Super Dimension Fortress Macross (超時空要塞マクロス ) is a shooting game for the Family Computer developed by Namco and published by Bandai. The game was released on December 10, 1985.
Gameplay
Gameplay is similar to many basic horizontal shooting games.
The player's VF-1S has a power meter that gradually decreases. It will decrease further when hit by enemies or traps. The VF-1S will be destroyed when the power meter drops to zero and the next one will have to start from the beginning of the stage or a predetermined checkpoint.
Fighter, Gerwalk and Battroid modes can be used at any time. Each mode affects the scroll speed of the screen and the gun pod's rapid-fire rate, allowing for many kinds of strategies and attack patterns. The gun pod ammo is infinite and the player also has a starting stock of 2 missile batches that can be launched in a barrage by using the Select button.
Every screen's overall cycle that repeats over and over is as follows: The VF-1S starts in outer space and encounters Regults, Nousjadeul-Gers and other Zentradi units. A Thuverl-Salan-class ship soon appears and the object is to infiltrate the interior and destroy it within at least thirty seconds upon entry by attacking the core. If successful, the system adds remaining infiltration time and power to the player's score.
The difficulty spikes slightly with every cycle, with the enemies getting faster and more numerous, additional traps appearing, the distance before reaching the next Zentradi ship getting farther and farther, among others. In line with this, the infiltration time limit upon entering the ship will also increase every few cycles. The game only ends when all remaining VF-1Ss are lost.
Characters
Mechanics
Gallery
Notes And Trivia
- The main theme of the game is an 8-bit instrumental version of Minmay's song, Shao Pai Long. This BGM was later used for the special password-unlockable mission in Macross Ace Frontier, namely "Supersized Zentradi Rice Bowl". Said mission entailed destroying numerous waves of Zentradi units and warships, making it seem almost like a standalone 3D remake of this game. The only differences are that the player can choose any unlocked Variable Fighter to sortie in and that it does not go on endlessly.
- Hikaru Ichijyo's battle cry "Attack!" is displayed in plain text when entering the Zentradi ship.
- The VF-1S appears to be permanently equipped with the Strike/Dual Strike Pack, but the front cannons are never used at all.
- Missile stock carries over between stages/lost lives. The maximum total capacity is actually at 12 salvos, but only 6 are displayed on-screen.
- The lower right-hand corner of the screen is considered a safe zone. No enemies will emerge from there at all, but the player can still be hit by space mines, missiles launched by the Queadluun-Rau and gun turrets of Thuverl-Salan.
- A handful of Power-ups (Power, Missile, 1-Up) are rarely dropped by enemies at random, but if the player shoots at them continuously until they disappear instead of picking them up, the VF-1S will become invincible for the remainder of that stage.
- Though their usage in-game mirrors conventional warheads, the missiles launched by the VF-1S are actually anti-ship Reaction weaponry. This is indicated in the manual and the back of the cart. Also, the stock icons on the top of the screen use the same mark symbol seen in such equipment.