[[quoteright:346:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/operationwolfnesbox.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:346:[[CoversAlwaysLie Don't expect this kind of backup in-game!]]]]

The ''Operation Wolf'' series began as a [[LightGunGame Light Gun]] UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame by Creator/{{Taito}} in 1987 with ''Operation Wolf''. The player is a Special Forces soldier that arrives in a BananaRepublic country to rescue hostages.

The first sequel, titled ''Operation Thunderbolt'', featured the same protagonist and another Special Forces squad mate as they infiltrate the north African country of [[{{Bulungi}} Karubia]] to rescue more hostages from a different group of soldiers. This game was released in 1988.

The next game, ''Operation Wolf 3'', was released six years later exclusively to arcades in 1994 and featured a big shift in tone. This time, two special agents are charged with taking down a nuclear threat from the terrorist organization known as SKULL.

''Operation Tiger'' was released in 1998. ''Tiger'' has the player take out yet another terrorist organization that wants to use chemical weapons unless their demands are met. The player must assault their heavily fortified base and rescue the soldiers from the first team that attempted the Operation.

The series was then brought back in 2023 with ''VideoGame/OperationWolfReturnsFirstMission'', 25 years after ''Tiger'' and developed by Creator/{{Microids}}. In this installment, two soldiers have been recruited by Colonel Jones to take on a new, emerging terrorist organization led by the mysterious General Viper. Said organization has not only dealt in drugs and weapons trafficking but has also taken hostages, and is building a powerful superweapon that must be destroyed.

''Wolf'' and ''Thunderbolt'' are unusual in the light gun genre in that the players were forced to work with a limited amount of bullets and rockets. While ammo refills could be obtained by shooting obstacles or completing certain stages the games required players to be precise and accurate with their shooting. Running out of ammunition would not be an automatic death sentence but failure was almost guaranteed in that situation.

''Wolf 3'' took place in a more industrial setting and got rid of the ammunition gimmick. Instead, the players had unlimited bullets but would be required to periodically stop firing to retain their maximum firing speed. This is also the only game in the series to use digitized actors and backgrounds.

''Tiger'' brought the series full circle with the player returning to a more tropical setting to rescue hostages and take down a lot of soldiers single-handedly. This game brought the series to 3D enemies and environments.

''First Mission'' stays true to the original games with its military theme, and is played through the use of VR. A standard version was released on September 21st of the same year.

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!!Operation Wolf contains examples of:

