Che Guevara, the Argentine doctor who was one of the leaders of the Cuban Revolution, is no stranger to video games. Quite the opposite! He even has a game named after his surname, showing him fighting against Batista’s armies, with Fidel Castro in two-player mode. And all in glorious 8-bit!
A Rare 8-Bit Shooter
Guevara is a real oddity. It’s a Japanese shooter developed by SNK, originally released for arcades in 1987, with adaptations for most consoles and computers of the time, including a very fun one for the Nintendo NES. At first glance, Guevara is a clone of Ikari Warriors, also by SNK, but with the difference that its action is based on the Cuban Revolution and its attempt to overthrow Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship. You can play as two unique, unrepeatable characters: Ernesto "Che" Guevara (in single-player) and Fidel Castro (as "Player 2" if you bring a friend).
From Guevara to Guerrilla War
Guevara is a very fun game, but you might not have played it, at least not in its original version. When exported, it left Japan under a different, less "offensive" name for Western sensibilities: Guerrilla War. The change happened due to "product localization". In Japan, relations between the US and Cuba weren’t a big deal, and revolutionary heroes made good video game protagonists. But this is 1987, and Ronald Reagan was President of the United States.
To keep the anti-communist sentiment dominating the US from boycotting sales, SNK had no problem self-censoring and removing all references to Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship in Cuba. The changes are big, but they only affect the story texts (and character names). The photo of Che at the beginning of the game remains, but without naming him.
Guevara, the original Japanese game, is very specific in its historical references. It places us in 1956, right in the middle of the Cuban Revolution, facing the armies of dictator Fulgencio Batista. No half-measures. In contrast, Guerrilla War takes place in a fantasy world where a "tyrant king" cruelly rules a country (with the same shape as Cuba, but not Cuba!).
The game itself is very good. Although it had versions for many systems, the best by far is the Nintendo NES one. The action is super frantic, it can be played by two, and it has infinite continues. And thank goodness, because it’s a very hard game. Soldiers appear shooting or throwing grenades everywhere, helicopters come out of nowhere, guys with bazookas, and several end-of-level bosses (including Fulgencio Batista himself, throwing grenades from the Presidential Palace).
In the middle of all the chaos and action, you’ll come across prisoners of war tied to poles. If you rescue them, you earn a bunch of points. But they die if you shoot them (and you lose points). So be careful, because they’re very easy to kill! They’re always in the line of fire, enemies use them as shields, and they’re a fairly large target. You’ll inevitably take a few to the grave, but don’t feel too bad. All for a greater cause!
Not Just a Museum Piece
The best part is that Guevara isn’t a museum piece. It’s a great game and you can enjoy it right now, alone or with Fidel Castro. Here you can download a pack with both Guevara and Guerrilla War ROMs, in case you’re interested in seeing the localization. You just need an emulator like Nestopia to run it. And long live the revolution!
