Radical Radial

Radical Radial © 1982 Nichibutsu.

This is an interesting take on the shooter genre, with three unique sections in each stage. You control a tire with the ability to jump and shoot. When you jump, you can only be hit by the enemies in the first stage.

In the first level, you need to dodge or jump over rocks as bat-like enemies rush down the screen, weaving across it. Occasionally a string of enemies will appear that give a bonus of 1000 if you hit them all. You can also pick up bonus items worth 300 points each.

In the second level, you are driving down a busy road. You need to doge cars as they erratically move across the screen. Occasionally an ambulance will drive up the screen, and if it hits a vehicle it will go flying across the screen. Watch out for the blue trucks in this section. Midway through this part, a green truck appears which drops stars. They are worth 500 each. There are broken down vehicles on the road, along with oil slicks. The pickups worth 300 points make a return.

The third level is a bonus round. You continue driving down the road, but now there are only oil slicks. You need to collect as many point pickups as possible. If you die in this section, it jumps to the next level, and you do not lose a life. You get a bonus if you get every pickup. You are then given a bonus based on your time for the last stage.

There is a difficulty spike at the third stage. The extra life is at 50000. You only get one extra life during the course of the game. The game is infinite.