* ActionGirl: In ''3'', Queen Bee is the second player. In ''Tiger'', you have Milene, who breaks you out of prison.
* AfterActionPatchup: The player will recover a large portion of lost health (about 2/3 of the full meter) after the Village stage in ''Wolf''. In game, it's symbolized by a picture of a villager woman bandaging the main character's arm.
* AmbidextrousSprite: The enemies are able to switch which arm they carry their weapons in instantly if they change directions.
* AntiFrustrationFeatures: If the player can survive long enough after running out of ammunition they will procure one bullet in an attempt to get more from a pickup.
* BananaRepublic: ''Operation Wolf'' is set in an unspecified location in the South American jungles.
* BigDamnHeroes: ''Tiger'' starts off with you and your partner imprisoned and interrogated by an enemy officer. Then your comrade Milene shows up and kills the interrogator and the other soldiers present, breaking you out and giving you a weapon to fight back.
* BigNo: Whenever a hostage or civilian is shot, they yell "NO!"
* BlindIdiotTranslation: All of the games suffer from this to some degree. One amusing example is in the [[AttractMode opening mission briefing]] for ''Operation Thunderbolt''. The briefing refers to [[{{Bulungi}} Karubia]] (real life Syria) but the map is labeled "Kalubya". Bonus points for the "Mediterranean See" just north of that.
* BoomHeadshot: A GiantMook type of enemy in ''Wolf'' must be shot in the head due to its BulletproofVest. This does not carry over to the NES port.
* BossBattle: While [[FinalBoss Final Bosses]] were always present in the series, ''3'' and ''First Mission'' have actual end-of-level bosses.
* BossOnlyLevel: The final scene of ''3'' consists of you going after the nuclear missile.
* BossWarningSiren:
** In the first game, one occurs before facing an enemy general holding a girl hostage, and one before facing the [[FinalBoss final helicopter]] at the end of the final mission.
** Every boss fight in ''Wolf 3'' is predated with the message "EMERGENCY: Here Comes Super Weapon" before the boss appears.
* BottomlessMagazines: Averted. The player receives ammunition by the magazine and reloading will cause a slight pause in firing.
* {{Bowdlerise}}: The NES port of the first game outside of Japan changes the name of the Concentration Camp level to Prison Camp.
* CriticalAnnoyance: A warning chime plays more rapidly as the player gets closer to death. The player receives messages when ammo runs low as well.
* CriticalExistenceFailure: Being nearly dead has no effect on the player.
* DamageSpongeBoss: Since ammo conservation is not much of a factor in ''Wolf 3'' the different stage bosses absorb a lot of punishment.
* DestructibleProjectiles: The player must exploit this to defend themselves versus knives, grenades, mortar/bazooka rounds, and even helicopter missiles.
* DidntNeedThoseAnyway: The fourth boss of ''Wolf 3'' sheds many parts over the course of the fight but fights even more aggressively in spite of its losses.
* DigitizedSprites: The third game.
* EliteMooks: Vehicles that take several hits are present in ''Wolf'' and ''Thunderbolt''. Knife-throwing soldiers in ''Wolf'' have to be shot three times to kill them.
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: The PlayerCharacter of ''Wolf'' and ''Thunderbolt'' is a Green Beret.
* EndlessGame: ''Wolf'' can repeat forever assuming the player does not die and rescues at least one prisoner per playthrough.
* EverythingFades: Enemies disappear often before they even hit the ground.
* EvilLaugh: The ninja boss in ''Tiger'' is shown laughing maniacally when you confront him before rescuing one of the hostages.
* ExcusePlot: There are hostages! Go kill a bunch of mooks to rescue the hostages!
* FanserviceExtra: Among the civilians in ''Operation Wolf'' are combat nurses, native women and children and... blonde women in bikinis.
* FauxFirstPerson3D: ''Wolf'' and ''Thunderbolt''. ''Wolf'' only scrolls from side to side with enemies existing on a single plane at different distances away from the player. ''Thunderbolt'' has enemies and objects that scale up to simulate forward movement.
* FinalBoss:
** In ''Wolf'' a Hind D helicopter serves as this. This is notable in the arcade version as it is the only boss and is the last enemy the player defeats.
** The final boss of ''Thunderbolt'' is the terrorist leader holding the pilot hostage. You must take out the leader without killing the pilot or else you'll end up with a bad ending.
** ''Wolf 3'' has a nuclear missile that must be destroyed within 99 seconds.
** ''Tiger'' has another heavily armed helicopter as the final boss of the game. Unlike the Hind D from the first game, [[FlunkyBoss it's accompanied by fighter jets and other helicopters]].
** ''First Mission'' has General Viper's plane, which, like the final boss of ''Tiger'', [[FlunkyBoss is accompanied by a squadron of attack helicopters and fighter jets to guard the plane]].
* FlunkyBoss: The bosses in ''Wolf 3'' employ mooks to draw the player's fire.
