Twin Cobra | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Toaplan |
Publisher(s) | |
Artist(s) | Kōetsu Iwabuchi |
Composer(s) | Masahiro Yuge Tatsuya Uemura |
Series | Tiger |
Platform(s) | Android, Arcade, FM Towns, iOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, PC Engine, PlayStation, Sega Genesis, X68000 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Vertically scrolling shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, Co-op |
Twin Cobra, known as Kyukyoku Tiger [lower-alpha 1] in Japan, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1987 by Taito in Japan and Europe, then in North America by Romstar. [2] It is a sequel to the 1985 arcade game Tiger-Heli . [4] Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. It was the fourth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their tenth video game overall. It was ported to multiple platforms, with each done by different third-party developers that made several changes or additions.
Twin Cobra was a success for Toaplan, garnering positive reception from western critics and earning several awards from Gamest . The game was met with mixed response from magazines, specifically the home versions. In 1995, the sequel Twin Cobra II was released. The rights to the game are owned by Tatsujin, a Japanese company formed by Masahiro Yuge.
The game ran on the Toaplan Twin Cobra hardware (PCB), featuring a Motorola 68000 CPU clocked at 7 MHz with additional chips (a Z80 CPU clocked at 3.5 MHz and a 320C10 chip at 3.5 MHz) as well as a Yamaha YM3812 sound chip clocked at 3.5 MHz. Toaplan's Flying Shark used the same arcade hardware board. [5]
Twin Cobra is a military-themed vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game, in which players take control of the titular attack helicopter through ten increasingly difficult levels, each with a boss at the end that must be fought before progressing any further, in order to defeat an assortment of military enemy forces like tanks, battleships, and artillery as the main objective. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] The title initially appears to be very standard, as players control their craft over a constantly scrolling background and the scenery never stops moving until a helipad is reached. Players have only two weapons at their disposal: the standard shot that travels a max distance of the screen's height and three bombs.
The bombs are powerful weapons capable of obliterating any enemy caught within its blast radius and collecting "B" icons adds an extra bomb stock. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] A new gameplay addition compared to its predecessor are power-up items that appear via enemy carriers; There are four types of weapons in the game that can be switched between after destroying incoming carriers by picking up color-changing icons ranging from red, blue, green and yellow, while "S" icons increases the helicopter's firepower. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Other items scattered throughout the levels such as 1-ups and star-shaped gold medals, which grants a 3000-point bonus by collecting them, can also be picked up along the way. [6] [7] [8] [10] Players are given two lives initially and bonus lives are awarded at certain point thresholds and every point threshold thereafter. [6] [7] [8]
Depending on the region, the title uses either a checkpoint system in which a downed single player will start off at the beginning of the checkpoint they managed to reach before dying, or a respawn system where their ship immediately starts at the location they died at. [9] Getting hit by enemy fire or colliding against enemies will result in losing a life, as well as a penalty of decreasing the helicopter's firepower to his original state and once all lives are lost, the game is over unless the players insert more credits into the arcade machine to continue playing. [7] [8] After completing the last stage as with previous titles from Toaplan, the game begins again with the second loop increasing in difficulty and enemies fire denser bullet patterns. [9]
