Can anyone help identify a game.

[NAVVARR]

This has annoyed me for years- I've tried to track down and play an old Shmup I used to play as a young lad in the arcades back in the early 80s.

The game was a horzontal shmup- you controlled a ship and you could increase the fire power by picking up powerups - these power ups then were located with above or below your ship. - I seem to remember you could vary the height of these powerups- have them close to your ship or spread out- bit like one of the variation in Gradius V.

There was a bouncing 'boomerang' like blue weapon- which bounced around the front of the ship.

Each of the powerups also fired this weapon- or whatever weapon you had at the time.

-you could have up to 4 of the powerups at a time.


-sorry, very vague- lost in the mists of time in my brain from about 30 odd years ago.

The game was early 80 - probably 80 - 84 at the latest- it was arcade only- never ever seen a port- have tried to find it on MAME, so far no luck.

It's annoyed me for years to play this shmup- and so far eluded me.

[NAVVARR]

Quite similar gameplay to Zero Wing -too

[BIL]

Sounds like Thunder Cross to me. It's from a bit later than specified, but the powerup formation, Gradius V-esque spacing and bouncing blue weapon all suggest it. Got an extremely ghetto, literally MAME-on-a-disc PS2 release via Hamster (which might've even been coded by hamsters!).

Note the Japanese and World versions differ significantly, like quite a few Konami arcade games of the time - JP's the widely preferred version.

I remember hearing there's a totally unrelated STG of the same name for some Western home computer or another, but this one is 100% arcade.

[NAVVARR]

Bingo! - That's the very game- obviously I have my dates out a bit- I seem to remember it earlier in the 80s- that's probably why I couldn't track it down.

Many thanks, I'm now watching youtube vids of it and will track it down to play.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

There is an arcade pcb sequel released under the name of Thunder Cross II for your consideration as well, NAVVARR.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[NAVVARR]

Yeah, so I see- I'll track them down and it'll be good reliving my youth through MAME.

-that's one off the Bucket List.