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The fourth scene boss in ''Operation Wolf 3''. While the player fights regular humans for mooks and an attack helicopter, a tank, and a Harrier jet as bosses, the fourth boss resembles more of an alien BrainInAJar.
* HaveANiceDeath: If you are killed in ''Wolf'' the voice-over comments "You have sustained a lethal injury. Sorry, but you are finished... here."
* HealingPotion: Power Drinks restore some health to the player when they are shot.
* HealThyself: Power Drinks heal the player instantly. It is implied that resting at a village takes time but the healing is still instant in gameplay terms. Finishing any other stage restores a small amount of health.
* HellishCopter: The FinalBoss of ''Wolf'' is a Hind D helicopter that shoots multiple rockets at the player and takes several ammo clips or rockets to bring down.
* HeroesRUs: The player characters of ''Wolf 3'' are dispatched from the "Gun Metal Army".
* HideYourChildren: Averted. Children are included in the civilians that can be gunned down at the player's [[HostageSpiritLink peril]].
* HighAltitudeBattle: The final bosses of ''Wolf'', ''Tiger'', and ''First Mission'' are fought while fleeing in an airplane that is gaining altitude.
* HostageSpiritLink: Shooting civilians will cost the player health or points depending on the game.
* HumanShield: ''Operation Thunderbolt'' has this at the end. The villain uses the hijacked plane's pilot. The player gets the BadEnding if they kill the pilot. Also used in the NES port of ''Wolf'' at the end of the second mission. Killing this particular hostage will cause [[HostageSpiritLink a lot of damage to the player.]]
* HyperactiveMetabolism: Power Drinks are essentially just a bottled beverage that already come with a bendy straw.
* HyperspaceArsenal: Averted. The player in the first two games is [[{{Cap}} capped]] at nine magazines and nine grenades.
* ImpossibleItemDrop: In ''Wolf'' the player can receive more ammunition by shooting eagles, pigs, chickens, and coconuts. Averted in later games where ammo drops were generally found in crates and satchels.
* InTheBack: Assassins will attempt to kill hostages in the first game this way.
* ItsAWonderfulFailure:
** ''Wolf'' has a couple of these:
*** If you die while you have no bullets or grenades, you will get a different screen which depicts a hostage (possibly the player character in a hostage outfit) in prison while the announcer remarks "Since you have no ammunition left, you must join the hostages."
*** If you fail to rescue any hostage, the President will reprimand you, telling you that "they won't ask you again". Note that this results in a GameOver whereas successfully rescuing even a single hostage will allow you to continue the game.
** In ''Thunderbolt'' if you fail to rescue any hostages the game ends prematurely with your mission failing. And if you accidentally kill the pilot in the final mission, you will be told "The pilot is dead! Escape is impossible."
** Fail to destroy the nuclear missile at the end of ''Wolf 3'' the missile will escape, and you get a glimpse of the world exploding followed by a picture of a skull with the words "BAD END".
* LanternJawOfJustice: The protagonist of ''Wolf'' sure does have a strong '80's action hero chin.
* LevelGoal: ''Operation Wolf'' features an enemy quota which must be defeated to trigger the end of the level.
* LifeMeter: The closer you are to death, the faster it flashes.
* LightGunGame: The arcade cabinets for all the games use mounted light guns, often modeled after MAC-10s. The NES port takes advantage of the Zapper, and a custom version with light gun support was bundled with the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum's Magnum light gun package.
* LockAndLoadMontage: The AttractMode of ''Wolf'' uses a montage based loosely on a similar sequence from ''Film/RamboFirstBloodPartII''.
* {{Mooks}}: The player will kill lots and lots of enemy soldiers to save five hostages.
* MoreDakka: This mindset is discouraged in ''Wolf'' and ''Thunderbolt'' as using excessive spray and pray tactics will cause the player to run out of ammunition. Played straight in ''Wolf 3'' assuming the player occasionally lets go of the trigger to preserve their maximum firing rate.
* MultipleEndings: ''Operation Wolf'' has several endings depending on how many prisoners the player rescues. Failing to rescue any hostages leads to a NonStandardGameOver. In the NES version the player is told they [[DisproportionateRetribution are not allowed to return home]] if zero prisoners are saved.
