Osman

Overview

Osman is a side-scrolling action game released in arcades in 1996. It was made by former Capcom employees who originally worked on Strider. As such, Osman was intended as a spiritual successor to Strider. It was renamed Cannon Dancer when licensed to Atlus.

In contrast to Strider's futuristic Soviet Kazakhstan setting, Osman is set in a futuristic neon-lit cyberpunk Arabian Gulf setting (somewhat predictive of 21st century Dubai), with a Middle-Eastern protagonist named Osman who fights bare-handed using martial arts skills, including a variety of kicks and an Izuna drop move.

Story

It is the late 21st century, and the world has come under the control of a single federal government. One day a new threat known as Abdullah the Slaver appears, causing widespread terror and panic. The fear in men's hearts incites the abandonment of all economic activity. The federal government, which is the foundation of capitalism and modern civilization, has become an insidious force that only serves to corrupt the foundations of society. It destroys the idiosyncrasies and variations among national viewpoints, stifling them in the name of "freedom" and its own internal ideals.

Judicial Affairs Director Jack Layzon alone grasps the situation, fearing the worst. He summons Osman, the lone assassin who has mastered the 'secret style'...