Saint Dragon (set 1)

In Saint Dragon, players pilot a rebellious mechanoid dragon tasked with defending the Planet of the Golden Dragon from an invading cyborg army. This horizontal scrolling shooter puts you in control of the dragon as it blasts its way through six distinct stages, each culminating in a challenging boss encounter. Along the path, collect tokens resembling bronze eggs to power up your arsenal—options include pulse torpedoes, lasers, bouncing bombs, ring lasers and even a defensive turret. The dragon’s capabilities extend beyond weaponry; an armored tail follows your movements, acting as a shield against enemy fire. Tokens also grant speed boosts and temporary hyper modes that unleash maximum firepower and invulnerability. Skilled players can even trigger a hidden boss encounter on the third level by destroying a specific structure at the end of the stage. Saint Dragon features cooperative gameplay for two players, allowing friends to team up against the cyborg threat. The game was released in 1989 by Jaleco and NMK, utilizing impressive sound chips from Yamaha and OKI that contribute to its engaging atmosphere.