Choujikuu Yousai Macross 2036 [Model NSCD2007]

超時空要塞マクロス2036 © 1992 NCS
(Choujikuu Yousai Macross 2036)

Choujikuu Yousai Macross 2036 is an horizontal shooter by Masaya and published by NCS. The game is based on the popular and long-running Japanese animation series of the same name and first aired in 1982. In the future, humanity is engaged in a war against giant humanoid aliens called the Zentraedi. The game seems to chronologically takes place after the events of the original Macross movie. Macross 2036 features seven stages, from devastated cities on Earth to strikes in space, deep into enemy territory. The story is told through a series of fully voiced animated cutscenes very similar in style to the anime. The player takes control of Mylene Jenius, a Veritech fighter pilot. Her mecha, in the Macross tradition, can transform into three attack mode - the fighter jet, the intermediate Gerwalk and the humanoid Battroid. However the player can't transform at will and the game decides of which mode to use for a particular situation. For that reason, each level is split into two distinct sections - the first one is a traditional side scrolling shooter where only the fighter jet configuration is available, then the Veritech switches to its Battroid mode during boss encounters. In that mode, the player continuously fires at the enemy and controls are simply used to change the firing direction. The fighter is equipped with a front Vulcan gun and side missiles. Fourteen secondary weapons are also available and can only be purchased from the second level on. Experience points are awarded to the player throughout the game and used between stages to obtain such weapons - however they can only be equipped once and are discarded after use.