Ghost Pilots (1991). Play online

Summary

Ghost Pilots throws you into the cockpit of a armed seaplane, letting you lock in one of three bomb types before each stage and juggle up to nine bombs as you chase a constantly scrolling battlefield. The two‑player coop feels like a nostalgic tag‑team, as each side must pick a different bomb, forcing split‑second coordination to cover ground‑ and air‑heavy foes ranging from tanks and gunboats to jets. After a split‑section first stage – where hitting red formation pilots yields power‑ups, extra lives and bonus stars – you choose a divergent path: a land‑strike that pits you against sea‑level hulks or an air‑strike riddled with skyborne threats, each ending in bosses with multi‑phase weak points. Checkpoints not only save you, they boost your score, rewarding careful play. While Japanese arcades ranked the title among the month’s top draws, reviewers praised the vivid sprite work and solid sound, but noted uneven enemy variety and a finicky power‑up system. Still, Ghost Pilots remains a solid co‑op flyer for anyone craving early‑90s arcade crunch.

Storyline

In the arcade shooter Ghost Pilots (sometimes just called Ghost Pilots), players take control of a vintage seaplane piloted by two freelance ace pilots, Tom Phillips and Charlie Stingley. Nicknamed the “Ghost Pilots,” they launch from their home country as it faces invasion by two powerful nations.

The game’s setting is a stylized World War II theater where an ambitious Nazi general leads the Axis on a push against the Allies. The duo’s seaplanes dive into the fray, engaging swarms of enemy aircraft and ground forces.

As the battle intensifies, giant military weapons appear on the horizon, and a mysterious combat unit joins the fight, adding an extra layer of danger and excitement to the aerial showdown.