuing the rescue theme.
Space Gun takes the action into deep space, sending you through a hostile facility overrun by alien creatures. Alongside freeing human survivors, you’ll manage different weapon types to handle tougher threats. While the tone is more sci-fi horror than military combat, the objective remains clear and immediate.
Night Striker is the outlier, trading lightgun mechanics for high-speed vehicle combat. You’ll pilot a futuristic car that can also take to the skies, blasting enemies while racing through branching routes. Each stage moves at a rapid pace, offering multiple paths to the end and encouraging repeat runs to see everything.
Storytelling across all four games is minimal, using short text screens and mission briefings to set the stage. It’s enough to give context before throwing you into the next firefight, matching the quick-play style of their arcade origins.
Arcade Action Without the Quarters
Operation Night Strikers delivers four distinct gameplay styles. Operation Wolf and Operation Thunderbolt stick closely to the lightgun formula, with enemies swarming the screen and limited time to react. Hostage rescues add an extra layer of challenge, as a stray shot can cost you points. I played on Nintendo Switch and the motion controls with the Joy-Con controller feel close to an arcade lightgun, while stick aiming and mouse support give more precise control.
Space Gun changes the pace with a mix of side-scrolling and forward movement, letting you backtrack along branching paths. Switching between standard and special ammo becomes important when tougher enemies block your route. The game’s alien designs and hazard-filled levels keep the pressure high, especially in tighter corridors.
Night Striker trades gun sights for fast steering. You guide a hover car through city streets, tunnels, and airborne routes, all while dodging enemy fire and obstacles. Its branching route system encourages experimentation, with each run offering different stage combinations.
In Night Striker, I went from racing through a neon city to flying high above the skyline, dodging enemy fire as my vehicle transformed mid-mission. The shift in pace from the slower, grounded shooting in Operation Wolf really showed how different each game can feel.
You can pick from different difficulty settings, try out regional versions, and climb the leaderboards. Whether you’re going for a high score or just trying to make it through, quick reflexes and sharp aim make all the difference.
Keeping the Arcade Feel Alive
M2 has done a great job making Operation Night Strikers feel like the real arcade experience, while still giving you plenty of modern touches. You can switch between different visual filters to get that classic CRT glow, or keep things clean and sharp if you prefer. There’s also an option to have extra info on the sides of the screen, like your score breakdown or stage progress, and you can toggle it to show as much or as little as you like.
The games run smoothly, with visuals and sound that stay true to the originals. You’ll hear every crisp gunshot in Operation Wolf and see every detailed sprite in Space Gun. Night Striker’s soundtrack, courtesy of Zuntata, is still a standout, matching the speed and style of each stage perfectly.
Controls are handled well too. Joy-Con controller motion aiming gives you a close lightgun feel, and stick aiming is fast and responsive. If you’ve got a supported setup, mouse control is another precise option. Re-centering during motion control play is quick, so you can keep firing without breaking the flow.T
The base package sticks to the arcade versions. The home console ports are separate DLC, which I’ll get into more below.
Operation Night Strikers Delivers Arcade Variety Minus the Extras
Operation Night Strikers is a solid way to experience four very different arcade shooters from Taito’s catalog. The emulation work is excellent, with smooth performance, accurate visuals, and authentic sound. Each game feels distinct, whether you’re storming enemy camps in Operation Wolf, flying through branching routes in Night Striker, or blasting aliens in Space Gun.
Control options are a big win here. Motion aiming with Joy-Con controller captures some of the lightgun feel, and stick or mouse aiming keeps things precise. Visual customization, save states, and multiple regional versions make the games approachable for newcomers while still satisfying veterans who want the challenge intact.
The biggest drawback is the extra cost for home console versions. While these ports are interesting, they’re locked behind a DLC pack that’s close in price to the base game. The absence of additional content like artwork or history also makes the package feel a little bare outside of the core arcade versions.
I enjoyed switching between all four games in short bursts, but Night Striker kept pulling me back the most. There’s something about its mix of speed, music, and branching stages that made me want to see every route. Even with the DLC gripe, the collection is easy to recommend if you want authentic arcade shooting at home.
Operation Night Strikers
Summary
Operation Night Strikers delivers four classic Taito arcade shooters with smooth emulation, solid controls, and plenty of variety. It’s missing extras, and the home console versions are sold separately as DLC, but the core collection still offers a fun way to enjoy authentic arcade action at home.
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