Twin Cobra's creation process and history was recounted through various Japanese publications by composers Masahiro Yuge and Tatsuya Uemura, both of which collaborated with the soundtrack using guitar and marked the second time Toaplan made use of FM synthesis. [11] [12] Yuge stated that the basic structure for the game was already decided during development of Slap Fight by pursuing the excitement of shooting and dodging, settling on the bomb and shot system, claiming that firing a bomb relieved stress from players, as they wanted to make a game that was fun by looking at and get passionate about it. [13] [14] Yuge also claimed that the word "Kyūkyoku" for its Japanese title derived from a translation of Going for the One , the eight studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, as it was not a popular word at the time and although the Japanese title was initially rejected by then-president of Toaplan, he was determined to implement it. [15] [16] The concept of using a bomb came up during development of Tiger-Heli, where the team questioned how to make a shoot 'em up game more engaging for players but it was never intended for defensive purposes according to them, as the mechanic was instead implemented to provide an aggressive feeling against enemies on difficult situations, however enemies were made tougher to keep gameplay balance. [14] [16] [17]
Twin Cobra was also, alongside Slap Fight , one of the earliest projects Toaplan made use of game design documents, with both Uemura and Yuge stating that ideas by the team were first written in text using A4 paper before reading it during meetings. [15] Several features were integrated into the project by diverse factors such as items swirling around the screen, which was inspired by a donburi bowl, while the slow speed of the helicopter was due to make the title akin to puzzle games and require a level of strategy. [14] [16] [17] [18] Yuge stated that cooperative gameplay was originally not developed but were requested in doing so after completing the single-player version due to simultaneous two-player titles being "a big trend" in overseas regions and being conscious of the American market, as the game had a realistic war setting. [14] Around five members collaborated with the project on a six-month development period including Uemura and Yuge acting as programmers, as well as three designers. [15] Artist Kōetsu Iwabuchi, who previously worked on Guardian , was responsible for the artwork. [13] Despite being published by Taito, Uemura stated that the publisher allowed them to reveal the project was made by Toaplan. [18] Uemura also claimed the project was influenced by Halley's Comet , as he wanted to portray the feeling of aiming and shooting. [18]
Twin Cobra was first released across arcades worldwide in October 1987 by Taito in Japan and Europe, as well as Romstar in North America. [2] On 21 November 1988, an album containing music from the title and its predecessor was co-published exclusively in Japan by Scitron and Pony Canyon. [11]
Twin Cobra was converted to multiple platforms by various third-party developers including the PC Engine (1989), Nintendo Entertainment System (1989), Sega Genesis (1991), X68000 (1993) and the FM Towns (1994). [9] The PC Engine port, developed by A.I Company, was released exclusively in Japan by Taito. [19] The NES port, developed by Micronics, was first released in Japan CBS/Sony and later in North America by Sammy. [20] The Genesis port, developed by GRC, was first published in Japan by Treco, then in North America by Sega and later in Brazil by Tectoy. [21] [22] [23] On 30 August 1996, Banpresto released a compilation for the PlayStation exclusively in Japan titled Toaplan Shooting Battle 1, which included both arcade versions of Twin Cobra and its prequel, an arranged soundtrack by Uemura and other additions. [17] [24] In November 2019, Twin Cobra was re-released for iOS and Android mobile devices only in Japan by MOBIRIX Corporation under the name Kyukyoku Tiger Classic. [25] A port for Samsung Smart TV platform is also available through a Samsung TV's games panel.[ citation needed ]
Twin Cobra was later included by M2 as part of their M2 ShotTriggers publishing label. [26] [27] [28] [29] An arcade version, alongside the PC Engine, Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis versions, were included in the Kyukyoku Tiger-Heli compilation for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 as part of M2's Toaplan Arcade Garage label in 2022. [30] [31]
Twin Cobra was released on Steam in February 2023. Bitwave Games was responsible for the port of this version.
