Characters
There are twenty playable characters in Gain Ground, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Each character has a minor, weak weapon which can be fired in any direction, and a special weapon which has different capabilities from the normal attack and which vary between characters.
The characters in Gain Ground also vary in which hand they hold their weapons. This was originally done purely for cosmetic purposes, but it was very soon discovered that this feature made it easier for some characters to shoot around certain walls and obstacles than others. When selecting a character for a situation, one must consider the character's speed, weapon type and range, and with which hands they hold their weapons.
| Name | Hand, walking speed | Normal weapon | Special weapon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athra
(アスラ Asura) |
Right-handed, quick | Spear, short range | Arcing spear, short range
All directions |
| Betty
(ベティ Beti) |
Ambidextrous, average | Pistol, short range (left hand) | Grenade, short range
North only (right hand) |
| Cyber
(サイバー Saibaa) |
Ambidextrous, slow | Pistol, medium range (right hand) | Spread missiles, long range
North only (left hand) |
| Fire Knight
(ファイアーナイト Faiaanaito) |
Center, average | Magic missile, medium range | Fireball, short range
North only |
| Gascon
(ガスコン Gasucon) |
Right-handed, quick | Spear, short range | Arcing spear, short range
North only |
| General
(ジェネラル Jeneraru) |
Ambidextrous, slow | Pistol, medium range
(right hand) |
Flamethrower, short range
All directions (left hand) |
| Glow Knight
(グロウナイト Guronaito) |
Center, average | Magic missile, medium range | Orbiting balls of light |
| Honey
(ハニー Hanii) |
Ambidextrous, average | Pistol, medium range
(left hand) |
Grenades, short range
All directions (right hand) |
| Johnny
(ジョニー Jonii) |
Right-handed, quick | Rifle, medium range | Rifle, medium range
North only |
| Kid
(キッド Kiddo) |
Left-handed, average | SMG, medium range | SMG, medium range
East/West simultaneously |
| Kou
(コウ Kou) |
Left-handed, average | SMG, medium range | SMG, medium range
North only |
| Mam
(マム Mamu) |
Ambidextrous, quick | Pistol, medium range
(left hand) |
Boomerang, medium range
North only (right hand) |
| Mars
(マース Maasu) |
Right-handed, quick | Arrow, medium range | Arcing arrow, medium range
North only |
| Mud Puppy
(マッドパピー Maddopapii) |
Ambidextrous, slow | Pistol, medium range
(right hand) |
Laser cannon, long range
North only (left hand) |
| Professor
(教授 Kyoju) |
Left-handed, quick | Rifle, long range | Rifle, long range
East/West simultaneously |
| Robby
(ロビー Robii) |
Ambidextrous, slow | Pistol, medium range
(right hand) |
SAM, long range
All directions (left hand) |
| Valkyrie
(バルキリー Barukirii) |
Ambidextrous, quick | Pistol, medium range
(left hand) |
Boomerang, medium range
All directions (right hand) |
| Verbal
(バーバル Baabaru) |
Right-handed, quick | Arrow, medium range | Arcing arrow, medium range
All directions |
| Water Knight
(ウォーターナイト Wootaanaito) |
Center, average | Magic missile, medium range | Water spout, short range
All directions (stuns enemies) |
| Zaemon
(ザエモン Zaemon) |
Center, average | Magic missile, medium range | Tornado, short range
(Spirals outward, bounces off enemies & walls) |
- "Cyber" seems to be directly inspired by the title character of the RoboCop film series, only colored red instead of silver.
- Mars' appearance and use of a bow and arrow have drawn comparisons with the title character of the Rambo film series.
- "Robby the Robot" is a subtle reference to the character from the vintage TV show, Lost in Space.
- The "General" has been noted by players to bear more than a passing resemblance to Street Fighter series villain, M. Bison, although the character didn't appear until 1992 after this game's release. Players have nicknamed the character "Bison" due to the name, General, being rather generic.
Read more about this topic: Gain Ground
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