Air Fortress (1987). Play online

Summary

Air Fortress stands out not only for its hybrid play style but also for how incredibly scarce it is. Only a handful of test copies—385 in the U.S. and a mere 20 earlier—were ever shipped, turning original cartridges into coveted collector’s items. HAL America even ran a mail‑order campaign that tossed a free T‑shirt to anyone who managed to snag a copy.

The game opens with a frantic side‑scrolling shooter where you pilot Hal Bailman’s lightship toward an “Air Lock.” You dodge alien aircraft and floating debris while gathering limited “crash‑beam” ammo, and unlike the Japanese version, the American port lets you respawn on the spot if you have lives left. Once inside the fortress, the pace shifts into an exploratory maze filled with hostile robots, security turrets, and hidden corridors.

The goal is to locate and blast the fortress’s core, then race against a shrinking timer to escape before the structure erupts. This blend of arcade shooting and adventure puzzles gave the title a reputation for challenging but rewarding gameplay.

Critics praised the smooth scrolling, crisp graphics, and inventive mix of genres, though the difficulty spikes and repetitive music drew some critique. Retrospective reviews still note Air Fortress as a distinctive, though polarizing, gem from HAL Laboratory’s NES catalogue.

Storyline

Air Fortress puts you in the shoes of Hal Bailman, a lone pilot sent by the Space Federation to stop a terrifying alien threat. The story begins on the newly space‑faring planet Farmel, where explorers discover a swarm of massive “Air Fortresses” drifting toward them like interstellar locusts, devouring planets and resources.

The Federation’s entire fleet is wiped out, leaving only one hope: a shielded spacesuit, a powerful arsenal and a tiny lightship for the daring infiltrator. Bailman must slip inside the colossal fortresses, fight through their defenses, and plant explosives to destroy them from within. The fate of Farmel and the galaxy rests on his solo mission.