Choutetsu Brikin'ger / Iron Clad (prototype)

Saurus’s Choutetsu Brikin'ger / Iron Clad is a two-player horizontal scrolling shooter released in 1996. The game presents a unique perspective, utilizing a pseudo-3D visual style that gives the impression of depth as players navigate through enemy formations and challenging environments. Players control powerful craft, using an eight-way joystick to maneuver and three buttons—fire, robot mode, and hyper bomb—to overcome relentless waves of adversaries. The game runs on SNK's Neo-Geo MVS hardware, a testament to its technical pedigree. Iron Clad was initially shown at the ACME show in Orlando, Florida, marking one of its few public appearances as a prototype. Its color palette is notably affected by regional BIOS settings; European versions display darker colors compared to other regions. This title represents a rare glimpse into the development process of Saurus, and remains an intriguing piece of arcade history due to its limited distribution and unusual presentation style. A version of the game was later released for the SNK Neo-Geo CD.