Twin Cobra, known in Japan as Ultimate Tiger (究極タイガー, Kyukyoku Tiger) is a vertical scrolling shooting game released in 1987 by Toaplan for arcades. The game board for the arcade version was marketed by Taito, and the AC version of the game was also marketed by Taito. The game was later released for use outside Japan under the title "Twin Cobra", under license to Romstar for US distribution. It is the sequel to Tiger-Heli, followed by a further sequel released in 1995 called Twin Cobra II.
The game was ported in 1989 to the Nintendo Entertainment System and NEC PC Engine, in 1991 to the Sega Mega Drive and 1993 to the Sharp X68000 and Fujitsu FM Towns home computers. It was later included in the Toaplan Shooting Battle 1 compilation for the Sony PlayStation in 1996, and in 2021 in the Ultimate Tiger-Heli compilation by M2 for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, as part of their Toaplan Arcade Garage label. In 2023 it was released digitally for PC on the Steam and GOG storefronts by Bitwave games.
Story[]
You're the pilot in the latest in air-attack technology, the TC-7 Twin Cobra assault helicopter. You were looking forward to a nice long break after that last mission, but it wasn't to be. You've been volunteered for a dangerously risky assignment - a task that is likely in alter the course of world events!
Commander Anziga is the demented, myopic leader of a nation called Kaban. He has ruled with an iron fist for over 20 years. Although the standard of living in the country ranks near the bottom when compared to other civilized countries, Kaban's military might is nothing less than staggering. Now you're going to find out just how ominous a threat Anziga's army is.
Your orders are to penetrate Kaban's border, plow through the nightmarish defense system and level the massive base where Anziga's headquarters are reportedly located. Use your twin machine guns and your supply of bombs to devastate the enemy. You and the Twin Cobra stand alone against what may be the most awesome fighting force the world has ever seen!
Gameplay[]
Twin Cobra is a vertically scrolling shooter, with a button to use the main shot and another to consume smart bombs. The shot is both air-to-air and ground-based, and destroys airplanes, ships, tanks, and some buildings. The bomber is a powerful bomb with a limited stock.
Being hit by enemy bullets or colliding with enemy aircraft results in the loss of a life, with the player being sent back to a checkpoint. The game is over when there are no more lives left. The game is 10 stages long, and once the 10th stage is completed, a more difficult loop (1-10) begins. This cycle continues until the game is over. The difficulty level also increases until the 16th loop, when the enemy bullet speed increases.
Items[]
- Shot Power Up (S): Appears when certain enemies are defeated, and when acquired, the shot is powered up (10 levels).
- Weapon Change: Appears when a specific enemy is defeated. The color of the round item changes from red to green, blue, yellow, red... in a certain amount of time. The weapon of the shot changes according to the color of the item when it is acquired. Getting the same color as the currently equipped weapon earns the player 2,000 bonus points.
- Bomber (B): Falls in front of the ship and causes a wide range of explosions, inflicting heavy damage. In addition to wiping out the enemy, it can also obliterate enemy bullets. There is a slight time lag between pressing the button and the explosion. The initial value is 3 bullets, and the number of bullets increases as items are acquired. Up to 7 rounds can be stocked.
- Medal of Honor (★): Appears when buildings on the ground or the bridge of a large ship are destroyed. When a stage is cleared, (the number of items acquired) x 3,000 points are added. If a mistake is made during the stage, the number of points obtained will return to 0.
- Extend (1UP): Adds an extra life to the player's stock. It appears when a certain number of medals appear with no mistakes.
Stages and Bosses[]
| Stage | Name | Boss | BGM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stage 1 | T-A1 | Break a Leg! |
| 2 | Stage 2 | T-B1 | Over the Sea |
| 3 | Stage 3 | T-C3 | Good Figure |
| 4 | Stage 4 | T-D5 | Tsugaru |
| 5 | Stage 5 | Huge Fortress A | Our Life |
| 6 | Stage 6 | T-E7 and T-F8 | Break a Leg! |
| 7 | Stage 7 | T-G95 | Over the Sea |
| 8 | Stage 8 | T-B1 x2 | Good Figure |
| 9 | Stage 9 | T-H10 | Tsugaru |
| 10 | Stage 10 | Huge Fortress B1-B2 | Our Life |
Enemies[]
Regional Differences[]
There are some differences between the Japanese and Western versions of the game:
- Two players can play at the same time and join in the middle of the game in the western version. The coloring of the ship differs accordingly.
- Upon losing a life the player instantly respawns instead of being sent back to a checkpoint. In case of a tie with the boss, the landing scene is skipped and the BGM takes over the front part of the ship.
- The movement speed of the ship is faster than in "Kyukyoku Tiger," but the number of bullets that can be fired on the screen is reduced (four-round bursts in "Kyukyoku Tiger" compared to three-round bursts in "Twin Cobra").
Legacy[]
With a well-balanced system that included the use of several different main shots, a powerful bomber that covered half the screen, and intense enemy attacks based mainly on high-speed bullets, this game completed one of the standards of style in vertical scrolling shooters. Many followers of this work, such as "Raiden" (1990), appeared in later years. According to one of the developers, Kenya Uemura, the aim was to create "a work that could directly negate the opinion that difficult games are boring because they cannot be played for a long time." The huge success of this game, which followed the previous year's "Sky Shark" (1987), established Toaplan as a leading arcade shooter game maker and led to the release of many shooting games.
Gallery[]