* NonStandardGameOver: If the player loses all of their health after they run out of bullets and grenades they will get a different death screen. The game also ends if the player fails to rescue any hostages in ''Wolf''.
* OddballInTheSeries: ''Operation Wolf 3''. Rather than continue from the military theme of the other games, this one instead has you in the shoes of a counter-terrorist agent working for a HeroesRUs agency. It's also the only game to have DigitizedSprites.
* OneBulletClips: Averted. The player can only get more ammo by the magazine and can't reload mid-clip.
* OneHitPolykill: Played straight with rockets which can kill multiple vehicles or soldiers within a certain radius, and with dynamite that can kill all ground-based targets. Averted with bullets, though. A regular {{mook|s}} can block a bullet intended for an APC.
* OneManArmy: At least in ''Wolf''. The other games lets the player bring a friend.
* OperationBlank: The title of the games in the order of their release are ''Operation Wolf'', ''Operation Thunderbolt'', ''Operation Wolf 3'', ''Operation Tiger'', and ''Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission''.
* PainfullySlowProjectile: Knives, grenades, rockets, missiles and ''laser blasts''.
* PublicDomainSoundtrack: In ''Operation Tiger'', the track [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIQhW3WZXQg "Murder Queen"]] is an arranged version of "Queen of the Night" from ''Theatre/TheMagicFlute''.
* PuzzleBoss: In ''First Mission'', the boss of Mission 2 and Mission 5. To defeat the radar station, you have to shoot at its radar when it launches its MacrossMissileMassacre. The missiles will then drop right onto the boss and damage it. For the spider-mecha, you have to drop explosive barrels onto it then AttackItsWeakPoint.
* ProjectilePocketing: The player acquires more ammunition by shooting it.
* RailShooter: The player only controls the targeting reticle, not their movement.
* ScoringPoints: Present in all of the games.
* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou:
** In the poster for ''Wolf'', a soldier is already shooting you!
** The [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Operation_Thunderbolt_%28video_game%29_titlescreen.jpg poster]] for ''Operation Thunderbolt'' also depicts a soldier about to shoot you.
* SerialEscalation: ''Wolf'' requires the player to kill a couple of hundred soldiers through the whole game. ''Thunderbolt'' has players killing hundreds of soldiers per level. ''Wolf 3'' has players killing digitized mooks and a nuclear missile. ''Tiger'' has players killing mooks. In 3D! ''First Mission'' goes even further by having the players kill mooks in VR!
* ShootTheHostageTaker: This is required to get the [[MultipleEndings Good Ending]] of ''Thunderbolt'' and to avoid taking a lot of damage at the end of the second level of the NES port.
** ShootTheHostage: Just in case the player doesn't care about the consequences.
* SpiderTank: [[spoiler:In ''First Mission'', this is the secret weapon [[BigBad General Viper]] is building. Its codename is even called “Spider-Mecha”.]]
* StockScream: ''Operation Wolf 3'' uses its death screams for the terrorists from movies such as ''Film/{{Commando}}'' and ''[[Film/LethalWeapon Lethal Weapon 3]]'', most notably Sully's infamous "U-LA-LA!" scream from the former.
* StoppedNumberingSequels: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged.]] It goes from ''Operation Wolf'', to ''Operation Thunderbolt'', back to ''Operation Wolf 3'', then back to a different word with ''Operation Tiger'', then with a few more different words with ''Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission''.
* TimeLimitBoss: The final enemy of ''Wolf 3'' must be destroyed within a 99 second time limit.
* UniversalDriversLicense: Averted. While the player can drive any jeep they encounter they must save an airline pilot in ''Thunderbolt'' to escape in a passenger airplane.
* VehicularAssault: Practically every boss in the series is a vehicle of some kind.
* VideoGame3DLeap: ''Tiger'' is the first game in the series with 3D graphics.
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: Shooting civilians or prisoners will hurt you.
* AWinnerIsYou: Typically the player is only rewarded with a splash screen or three upon victory.
* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: Happens in the first game if one of the hostages dies in the Concentration Camp or Airport stages.
* WraparoundBackground: Though the player typically needs to play longer than intended to see the background begin to repeat.
* YearX: ''Tiger'' takes place on September 23rd, 199X.
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-->[-Since this page has no tropes left, you must join the hostages.-]