Sqoon [Model IF-04]

Sqoon © 1986 Irem Corp.

Sqoon is a side scrolling shooter developed by Home Data and published by Irem. In a distant future, the gradual rise of the ocean flooded most of the land and submerged all the major cities at the bottom of the sea. But this was no accident. This was actually the work of a race of malevolent aliens called the "Ototo" (aka the Neptunians). The aquatic creatures had to leave their dying world and decided to invade Earth, melting the polar ice caps in a quest to destroy and enslave humanity (and even use them as food source!). In an effort to eliminate the unprecedented threat, the US Pentagon decides to contact the pirate and gold miner Narik?n (aka Narikeen), and to deploy the "Sqoon", his small pink attack submarine. But all cuteness aside, the deceptive amphibian vehicle is a lethal war machine and comes equipped with two types of combat weaponry - small torpedoes that can be fired forward and bombs to damage ground facilities and enemies. In a nutshell, the goal of the game is to fight through eight different areas and to rescue as many human hostages as possible along the way. Captured humans are kept prisoner inside various enemy buildings (domes and factories) the player must crack open with bombs. Once freed, the humans disperse in the water and the player must catch them before angry sharks (who always circle around) get a chance to sneak a bite. But the tiny Sqoon can only carry nine persons at a time and a motorized island instantly appears when that maximum capacity is reached, allowing the player to remove them to safety. Another important aspect of the game is fuel management - the Sqoon starts off its journey with sixty units of fuel that last no more than sixty seconds, and the only way to regain energy is to call the motorized island and to bring nine humans to safety. Interestingly, another way is to carry at least one human and to collect the piece of gold left behind by wandering red crabs before it disappears. Finally, the motorized island also release power-up icons that upgrade the primary missile weapon (from energy blasts to three-way shots). Sqoon consists of eight levels which loop upon completion (the second loop uses slightly different colors and graphics though).