Run Saber

About

Run Saber is a 1993 side-scroller from Horisoft and Atlus that blends action and strategy. You control Allen and Sheena, two cyborg warriors fighting through levels filled with enemies and environmental hazards. The game emphasizes precise timing and weapon switching, letting you play solo or team up with a friend in co-op. Movement and combat feel tight, with a focus on horizontal and vertical platforming challenges. The game stands out for its co-op mode, which was uncommon on SNES at the time. Its story involves a scientist using mutated humans as soldiers, adding a sci-fi edge to the action. While community ratings aren’t widely tracked, fans of 90s platformers often note its fast pace and dual-character mechanics. The mix of adventure elements like item collection and level exploration adds depth without slowing the action.

Storyline

Years into the future after Earth has been overly polluted and resources are running low, a scientist quickly comes up with a solution: a new chemical that will reverse the effects of pollution. As colonists settle in space to avoid the pollution, the newfound chemical is quickly launched in a missile into the atmosphere where it explodes and releases the chemical. However, the chemical begins to horribly mutate any and all humans infected with it. The scientist knew the effects of his chemical and uses the mutated people as his soldiers to rule the Earth. Mankind's only hope is a new weapon known as Project Saber, three human cyborgs that are genetically enhanced to a super natural level. Kurtz, the first Saber, malfunctions and escapes to Earth before the project is complete. The remaining Sabers, Allen and Sheena, are dispatched to eliminate the scientist and his militant mutant threat, and to neutralize Kurtz if possible.