Armed F (Japan)

Nichibutsu’s Armed F, released in Japan in 1988, is a two-player vertical scrolling shooter that challenges players to navigate through increasingly difficult waves of enemies. As pilots controlling specialized aircraft, you'll utilize an eight-way joystick and two buttons—one for shooting and another to activate a “formation” ability—to blast your way through the skies. The game features vibrant graphics with a palette of over 2000 colors displayed on a vertically oriented screen. The gameplay centers around strategic positioning and coordinated attacks, as players work together to overcome challenging encounters. A limited-edition soundtrack album was released in Japan featuring music from Armed F alongside another Nichibutsu title. This game’s technical specifications include a Motorola 68000 main CPU and a Zilog Z80 sound CPU, along with an YM3812 sound chip for enhanced audio. Later ports of Armed F have appeared on the NEC PC-Engine and Sony PlayStation 4 systems. The game’s design team included Takanori Tanaka as director and Takeshi Yoshida as musician, contributing to its distinctive visual style and musical score.