Air Fortress
System: NES
Release Date: September 1989
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: HAL America
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
HAL is still getting their feet underneath them and they give us a lackluster shoot ‘em up with Air Fortress. The people of the planet Farmel have created interstellar technology and are exploring the galaxy when they come across huge living space fortresses. These entities are destroyers and they’re headed straight for your home. The defense armada is no match for the fortresses, so they send in one man, Mary Sue… err… Hal Bailman to defeat the eight fortresses and save the galaxy.
There are two different types of levels you’ll have to run through. The first type is the Air Base, a typical side scrolling shoot ‘em up. Enemies come on screen and you need to destroy as many as you can in order to power up. Energy pickups and Beam pickups are integral to grab. There is also an item that clears the screen and another that makes you invincible for a few moments. Once you reach the end of the side scrolling level, it’s on to the Air Fortress.
Inside the massive creature is a mazelike level. Here, you need to make your way to the nucleus and destroy it and then escape. The energy you collected outside ticks down as you move an shoot, but replenishes when you stand still. As long as you avoid getting hit, your maximum energy stays high. However, if you take some shots, you’ll find the maximum drop quickly. If your energy runs out, it’s back to the Air Base level to start again.
The Crash Beam Bullets come in handy in the Air Fortress, as they explode on contact and do a lot of damage. Many stationary enemies seem to only be able to be killed with them, and many moving enemies need to be taken out quickly with them before they kill you. After finding the nucleus, a hidden timer begins to count down. You must find the escape hatch and get out of there before the whole place blows and you have to start all over. I made it to the 5th fortress before I gave up.
Graphics: 1.0
It doesn’t really look that good. There’s very little detail to enjoy.
Sound: 1.0
The music and sound effects are poor, the same song keeps playing.
Gameplay: 1.5
What’s here works, but it’s pretty bare bones overall.
Difficulty: 2.0
The Air Base levels aren’t too difficult, and the Air Fortress levels are doable, but man did it get hard in the 5th level…
Fun Factor: 1.0
I may have been too impatient here, but I wasn’t really having much fun.
Overall Grade: 1.3
Air Fortress earns a D+. It’s not a very good game, unfortunately. There are better examples of the genres out there.