Sky Kid

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Sky Kid
Image:Skykid.png
Developer(s) Namco
Publisher(s) Namco
Release date(s) 1985
Genre(s) Scrolling shooter
Mode(s) 2 players can play simultaneously
Platform(s) Arcade
Input 8-way Joystick; 2 buttons
Arcade cabinet Upright, cabaret, and cocktail
Arcade system(s) Namco Pac-Land
Arcade display Horizontal orientation, Raster

Sky Kid is a horizontal scrolling shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1985. It runs on Namco Pac-Land hardware but with a video system like that used in Dragon Buster. It is also the first game from Namco to allow 2 players to play simultaneously. The game was later released on the Famicom (brought to the American NES by Sunsoft).

A sequel named Sky Kid Deluxe was released in 1986. It introduced several new enemies and missions.

[edit] Introduction

Sky Kid is a two-dimensional, scrolling shooter type of game. The players play as the Sky Kids (called "Red Baron" and "Blue Max" on the flyer.) The Sky Kids fly around in biplanes and are assigned specific targets during the missions. These missions involve bombing specific targets. This would seem easy, however, there are a few obstacles the Sky Kids must overcome to get to the target safely. First, the biplane is not equipped with the bomb. The Sky Kids must pick up the bomb en route to the target. Second, there are both ground and air units that attempt to keep the Sky Kids from accomplishing their mission. Last, the Sky Kids may have to navigate through some very inhospitable terrain or navigate around cities in order to get to the target. The targets that the Sky Kids must bomb will either be a fortress complex or a ship. As one moves farther up in the missions, it isn't uncommon to have multiple targets in one mission. Perhaps barnstorming would have been a better idea.

The names "Red Baron" and "Blue Max" on the flyers are references to Manfred von Richthofen, the famous World War I flying ace, and the prestigious order Pour le Mérite, informally known as Blue Max.

[edit] Trivia

  • After Namco ended its partnerships with both Midway and Atari, they started to release games in the United States. Releases such as Grobda (1984) and Dig Dug II (1985) were some of the games that Namco released. Since the Video Game Crash of 1983 had claimed quite a few arcade companies, Namco managed to fill the gap. Sky Kid was a game that didn't enjoy great success in the United States. The game, however, did show that Namco was on the right track as far as games they released. Featuring cartoon-like graphics and different types of missions, Sky Kid would form the basis of several other Namco games based on the same type of gameplay. To this day, Namco is either releasing new arcade games or it is releasing old classics for the different gaming systems.
  • Sometimes, blowing up an enemy unit will reveal a hidden Namco character - it could be Pac-Man, Inky, the Special Flag from Rally-X (which has appeared in many other Namco games) or Pooka from Dig Dug.

[edit] Scoring

Scoring in this game is kind of complicated. You get points for destroying air and ground targets. You then get additional points for how many of these types of targets you destroyed. In addition, you get points based on how much of the target you destroyed.

Ground Targets:

  • Truck: 100 points
  • Tank: 200 points
  • AA Gun: 100 points

Sea Targets:

  • AA Boat: 100 points
  • Submarine: 1000 points

Air Targets:

  • Plane: 100 points
  • Balloon: 100 points
  • Bomber: 100 points
  • Bomb: 100 points

Bomb Hits:

  • Direct hit, target totally destroyed: 10000 points
  • Indirect hit, target partially destroyed: 500 points

You will receive a bonus after you land. This bonus depends on how many of each type of the above targets you destroyed. It is listed in the order of:

  • Ground and Sea Units
  • Air Units
  • Mission Target or Targets

For the first two items, the scoring is:

  • Units Destroyed: 10-19 - 1000 Points
  • Units Destroyed: 20-29 - 3000 Points
  • Units Destroyed: 30-39 - 5000 Points
  • Units Destroyed: 40-49 - 10000 Points
  • Units Destroyed: 50 and over - 20000 Points

In regard to targets, bonus points are scored on whether you totally destroy or partially destroy the target or targets.

  • Partial Destruction: 2000 points
  • Total Destruction: 10000 points

You will also get 10 points per second that you are in the air.

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