Reception | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Review scores | |||||||
Publication | Scores | ||||||
Arcade | PC Engine | NES | SMD/GEN | X68K | FMT | ||
AllGame | [32] | — | — | [33] | — | — | |
ASM | — | 10/12 [34] | — | 7/12 [35] | — | — | |
Beep! Mega Drive | — | — | — | 28/40 [36] | — | — | |
Commodore User | 6/10 [37] | — | — | — | — | — | |
CVG | Positive [3] | 91% [38] | — | 66% [39] | — | — | |
CVG Mean Machines | — | 88% [40] | — | — | — | — | |
Edge | — | — | — | — | — | 8/10 [41] | |
EGM | — | — | 26/40 [42] | 30/40 [21] | — | — | |
Famimaga | — | — | 20.17/30 [43] | — | — | — | |
Famitsu | — | 33/40 [44] | 22/40 [45] | 21/40 [46] | — | — | |
The Games Machine | — | 86/100 [47] | — | — | — | — | |
Hippon Super! | — | — | — | 20/100 [48] | — | — | |
Joystick | — | — | — | 78% [49] | — | — | |
Marukatsu PC Engine | — | 35/40 [50] | — | — | — | — | |
MDAG | — | — | — | 78% [51] | — | — | |
Mega Drive Fan | — | — | — | 17.26/30 [52] | — | — | |
MegaTech | — | — | — | 81% [53] | — | — | |
Oh!X | — | — | — | — | 10/10 [54] | — | |
PC Engine Fan | — | 24.37/30 [55] | — | — | — | — | |
Power Play | — | 82/100 [56] [57] | — | 80% [58] | — | — | |
Sega Force | — | — | — | 71% [59] | — | — | |
Sega Power | — | — | — | [60] | — | — | |
Sega Pro | — | — | — | 87/100 [61] | — | — | |
Tilt | — | 17/20 [62] | — | 14/20 [63] | — | — | |
VideoGame | — | — | [64] | — | — | — | |
Video Games | — | — | — | 80% [65] | — | — | |
Awards | |||||||
Publication(s) | Award(s) | ||||||
Gamest (1991) | The Best Game #42 [66] | ||||||
Gamest Mook (1998) | Best Shooting Award 4th Annual Hit Game 9th Pure Shooting Award [67] |
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2021) |
According to Masahiro Yuge and Tatsuya Uemura, Twin Cobra proved to be a popular hit for Toaplan, though Flying Shark was "the biggest" hit for them. [13] [18] [16] In Japan, Game Machine listed it on their 1 January 1988 issue as being the fourth most-successful table arcade unit of the month, outperforming titles such as Thundercade and Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 . [68] It went on to become Japan's highest-grossing arcade conversion kit of 1988. [69]
Computer and Video Games reviewer Clare Edgeley gave an overall positive outlook to the arcade original. [70] [71]
A sequel, Twin Cobra II , was originally under development by Toaplan but the studio closed down in 1994 until Taito allowed Toaplan offshoot Takumi Corporation to finish work on the project as their first release in 1995, before being ported to Sega Saturn in 1997 under the name Kyukyoku Tiger II Plus. [72] [73] [74] [75] [76] Former Seibu Kaihatsu artist Toshinobu Komazawa claimed that Seibu borrowed ideas from Twin Cobra when developing Raiden . [77] Artist Perry "Gryzor/Rozyrg" Sessions cited Twin Cobra as one of the main influences for Super XYX. [78] The rights to Twin Cobra and many other IPs from Toaplan are now owned by Tatsujin, a company named after Truxton's Japanese title that was founded in 2017 by former Toaplan employee Masahiro Yuge, who are now affiliated with arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia. [79] [80] [81] [82] [83]
Zero Wing is a 1989 side-scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and originally published in Japan by Namco and in North America by Williams Electronics. Controlling the ZIG space fighter craft, players assume the role of protagonist Trent in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien cyborg CATS. It was the eighth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their fourteenth video game overall.
Toaplan Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo responsible for the creation of a wide array of scrolling shooters and other arcade video games. The company was founded in 1979 but its gaming division was established in 1984 by former Orca and Crux employees, who wanted to make games, after both companies declared bankruptcy. Their first shoot 'em up game, Tiger-Heli (1985) on arcades, was a success and helped establish Toaplan as a leading producer of shooting games throughout the 1980s and 1990s that would continue to characterize their output.
Tiger-Heli is a vertically scrolling shooter game developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1985. It was published in Japan by Taito and in North America by Romstar. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the player must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The Tiger-Heli has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear the screen of enemies when fired. It was the first shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their third video game overall.
Out Zone is a run and gun arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Tecmo, North America by Romstar and Europe in August 1990. Set in a future where an alien race from the fictional planet Owagira are threatening to wipe out humanity after multiple failed attempts to defend Earth against their attacks, players assume the role of cyborg mercenaries recruited by the United Nations in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the invaders.
Flying Shark, known as Sky Shark in North America, is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in 1987 by Taito in Japan, Romstar in North America and Electrocoin in Europe. Controlling the titular biplane, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The plane has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear a portion of the screen of bullets and damage enemies when fired. It was the third shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their eighth video game overall.
