Bonanza Bros.

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Bonanza Bros.

Developer(s)	U.S. Gold & Synergy
Publisher(s)	Sega
Release date(s)	1990
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single player, 2 player Co-op
Platform(s)	Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, Virtual Console, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, ZX Spectrum
Input	8-way Joystick, 3 Buttons
Arcade cabinet	Upright
Arcade system(s)	Sega System 24
Arcade display	Raster, 496 x 384 pixels (Horizontal), 16384 colors

Bonanza Bros. (sometimes written Bonanza Brothers) is a 3D 1990 arcade game by Sega later ported to the Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST in 1991, as well as included in the Japanese version of Sonic Gems Collection (it was removed in the Western release). It has also seen a Sega Ages release on the PlayStation 2, and that version was included in the English compilation Sega Classics Collection.

It is a platform game where taking the role of one or both of the brothers, Robo and Mobo (Mike and Spike in some PAL versions), the player has to stealthily move inside a house avoiding guards, retrieve several objects and move to the roof where a non-rigid airship is expecting the player with the loot. Two players can play cooperatively at the same time, as the screen is always split in two.

The player can walk, jump, shoot and move behind a column or large furniture, which allows both hiding and dodging shots from the guards, which can't be neutralized definitively, only stunned for a few seconds using the gun or pressing a door against them. They are alerted by sounds or with the Brothers entering their field of vision, and then either hide, call for help or fire against the player. If the player is hit, he drops all objects and loses a life. Some guards have a riot shield and can only be hit when moving away.

The places the brothers burgle include a bank, a millionaire's mansion, a casino, a mint, an art gallery and a treasury.

While similar in graphics and gameplay, the story changes from the original Japanese to the early western versions: in the former, the Bonanza Bros. are thieves; in the latter, they are testing the security facilities or helping the police recovering evidence. Strangely, the western versions still kept the game over screen showing your character in prison.

There are also 2 spin-offs to the game. The first is called "Puzzle & Action: Tant-R" which was released in the year 1992, the second called "Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R", which was released in the year 1994. These two arcade games were ported to the Sega Saturn, and later packaged with the Sega Ages release of Bonanza Bros. on the PlayStation 2. They are considered spin-offs as they do not follow the action genre of the original game, as they are instead puzzle games. There was another game, "Puzzle & Action: Treasure Hunt", that was released in 1997, but it has remained arcade-exclusive.

Bonanza Bros. was also included in Sonic Gems Collection but only for the Japanese Market, it was removed from the US and PAL releases along with the Streets of Rage series (Bare Knuckle series in Japan) in order to preserve its universal rating. However, Bonanza Bros. made its first apearance on the recent Sega Genesis Collection for the PS2 in North America as Sonic Gems Collection remains in Japan and Europe.

On January 29, 2007, Bonanza Bros became available for download on the Wii Virtual Console in America. It became available in Europe on February 2, 2007.