Overview and Gameplay
Take control of a P-38 fighter in a vertically scrolling battle over the Pacific, cutting through waves of enemy aircraft before descending to attack warships and other heavily armed targets. The NES campaign spans 24 missions, expanding the arcade structure with additional stages and a longer solo progression.
Your aircraft has a single life governed by an energy gauge that steadily drains and also falls when you take damage or use a special attack. Destroying formations of red aircraft produces POW items that can restore energy or be shot repeatedly to cycle through temporary weapons. Success depends on dodging dense enemy fire, choosing when to spend energy on special attacks, defeating mission targets, and uncovering hidden bonuses.
Controls And Mechanics
- Move the P-38 in four directions with the D-pad
- Fire the equipped weapon with B, or hold and release it to launch a charged laser
- Use an energy-consuming special attack with A
- Press A and B together to perform a defensive loop
- Distribute upgrade points among offensive power, defensive power, maximum energy, special-weapon access, and weapon duration
- Collect temporary shot types, energy refills, side fighters, and hidden items that award additional upgrade points
- Use passwords to resume from later missions while preserving aircraft development
- Single-player only on the NES
Version Notes
This is the North American NES release. The Japanese Famicom edition was marketed as 1943: The Battle of Valhalla. Compared with the arcade original, the NES adaptation expands the campaign from 16 to 24 stages, adds permanent aircraft-stat development and password continuation, and removes two-player cooperative play.
Release And Credits
- 1988
- Developer and publisher: Capcom
- Original platform: Arcade
