Twin Hawk
Encyclopedia
Twin Hawk, known in Japan
as , is a 1989
vertically scrolling shooter arcade game
developed by Toaplan
and published by Taito
. Due to being developed by Toaplan, it borrows elements and style of Toaplan's other arcade game Twin Cobra
in look, sound and feel, but only with a World War II
setting and a complete omission of flying enemies throughout four levels.
However, the player's bomb/special weapon was not necessarily a bomb as it was a group of friendly AI
planes. Once called, upwards of six Flying Fortresses would guard the player's plane and provide back-up fire. The friendly planes were easily taken down by enemy fire, though (one hit), so the player had to use them wisely. By hitting the call button while the other planes were on-screen, the planes would kamikaze into the enemies below while tapping the button to call them in caused them to collide into one enormous explosion.
An active checkpoint system was involved, so the player had to be careful. The omission of flying enemies meant a complete lack of physical obstructions and a stronger focus on the numbers and speed of ground forces.
Gorongo President Bratt ordered a counterattack that focused on the one type of firepower Giovanni lacked: an air force. The special air force “Big Whirlwind” sets up a mountain base after spotting a secret Fuangania fortress under construction. However, nearing the end of their training, the airforce is spotted by the Fuangania and are preparing to attack. It's up to the player, in the role of the Wing Commander
, to fly into Giovanni's secret base and take him and his commanding unit out.
for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
in Japan on June 23, 1990, and in Europe
on July 25, 1990. During the same year, it was ported and published by NEC Avenue
to the PC Engine
exclusively in Japan on December 14, 1990. On July 26, 1991, an enhanced re-issue of the PC Engine version for the PC Engine CD-ROM² titled was released, which remains pretty much the same as the HuCard version with the added benefit of arranged Redbook audio soundtrack and additional stages and enemies.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a 1989
1989 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* October 3, Brøderbund releases the Prince of Persia game, the first in a series of games, noted for its advancements in animation....
vertically scrolling shooter arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
developed by Toaplan
Toaplan
, sometimes written as Toa Plan, was a video game developer from Japan. They were responsible for the creation of a wide array of relatively famous scrolling shooters and arcade games, yet the company declared bankruptcy in 1994.-Games developed :...
and published by Taito
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
. Due to being developed by Toaplan, it borrows elements and style of Toaplan's other arcade game Twin Cobra
Twin Cobra
Twin Cobra, known in Japan as , is a 1987 helicopter-themed shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Toaplan. It was published by Taito Corporation in Japan, and by Romstar in North America, and is one of Toaplan's most popular arcade games...
in look, sound and feel, but only with a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
setting and a complete omission of flying enemies throughout four levels.
Game Play
The game was extremely straight forward: the player could collect power-ups that increased the player's main machine guns from fleeing supply trucks. Beyond that the player could also pick-up extra lives and special weapon icons.However, the player's bomb/special weapon was not necessarily a bomb as it was a group of friendly AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
planes. Once called, upwards of six Flying Fortresses would guard the player's plane and provide back-up fire. The friendly planes were easily taken down by enemy fire, though (one hit), so the player had to use them wisely. By hitting the call button while the other planes were on-screen, the planes would kamikaze into the enemies below while tapping the button to call them in caused them to collide into one enormous explosion.
An active checkpoint system was involved, so the player had to be careful. The omission of flying enemies meant a complete lack of physical obstructions and a stronger focus on the numbers and speed of ground forces.
Plot
At the end of an alternate WWII, a new European country is formed called Gorongo. General Giovanni of the Gorongo military was infuriated with the results of the war and what it meant to the country of Gorongo and he initiated a rebellion against the country’s government that was widely followed by his soldiers. Holing themselves up on Bobo Island, south of Gorongo, Giovanni declared the occupation as the independent state of Fuangania and plotted to take over Gorongo. After taking over the town of Kusunoki, the Fuangania invasion - consisting of massive ground and sea attack forces - started to spread.Gorongo President Bratt ordered a counterattack that focused on the one type of firepower Giovanni lacked: an air force. The special air force “Big Whirlwind” sets up a mountain base after spotting a secret Fuangania fortress under construction. However, nearing the end of their training, the airforce is spotted by the Fuangania and are preparing to attack. It's up to the player, in the role of the Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
, to fly into Giovanni's secret base and take him and his commanding unit out.
Ports and related releases
Twin Hawk was ported a year later by SegaSega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
in Japan on June 23, 1990, and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on July 25, 1990. During the same year, it was ported and published by NEC Avenue
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
to the PC Engine
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
exclusively in Japan on December 14, 1990. On July 26, 1991, an enhanced re-issue of the PC Engine version for the PC Engine CD-ROM² titled was released, which remains pretty much the same as the HuCard version with the added benefit of arranged Redbook audio soundtrack and additional stages and enemies.