Jackal is a run-and-gun game that Konami released in Japanese arcades on 15 October 1986 as Tokushu Butai Jackal ("Special Forces Jackal"). In North America the arcade game was called Top Gunner, while Europe, Oceania and Asia got it as Jackal. Two players can play together, each driving an armed jeep and rescuing prisoners of war. The original design used rotary joysticks like SNK's games, and a market-test version with them existed, but the wide release switched to eight-way joysticks.
At home the game was reworked rather than simply ported. Japan got a Famicom Disk System version, Final Command: Akai Yōsai, on 2 May 1988, and the NES version followed in North America in October 1988 with a horizontal screen and new bosses. ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and MS-DOS versions appeared in 1988 and 1989.
The arcade version later came to Xbox 360 through Game Room in 2010, and Hamster now sells it on Switch as part of Arcade Archives.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Top GunnerEurope, Oceania and Asia as Jackal | Arcade | October 1986 | Konami | 1 |
| NA | Jackal | NES | October 1988 | Konami | 1 |
| NA | JackalReleased alongside a different Commodore 64 port | MS-DOS | 1989 | — | 1 |
| JP | 特殊部隊ジャッカルTokushu Butai Jackkaru | Arcade | Oct 15, 1986 | Konami | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルコマンド 赤い要塞Fainaru Komando: Akai YōsaiFamicom Disk System | Famicom Disk System | May 2, 1988 | Konami | 1 |
| EU | JackalAmstrad CPC and Commodore 64 versions the same year | ZX Spectrum | 1988 | — | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルコマンド 赤い要塞Japanese feature phones via Konami Net DX | Other | July 2009 | Konami | 1 |
| WW | JackalArcade version on Game Room | Xbox 360 | Oct 27, 2010 | — | 1 |
Also known as: 特殊部隊ジャッカル JP1Tokushu Butai Jackkaru JP1Top Gunner NA1ファイナルコマンド 赤い要塞 JP1Fainaru Komando: Akai Yōsai JP1
Box art by region
NA Jackal
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
-
GraphicsArcade (NA)
Top Gunner replaced the yellow and blue flags on the jeeps with US flags and added Vietnamese flags to many enemy camps and vehicles.1
-
GameplayArcade (JP)
In the Japanese arcade version the jeep's machine gun fires in the direction the jeep is facing, instead of always upward.1
-
ContentNES
The NES version uses a horizontal screen instead of the arcade's vertical one, which gives more room to maneuver. It is split into six checkpoints, each ending in a boss, including new ones such as a flamethrower tank.1
Where to play legally today
-
Arcade Archives Purchase
Reception
Game Machine ranked the arcade game third among table arcade units in its 15 November 1986 issue, and IGN placed the NES version 37th in its list of the top 100 NES games.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.