Vapor Trail: Hyper Offence Formation
Encyclopedia
Vapor Trail: Hyper Offense Formation, known in Japan as and usually simply referred to as Vapor Trail, is a 1989
shoot 'em up
arcade game
developed and published by Data East
. Vapor Trail was followed by Wolf Fang
and Skull Fang Kuhga Gaiden.
where they have hacked into military defenses world-wide, established their own military command and gained access to nuclear missile silos. They hold the world hostage in this position and promise to cancel their threats of destroying the Earth only until the world's governments relinquish their power to DAGGER.
A Special Forces Air Unit is called in to attack DAGGER and cripple their strongest defenses and headquarters in New York. Until then, the city remains silent. The organization name was actually changed from the Japanese original Ragnarok
.
Vulcan - the player's default weapon which fires straight forward, but can flare out to destroy larger groups of enemies depending on the jet selected.
Bombs - a straight firing, explosive weapon that retains the same firing pattern for all jets, but increases in launch count (number of times it can be fired at once) when upgraded.
Defender - an explosive cluster-shot weapon that encircles the player's jet and remains the same when upgraded, but increases in count much like the Bombs.
Missiles - homing missiles that fire from multiple directions of the jet. Similar to the Vulcan, the Missiles fire in different directions depending on the jet that is used.
Every jet is equipped with a roll device that allows them to kamikaze
safely into other jets. The roll must be re-charged after every use.
Players also have the choice to pick-up the S-Unit, a weapon attachment that empowers the jet's firing no matter what weapon is picked-up previously and every jet's S-Unit attack differs from the others.
Silph S-Unit: Fires diagonal wave shots in a V formation.
Valkyrie's S-Unit: Fires rapid-fire flame blasts in a straight direction.
Seylen's S-Unit: Fires an array of arrow-head shots with four firing from the front, two firing from the sides and front and two firing from behind.
Once the S-Unit is equipped, the player cannot use their previous weapons unless the S-Unit is detonated. Detonating the S-Unit does not harm the player, but it does harm the enemy as the unit will detonate in a large and powerful explosion.
Genesis/Mega Drive
in 1991. This port was very close to the arcade counterpart despite much stricter hardware and color limitations. Even the display ratio was maintained during conversion with the addition of the side bars.
This port was also featured on the game show Nick Arcade
, in the Video Challenge portion of the show. Sound effects from the game were sampled in the Snazin Smith song "Doctor Rhino"
#178 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 3 out of 5 stars.
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....
shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
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 and published by Data East
Data East
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
. Vapor Trail was followed by Wolf Fang
Wolf Fang
, known outside of Japan as Rohga: Armor Force, is a 1991 run and gun/platform hybrid arcade game developed and published by Data East. It is the sequel to Vapor Trail: Hyper Offence Formation and was followed by Skull Fang Kuhga Gaiden.-Plot:...
and Skull Fang Kuhga Gaiden.
Plot
1999: A terrorist organization known only as DAGGER has occupied the city of New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where they have hacked into military defenses world-wide, established their own military command and gained access to nuclear missile silos. They hold the world hostage in this position and promise to cancel their threats of destroying the Earth only until the world's governments relinquish their power to DAGGER.
A Special Forces Air Unit is called in to attack DAGGER and cripple their strongest defenses and headquarters in New York. Until then, the city remains silent. The organization name was actually changed from the Japanese original Ragnarok
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
.
Gameplay
The game features 2 players controlling the jet fighters simultaneously for battle across numerous levels. There are 3 types of jets varying from different classes of speeds and firepower. The Silph is the midrange plane with the most balance. While the Valkyrie carries the most firepower, and the Seylen jet is capable of flying at the highest mach speed. Weapon upgrades are available throughout the game, ranging from homing missiles, ring guns, flame throwers and many more. Each jet may also activate the shield manually in times of trouble.Weapons
Players have a choice between four different standard pick-up weapons:Vulcan - the player's default weapon which fires straight forward, but can flare out to destroy larger groups of enemies depending on the jet selected.
Bombs - a straight firing, explosive weapon that retains the same firing pattern for all jets, but increases in launch count (number of times it can be fired at once) when upgraded.
Defender - an explosive cluster-shot weapon that encircles the player's jet and remains the same when upgraded, but increases in count much like the Bombs.
Missiles - homing missiles that fire from multiple directions of the jet. Similar to the Vulcan, the Missiles fire in different directions depending on the jet that is used.
Every jet is equipped with a roll device that allows them to kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
safely into other jets. The roll must be re-charged after every use.
Players also have the choice to pick-up the S-Unit, a weapon attachment that empowers the jet's firing no matter what weapon is picked-up previously and every jet's S-Unit attack differs from the others.
Silph S-Unit: Fires diagonal wave shots in a V formation.
Valkyrie's S-Unit: Fires rapid-fire flame blasts in a straight direction.
Seylen's S-Unit: Fires an array of arrow-head shots with four firing from the front, two firing from the sides and front and two firing from behind.
Once the S-Unit is equipped, the player cannot use their previous weapons unless the S-Unit is detonated. Detonating the S-Unit does not harm the player, but it does harm the enemy as the unit will detonate in a large and powerful explosion.
Ports and related releases
Vapor Trail was later ported to the 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...
Genesis/Mega Drive
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 1991. This port was very close to the arcade counterpart despite much stricter hardware and color limitations. Even the display ratio was maintained during conversion with the addition of the side bars.
This port was also featured on the game show Nick Arcade
Nick Arcade
Nick Arcade is an American children's game show created by James Bethea and Karim Miteff and hosted by Phil Moore, with Andrea Lively announcing, that aired on Nickelodeon from 1992 to 1993 , airing originally during weekend afternoons...
, in the Video Challenge portion of the show. Sound effects from the game were sampled in the Snazin Smith song "Doctor Rhino"
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1992 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#178 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 3 out of 5 stars.
External links
}- Vapor Trail series at Hardcore Gaming 101
- Vapor Trail: Hyper Offence Formation at arcade-history
- Kuhga - Operation Code Vapor Trail at arcade-history