Mercenary Force

Players start with 5000 yen and must begin by hiring their mercenaries.

The team has four slots and can be recruited from five different character types (servant, ninja, monk, samurai and mystic) in any combination (including more than one of any character).

The characters differ in hiring price, starting health, weapons (amount of projectiles, speed and direction), and their special attack.

The game consists of six levels, seen from an angled top-down/side-view perspective, with the screen scrolling automatically to the right.

The mercenaries must shoot hordes of enemies to get to the next level, including several bosses.

The mercenaries can change their formation between four different options: a vertical line, a diamond shape, a square shape and a horizontal arrowhead formation.

It is also possible to switch the character in the lead position, leading to a large variety of tactical options.

The hit points of each team member are counted individually, so if one is killed the remaining ones can fight on.

Besides their standard weapon, each character also has a special suicide attack, triggered by pressing both buttons at the same time.

These are usually highly devastating attacks, but the monk's power actually allows the group to skip ahead through a large part of the level.

Killed enemies drop coins of 10 yen in value that disappear after a short while if not picked up.

The money reserve is used in a matter of ways: between stages, new recruits can be hired to replace fallen fighters.

There are also various buildings in the levels that allow the spending of money.

Cafes offer various items that restore or increase health and, in some levels, can change the character class of the team leader.

There is a fortune-rea

Mercenary Force for Game Boy is currently worth €26.36 loose, €51.88 complete in box, and €136.44 factory sealed. Prices are based on real sales and update regularly on Gamevaro.

Mercenary Force has a steady sales history on the tracked marketplaces, meaning it trades hands regularly and isn't considered particularly rare.

Loose means cartridge or disc only, CIB (complete in box) includes the original box and manual, and sealed means factory-sealed and never opened. For Mercenary Force, loose is €26.36 and CIB is €51.88 — CIB commands a premium because original boxes and manuals are fragile and often don't survive.

The PAL version of Mercenary Force is currently worth €26.36 loose, versus €20.34 for NTSC-U. Regional price differences usually come down to print run size and regional collector demand.