Coded Arms

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Coded Arms is a first-person shooter from Konami for the PlayStation Portable, released in 2005. Set in the near future, advances in mind-to-network linkups fuel a boom in hackers. You play as one of these hackers inside AIDA, a long-abandoned virtual reality military simulator that continues to generate enemies and levels for its lone operators. The goal is to hack through the simulator, defeat enemies and bosses, and reach the Kernel database to grab valuable data. An intro cutscene warns of the dangerous Achiba Syndrome, a medical condition that can occur from deep hacking and may trap the hacker’s consciousness inside AIDA.

The game’s levels are organized into sectors, each containing several "maps." Sector 00 is a training area with three levels. Sector 01 features three battlefields—City, Base, and Ruins—each with six levels. Sector 02 also has City, Base, and Ruins battles, but with shifts in art style and new visuals. Sector 03 is Infinity, a single battlefield with endless levels. The difficulty increases as you progress, and all levels are procedurally generated. The maps are presented on a 3D, vector-like map for navigation. After defeating the final boss and collecting upgrades, you reach the Kernel, but the simulator malfunctions and electrocutes the hacker’s real body. The game ends with the revelation that the hacker survived but is infected by Achiba Syndrome, forcing their consciousness to remain inside AIDA and play through an endless final Sector: Infinity.

Weapons and armor come with elemental or attribute types, such as physical, fire, electric, light, and viral. Certain enemies are vulnerable to specific attributes, and armor can resist others. Weapons and grenades can be upgraded by collecting Opt_Key files. Because the game takes place inside a computer program, items use computer-like extensions (for example, .arm for weapons, .dfn for armor, .med for health items). The game’s 3D map and weapon system emphasize strategy and matching weaknesses to enemies.

Coded Arms offers four-player wireless multiplayer on PSP, with modes including Deathmatch, Keep the Mark, and Last Man Standing. The game received mixed reviews; Famitsu scored it 30/40, while other outlets offered a range of mixed impressions. A sequel, Coded Arms: Contagion, released for PSP in 2007. A PlayStation 3 sequel was planned under the title Coded Arms: Assault but was canceled after being shown at E3 2006.