Dark Arms: Beast Busters is an action RPG released for the handheld console, Neo-Geo Pocket Color. The game made its original debut in Japan on October 21, 1999. Later that year, the Dark Arms: Beast Busters was localized for American and European audiences.
Dark Arms: Beast Busters was developed by Noise Factory and published by the arcade titans, SNK. Although Dark Arms: Beast Busters wasn’t well received after its original release, it still managed to make an impact. It was considered one of the best games to come out on Neo Geo Pocket Color.
Dark Arms: Beast Busters Premise
Dark Arms: Beast Busters is actually a spin-off of SNK’s rail shooter horror game known as Beast Busters. Dark Arms: Beast Busters is set in the same world as Beast Busters, where zombies and demons pose a threat to the living. The ultimate objective of the game is to defeat these monsters and protect the world of the living.
Dark Arms: Beast Busters Main Character
In Dark Arms: Beast Busters, players control a girl named Meghan Loughlin. Meghan is a mediator between the world of the living and the world of the dead. It’s her job to defeat the demons and zombies that plague the world. To help her on her mission, Meghan is equipped with “The Catcher.” This mystical gun has the power to collect the souls of defeated zombies and demons. With these souls, players can feed them to their other weapons to evolve them into more powerful versions.
Dark Arms: Beast Busters Series
The Beast Busters series started in 1989 for arcade cabinets with light guns. The franchise was ultimately short-lived, though. Beast Busters only managed to get the Dark Arms: Beast Busters spin-off game and the direct sequel, Beast Busters: Second Nightmare, in 1999. After that, nothing else was released until December 2014 when fans received a free-to-play mobile game called Beast Busters featuring KOF service was ended for the game in 2015.
The developers of Dark Arms: Beast Busters went on to make other successful arcade games. Their most popular games were Gaia Crusaders, Sengoku 3, and Rage of the Dragons & Power Instinct. Sadly, Noise Factory did not have a long and lucrative career like other game developers. The company went defunct on March 31, 2017. Here is a list of every game that Noise Factory developed before going under:
| Year of Release | Title | Genre | Platform |
| 1999 | Gaia Crusaders | Beat ’em up | Arcade |
| 1999 | Dark Arms: Beast Busters | Action role-playing game | Neo Geo Pocket Color |
| 2000 | Metal Slug 3 | Run and gun | Arcade |
| 2001 | Sengoku 3 | Beat ’em up | Arcade |
| 2002 | Metal Slug 4 | Run and gun | Arcade |
| 2002 | Rage of the Dragons | Fighting game | Arcade |
| 2003 | Matrimelee | Fighting game | Arcade |
| 2003 | Metal Slug 5 | Run and gun | Arcade |
| 2004 | KOF: Maximum Impact | Fighting game | PlayStation 2 |
| 2004 | Metal Slug Advance | Run and gun | Game Boy Advance |
| 2006 | Shin Gouketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnou Kaihou | Fighting game | PlayStation 2 |
| 2007 | Ontamarama | Rhythm game | Nintendo DS |
| 2007 | Moesta: Moeru Toudai Eigojuku | Educational game | Nintendo DS |
| 2009 | Shin Gouketsuji Ichizoku: Matsuri Senzo Kuyou | Fighting game | Arcade |
| 2009 | Doala de Wii | Sports | Nintendo Wii |
Dark Arms: Beast Busters Cheat Codes
Unfortunately for fans of Dark Arms: Beast Busters, there are no cheat codes in the game. Dark Arms: Beast Busters is one of the few games from the ’90s that doesn’t have any cheat codes. Although there aren’t any cheats, there is a glitch that players should be aware of. It is possible to lose the souls of enemies that you’ve defeated. If you kill an enemy with the Catcher and then leave the level before the enemy is actually caught, it won’t count even though you killed it.
Dark Arms: Beast Busters Cheat Code FAQ
Does Dark Arms: Beast Busters have any cheat codes?
No, Dark Arms: Beast Busters does not have any in-game cheat codes that are available to players. Sadly, players will have to navigate through the game without any advantages or cheats. The game does have a glitch that can put players at a disadvantage if they aren’t aware of it. If you kill an enemy and leave the level before the soul-collecting animation finishes then it won’t count as being collected.