Soldiers of Fortune
Soldiers of Fortune — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Soldiers of Fortune on?
- Soldiers of Fortune was released on Acorn Archimedes, Amiga CD32, BlackBerry OS, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Linux, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari ST/STE, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, DOS, Amiga, Game Boy Advance, Legacy Mobile Device, RISC OS, Mobile.
- When did Soldiers of Fortune release?
- Soldiers of Fortune was first released on February 1, 1993.
About Soldiers of Fortune
Soldiers of Fortune (Chaos Engine in the EU) is a run-and-gun overhead shooter. Sixteen levels (in four groups of four) await the players in the game. The basic gameplay is in an open air setting, with bridges across rivers and other features in the maps. The visuals are in a 'metallic and blue' style. There are six characters available in the game, each with different strengths and weaknesses, and different starting prices.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Acorn Archimedes, Amiga CD32, BlackBerry OS, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Linux, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari ST/STE, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, DOS, Amiga, Game Boy Advance, Legacy Mobile Device, RISC OS, Mobile
- Developer
- The Bitmap Brothers
- Publisher
- Renegade Software
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Themes
- Action, Fantasy, Science fiction, Historical
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1993 | $18 | $45 | $120 | 6 reviews | Low |
Also released on: Acorn Archimedes · Amiga CD32 · BlackBerry OS · Super Nintendo Entertainment System · Linux · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Atari ST/STE · PC (Microsoft Windows) · Mac · DOS · Amiga · Game Boy Advance · Legacy Mobile Device · RISC OS · Mobile. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $27 | $79 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $4.05 in Oct 2007, $14.31 five years ago, and $17.66 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $3.85 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $4.49 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $4.88 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $2.49 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $4.49 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $6.97 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $6.99 | $13.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $7.69 | $31 |
| Jan 2016 | $10.00 | $23 |
| Jan 2017 | $10.00 | $17.50 |
| Jan 2018 | $12.68 | $22 |
| Jan 2019 | $11.38 | $20 |
| Jan 2020 | $12.69 | $27 |
| Jan 2021 | $16.49 | $33 |
| Jan 2022 | $18.43 | $50 |
| Jan 2023 | $18.94 | $41 |
| Jan 2024 | $15.57 | $38 |
| Jan 2025 | $16.00 | $45 |
| Jan 2026 | $18.99 | $47 |
| Oct 2026 | $17.66 | $45 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | November 1993 | T-124016 | 085004112508 | 171-6331A · MPR-16170-F |
| Europe / PAL | 1 July 1994 | T-104066-50 | — | — |
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1993
- Authenticity
- Low
A strong two-player overhead shooter that Genesis owners in America knew as Soldiers of Fortune, priced above the middle.
The Chaos Engine is a top-down run-and-gun game from The Bitmap Brothers, set in a steampunk Victorian world where one or two players battle the creations of the Chaos Engine. The US Genesis cart was retitled Soldiers of Fortune. It came out in North America in November 1993 and in Europe on 1 July 1994, and was published by Spectrum HoloByte and MicroProse. In the Genesis version the Preacher character is renamed the Scientist and redesigned without his clerical collar.
GamePro said overhead-view gunfighting had never played better, citing the heavy challenge, solid controls and the use of teamwork. Sega Pro, comparing it with another port, described the Mega Drive game as practically an exact port of the Amiga original.
What the press said at the time
| GamePro Issue 53 | December 1993 | Graphics 4.0, Sound 4.0, Control 4.0, FunFactor 4.5 |
| Sega Magazine Issue 6 | June 1994 | 87% |
| Sega Magazine Issue 8 | August 1994 | 80% |
| MegaTech Issue 30 | June 1994 | 92% |
| MegaTech Issue 33 | September 1994 | 92% |
| MegaTech Issue 34 | October 1994 | 92% |
“Overhead-view gunfighting has never played better. The small Sprites take getting used to, but you'll zero in on the action in no time.”
“Featuring great sound and a distinctive style, The Chaos Engine is let down only by some slowdown and a little jerky scrolling. Otherwise, we found it to be a very challenging, very deep blaster. Highly recommended.”
“although it's similar in genre, this has much more playability and there's more depth too.”
“Excellent gameplay and superbly detailed graphics make this twa-player game a real treat”
How the Sega Genesis version differs
In the Mega Drive version the Preacher character was renamed the Scientist and redesigned to remove his clerical collar; the US release was retitled Soldiers of Fortune.
Also on other platforms
Amiga · Atari ST · Amiga CD32 · MS-DOS · RISC OS · Super NES · Mobile · Windows · Mac · Linux
- Super NES. Electronic Gaming Monthly scored the Super NES version 6.8 out of 10, calling it a decent overhead shooter in the spirit of Technoclash and Gauntlet.
- Amiga CD32. The Amiga CD32 version narrated the introduction with a voiceover and scene-setting animations, where the floppy Amiga versions showed it as on-screen text.
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits above the middle. The European cart (The Chaos Engine) usually costs more than the US one, both loose and complete.
Soldiers of Fortune screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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