Truxton is a 1988 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan and Europe by Taito, as well as in North America by Midway. Set in a future where the Gidans alien race led by Dogurava invaded the fictional planet Borogo, players assume the role of fighter pilot Tatsuo taking control of the Super Fighter ship on a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien invaders.
Demon's World is a 1989 run and gun arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and in North America by Catalina Games. In the game, players assume the role of two ghost hunters to fight against several ghosts and monsters that were unleashed upon Earth by the titular demon king. Initially launched for the arcades, the title was then ported to the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² by NEC Avenue and published exclusively in Japan on 26 February 1993, featuring various additions and changes compared with the original release.
Twin Cobra II is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Takumi Corporation and published in 1995 by Taito in Japan, Asia and Europe. It is the sequel to Twin Cobra from 1987. Taking place after the events of the previous game, players assume the role of two pilots taking control of their respective attack helicopters to overthrow the returning enemy forces.
Teki Paki is a 1991 puzzle arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Tecmo, Hong Kong by Honest Trading Co. and Taiwan by Spacy Co. Ltd.
Hellfire is a 1989 horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and North America by U.S.A. Games. The first horizontal shoot 'em up title to be created by Toaplan, the game takes place in the year 2998 where a space matter known as Black Nebula created by robot dictator Super Mech spreads and threatens to engulf human-controlled galaxies, as players assume the role of Space Federation member Captain Lancer taking control of the CNCS1 space fighter craft in a surprise attack to overthrow the enemies with the fighter craft's titular weapon.
Wardner is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Toaplan and published in arcades worldwide by Taito in 1987.
Slap Fight is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito. Set on the colonized fictional planet of Theron in the future, where an alien race led by Gaudy have invaded the human-controlled location, players assume the role of an Allied League of Cosmic Nations (ALCON) fighter pilot taking control of the SW475 space fighter craft in an effort to counterattack the invaders. Initially launched for the arcades, the game was later ported to other microcomputer and console platforms by various third-party developers, with each one featuring several changes or additions compared to the original release.
Fire Shark is a 1989 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe, and by Romstar in North America. It is the sequel to Flying Shark, a game released in 1987 on multiple platforms. Set in the year 1991, the game focuses on a mysterious armada launching a worldwide attack from a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. Players take control of the titular biplane to counterattack the enemy forces.
Twin Hawk is a 1989 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published by Taito. Taking place at the end of an alternative World War II setting, where general Giovanni and his army plots to take over the fictional country Gorongo, players assume the role of a wing commander from the Daisenpū squadron taking control of a Flying Fortress fighter aircraft in an effort to overthrow the enemy.
Grind Stormer is a 1993 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and North America. It is considered to be the spiritual successor to Slap Fight. Based around a video game within a video game concept, players assume the role of a young secret agent assigned by the government taking control of the NA-00 space fighter craft in an attempt to defeat the titular virtual reality simulator, rescue the abducted players who lost against it and unveil its true purpose.
Truxton II is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe. It is the sequel to Truxton, which was released earlier on arcades in 1988 and later ported to various platforms.
Knuckle Bash is a 1993 side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan, as well as North America and Europe by Atari Games. It is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date.
Dogyuun is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan. Set on the colonized fictional planet of Dino in the future, where an alien race of metallic robots have invaded a police communication center and held its inhabitants as hostages, players assume the role of two fighter pilots taking control of the Sylfers bomber space fighter crafts in an revenge attempt to overthrow the invaders and free the surviving colonists after one of their comrades is killed by one of them during a reconnaissance assignment.
Guardian is a 1986 side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and North America by Kitkorp. In the game, players assume the role of a robot fighting against a multitude of enemies and bosses across six locations on a futuristic science fiction setting. It is notable for marking the debut of Twin Cobra and Hellfire artist Kōetsu Iwabuchi in the video game industry, serving as its graphic designer.
Enma Daiō is a 1993 hybrid quiz/lie detector arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published exclusively in Japan by Taito. In the game, players answer a number of question. As of 2019, the rights to the title is owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.
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