History VideoGame / AirFortress

* EnergyBalls: The preferred projectile for many enemies are yellow balls of energy.

* SelfDestructMechanism: The Power Reactor.

* NintendoHard: The game stops playing around at about Level 4, but gets downright evil at Level 6. The main reason this game doesn't have the reputation of ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}'' or ''VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins'' is simply that it's not as well known in general. This is without getting into the even more fiendish Japanese version, which sends you back to the beginning of the Approach segments ''every time you lose a life'' (the US version lets you respawn where you died providing you still have extra lives), and which generally starts you off with slightly less Energy than its US counterpart. How hard is this game? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3ef40PLFjs&feature=related Frankomatic's]] LetsPlay of the (Japanese version of the) game has him stating that he won't be abusing Save States. By Level 6, he throws this condition out the window... and ''still'' fails to beat [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs--cTRy908&feature=related the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YseHYkpRdfQ&feature=related level]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55sD20Zioas&feature=related The next video]] opens with him saying "As you can see, the sixth Fortress got hit with a big 'Fuck You' bomb that fell out of the cartridge, so we can continue."\\
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For reference, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MD-doYyoTE this run]] shows one of a handful of routes known for the level. At the time, it was a different (and faster) route than was in any walkthrough on Website/GameFAQs, although the use of speed running techniques also helped.

* RegeneratingHealth: To a certain extent -- inside the Air Fortresses, pretty much any action (moving, shooting, etc.) will gradually deplete Hal's Energy down to a minimum of 5 (where he essentially becomes a OneHitPointWonder), but if no buttons on the controller are pressed, he will gradually recover any Energy lost this way. However, actually taking damage from enemies both drains Energy and lowers maximum Energy, so getting into prolonged firefights is a bad idea.

* DifficultySpike: After fortress 4 and again at number 6. Compared to the hell that is navigating level 6's fortress, all of level 7 is [[BreatherLevel considerably easier]] -- the approach only has two squads of moving enemies, and the fortress itself really has only one fork until you get to the Reactor, and both choices ultimately lead to the same place. 8 spikes again.

[[quoteright:256:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/air_fortress_main_core_2252.png]]
[[caption-width-right:256:''[[Film/ANewHope "You're all clear, kid. Now let's blow this thing and go home!"]]'']]

-->--[[http://projectnes.blogspot.com/2010/02/general-genre-air-fortress-and-airwolf.html El Sandifer]]

''Air Fortress'' is a game released in Japan in 1987 by HAL Laboratories, today best known for ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' It came to American shores in 1989. Its basic plot will remind you of the climaxes of a few ''Franchise/StarWars'' films: The planet Farmel finds itself threatened by [[DiabolusExNihilo eight mysterious Air Fortresses]] (something of a misnomer, as they're attacking from space). The Federation of Intergalactic Powers has thrown all their defenses at the Fortress to no avail. Now, it's been decided that ''one man'', Hal Bailman, will attempt to infiltrate and blow up the Fortresses from the inside.

-->--[[http://projectnes.blogspot.com/2010/02/general-genre-air-fortress-and-airwolf.html Phil Sandifer]]

The gameplay of ''Air Fortress'' combines two genres, and can be said to be composed of three separate parts. The first part of a given level is a ShootEmUp where you're trying to get inside the Fortress in question. On your way, you also want to gather as much Energy and Bombs as possible. These will all come in handy in the second part of the level.

* NewGamePlus: A second immediately follows the first. The level layouts are exactly the same, but there are more and/or harder enemies. The level and fortress colors are also inverted and the destinations of most of the warp pipes are scrambled, radically altering your path through each fortress.

* TimedMission: From the time you shoot out the Power Reactor you have approximately two minutes to find the level's escape hatch, which contains your ship, and escape the Fortress before the whole place explodes. ExactTimeToFailure is averted, but you can judge how much time you have left by the decreasing stability of the environment. Initially, the whole Fortress goes dark; after a short period of time, it begins to quake and rumble; soon thereafter the rumbling gets worse and the lights begin to flash on and off, and finally this intensifies until the explosion occurs and you are completely engulfed in a white screen, at which point the game ends. It is helpful to locate and determine the path to the escape hatch in advance, but [[GuideDangIt not every level grants you this opportunity]] due to the reactor itself blocking the escape path.

[[caption-width-right:256:''"You're all clear, kid. Now let's blow this thing and go home!"'']]

For reference, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MD-doYyoTE this run]] shows one of a handful of routes known for the level. At the time, it was a different (and faster) route than was in any walkthrough on GameFAQs, although the use of speed running techniques also helped.

* GottaKillEmAll: The network of Air Fortresses revives itself after Bailman destroys the seventh, so it's more like sixteen.

* GottaKillEmAll[=/=]RuleOfSeven: The network of Air Fortresses revives itself after Bailman destroys the seventh, so it's more like fourteen.

''Air Fortress'' is a game released in Japan in 1987 by HAL Laboratories, today best known for ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' It came to American shores in 1989. Its basic plot will remind you of the ends of some of the ''Franchise/StarWars'' films: The planet Farmel finds itself threatened by [[DiabolusExNihilo eight mysterious Air Fortresses]] (something of a misnomer, as they're attacking from space). The Federation of Intergalactic Powers has thrown all their defenses at the Fortress to no avail. Now, it's been decided that ''one man'', Hal Bailman, will attempt to infiltrate and blow up the Fortresses from the inside.

* GottaKillEmAll[=/=]RuleOfSeven: The network of Air Fortress will revive itself after Bailman destroys the seventh, so it's more like fourteen.

[[caption-width-right:256:'"You're all clear, kid. Now let's blow this thing and go home!"'']]

''Air Fortress'' is a game released in Japan in 1987 by HAL Laboratories, today best known for ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' It came to American shores in 1989. Its basic plot will remind you of the ends of some of the ''Franchise/StarWars'' films in a way: The planet Farmel finds itself threatened by eight mysterious Air Fortresses. The Federation of Intergalactic Powers has thrown all their defenses at the Fortress to no avail. Now, it's been decided that one man, Hal Bailman, will attempt to infiltrate and blow up the Fortresses from the inside.