P-47: The Phantom Fighter

P-47: The Phantom Fighter[lower-alpha 2] is a shoot 'em up game developed by NMK and Jaleco. It was released in arcades in 1988 and ported to many home systems. It was followed by P-47 Aces in 1995.

P-47: The Phantom Fighter
Developer(s)NMK[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)
Composer(s)Sizlla Okamura[1]
SeriesP-47
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Horizontally scrolling shooter
Mode(s)
CabinetUpright
Arcade systemMega System 1

Gameplay
Arcade version screenshot.

The game takes place in World War II and the gameplay is simple. The player destroys aircraft, tanks, ships, and other forms of vehicles. There are many types of power-ups (bombs and missiles for example) and a speed booster to help, but too much can do more harm than good. The player must use the right weapon in order to fight a boss or go through a stage.

Release

A conversion for the Sega Mega Drive under the title The Freedom Star was in development but never released, though one song from the Mega Drive version was later released as part of the SUPER Rom Cassette Disc In JALECO music album by City Connection's Clarice Disk label and has since been showcased in a playable state at Japanese gaming events.[3][4][5] It has received a re-release in recent years on digital distribution platforms such as the PlayStation Network and Nintendo eShop by Hamster Corporation as part of their Arcade Archives series.[6]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed P-47: The Phantom Fighter on their June 15, 1988 issue as being the fourth most-successful table arcade unit of the year.[7]

Sequel

P-47 Aces is an arcade-only game that was developed and published by the same organizations for Mega System 32 in 1995. It has the same concept but has some differences in gameplay. This time, the player gets to select four different airplanes with their own unique abilities. In Japan, Game Machine listed P-47 Aces on their May 15, 1995 issue as being the sixth most-successful arcade game of the year.[8]

Notes
  1. Ported to Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS and ZX Spectrum by Source the Software House, iOS by Dotemu
  2. Also known as P-47: The Freedom Fighter (Japanese: P-47: ザ・フリーダム・ファイター, Hepburn: P-47: Za Furīdamu Faitā) in Japan and P47 Thunderbolt in Europe.

References
  1. Dwyer, Nick (30 November 2017). "Interview: Sizlla Okamura - The composer of Viewpoint on the Neo-Geo discusses being an unwitting innovator". Red Bull Music Academy. Red Bull GmbH. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  2. Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). NMK (日本マイコン開発); Jaleco USA; P. アーケードTVゲームリスト 国内•海外編 (1971-2005) (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Amusement News Agency. pp. 21, 121, 160. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  3. "「ラッシング・ビート」など，ジャレコのSFCサウンドを収録した4枚組CDが登場". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas Inc. 18 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-02-22. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  4. "SUPER Rom Cassette Disc In JALECO (4枚組)". Clarice Shop (in Japanese). City Connection. March 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-03-17. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  5. Kouichi, Totsuka (14 December 2016). "幻の未発売タイトルも遊べた"ジャレコゲーム史"の棚卸し！ ゲストトークでは当時の秘話も！　ジャレコ展リポート". Famitsu (in Japanese). Gzbrain. Archived from the original on 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  6. Moyse, Chris (July 4, 2020). "Jaleco shmup P-47 Thunderbolt is this week's Arcade Archives release - The Freedom Fighter returns". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  7. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 334. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 June 1988. p. 21.
  8. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 495. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 May 1995. p. 25.
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