Sky Destroyer

I like this game too because it also compares well to Red Baron, although they're obv not made by the same company. The major difference being that this is a third person view flight sim, and with a WW2 jap plane instead. You fight waves of other planes, and some boats and subs during different times of the day and scenarios; although mainly the sea and a few islands. Sky Destroyer is a basic air to air and to ground (level; ie, technically to sea) combat shooter game. It could be consider a precursor to the similarly quasi 3D (2.5) latters AfterBurner (good), Flight Of The Intruder (RTFM bad), and Top Gun (fun). Although obv not as good as Aces: Iron Eagle III (AKA Ultimate Air Combat, which is the best of the lot:) I also liked how you can choose to focus more flying in the air if you're more comfortable with, as it's slightly easier; instead of both at the same time. Beware of the big multi engine bombers though! They'll still fire at you from above. Gameplay is very simple, so are the graphics, music and sound FX. The screen warps horizontally if you move too much to the left or the right. And there's an altitude limit, although not stated in measurable units. Also if you get too low, you'll sink into the ocean. Use of a better perspective could've been better; specially in the air. Eg, just by adding a few clouds.

Again, compared to RB this actually is indeed somewhat better in a lot of aspects; especially in that firing also has been improved, because you can clearly see the "bullets". And there's a secondary torpedo-bomb attack that works exclusively on sea targets too. Almost needless to say, I like the integrated autofire. What I didn't like is that you go down with only one hit, sadly. Yet despite the "improvements"; for some unknown reason, SD still comes slightly lower than RB overall in the fun factor though, unfortunately. So this is not a complex game by any accounts, but it was colorful and original to the NES; at the time, nevertheless. It was also nice to finally stick it to US for a change, and as an added bonus.:)

"Sky Destroyer" is quite an entertaining little game - I used to play it back in my childhood, sitting in front of the TV with that cartridge that promised a thousand games (but actually had about five). And among all those numbered titles, there was this intriguing one about the Sky Destroyer. Simple, energetic, and surprisingly adrenaline-pumping - it was hard to put the controller down.

The plot is as simple as it gets, just like in most games of that era: you're a fighter pilot of the Imperial fleet (judging by the red circles on the wings - the game's Japanese, by the way), and your task is to fly forward and destroy everything in your path. And you'll know who to destroy by one simple rule - if it flies, floats, or shoots at you, it's an enemy. The opponents don't hold back: they attack in swarms, fire without warning, submarines pop out of the ocean like corks, and ships cruise along the surface just to get in your way.

Gameplay is straightforward but fun. The view is from behind the fighter, so you see the whole battle as if from the cockpit's tail. You fly forward, shoot down enemy planes, dodge incoming fire (or fail to, if you're a bit slow), and bomb naval targets that appear here and there. It's all built on a simple mechanic - two buttons and a D-pad - but the amount of enjoyment it gives is surprisingly high. Especially when you manage to shoot down a plane heading straight for you.

The true challenge, though, came from the bosses. Those flying machines with four propellers were pure nightmares - surprisingly agile for their size, spraying bullets non-stop. While you're trying to take out all their propellers (which is required to win), chances are you've already been hit and are spiraling down toward the ocean.

For 1985, the graphics were actually pretty good. The pixels have a life of their own, but you can clearly tell what's what - where the plane is, where the submarine lurks, and which projectile is flying right at your face. There aren't many colors, but the sea and sky are still distinct, which was already an achievement in the 8-bit era. Sometimes the time of day changes - you get daylight, sunset, even night.

In the end, "Sky Destroyer" is a fun, punchy little game that still feels good to play decades later. Simple as it gets, but engaging thanks to its directness and that good old arcade thrill.

7 out of 10.