Moon Shuttle
| Moon Shuttle | |
|---|---|
 North American arcade flyer | |
| Developer | Nichibutsu |
| Publishers | |
| Platforms | Arcade, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, TRS-80 Color Computer |
| Release | |
| Genre | Scrolling shooter |
| Modes | Single-player, multiplayer |
Moon Shuttle[a] is a 1981 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Nichibutsu for arcades. It was released in Japan in June 1981 and in North America in August 1981 by Taito.[1] It was later ported to home computers by Datasoft. Hamster Corporation acquired the rights to the game alongside Nichibutsu's catalogue, releasing the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in October 2024, as well as their Arcade Archives 2 series for the Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Windows in June 2026.[2][3]
Gameplay
[edit]The player controls a spaceship who must navigate between an asteroid belt in one phase and shoot aliens in the next. The spaceship has to avoid the asteroids at all costs and make their way through narrow gaps which they can form by shooting the asteroids. The player can accelerate through the gaps and risk crashing for bonus points, or simply allow the spaceship to cruise slowly. In the second phase, aliens move in erratic patterns and must be defeated; each wave has different enemies until a boss enemy is found and defeated.[4]
Reception
[edit]Robert Karp of Play Meter praised the graphics and the meteorite section's originality, but criticized the game's use of a lever for acceleration.[5]
Craig Holyoak of ComputerFun gave the Atari 8-bit version a 2/4 score, criticizing its lack of innovation as well as questioning Datasoft's intentions of developing the port.[6]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. pp. 55, 136. ISBN 978-4990251215.
- ↑ Yarwood, Jack (October 2, 2024). "Nichibutsu's 1981 Space Shooter 'Moon Shuttle' Is This Week's Arcade Archives Release". Time Extension. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ Yarwood, Jack (June 24, 2026). "Namco's Legendary Arcade Fighting Game 'Tekken' Is Coming To Arcade Archives 2". Time Extension. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ "【アケアカ】『ムーンシャトル』10月3日配信。隕石を破壊してゴールを目指すステージ、敵を倒すステージが交互に楽しめる | ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ Karp, Robert (December 1, 1981). "Moon Shuttle/Taito". Play Meter. Vol. 7, no. 22. Skybird Publishing. p. 177. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ Holyoak, Craig (May 1984). "Moon Shuttle". ComputerFun. Vol. 1, no. 2. p. 65. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- 1981 video games
- Arcade Archives games
- Arcade Archives 2 games
- Arcade video games
- Atari 8-bit computer games
- Commodore 64 games
- Datasoft games
- Hamster Corporation games
- Horizontally scrolling shooters
- Multiplayer and single-player video games
- Nichibutsu games
- Science fiction video games
- Taito arcade games
- TRS-80 Color Computer games
- Video games developed in Japan
- Video games set in outer space