is a

vertically scrolling shooter A vertically scrolling video game or vertical scroller is a video game in which the Player (game), player views the field of play principally from a top-down perspective, while the background Scrolling, scrolls from the top of the screen to the b ...

released in arcades by

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

in December 1987. There was a European release of the game called ''Typhoon'', which is the name used for

Imagine Software Imagine Software was a British video games developer based in Liverpool which existed briefly in the early 1980s, initially producing software for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20. The company rose quickly to prominence and was noted for its polishe ...

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for "Colour Personal Computer") is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spec ...

, and

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

ports. The players control a "Tom Tiger"

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

(in the 2D stage) and later a "Jerry Mouse"

fighter jet Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the a ...

(in the 3D stage), and shoot enemies in the air and bomb them on the ground, collecting

power-up In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a Game mechanics, game mechanic. This is in contrast to an Item (game), item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that ca ...

s and defeating bosses to advance levels.

Gameplay

The game takes place in a fictional 2007, where an unnamed nuclear

superpower Superpower describes a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position characterized by the ability to Sphere of influence, exert influence and Power projection, project power on a global scale. This is done through the comb ...

had been working with aliens to construct an artificial

planetoid According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''mino ...

. However, the aliens betrayed and invaded the superpower, cutting off all communication with the rest of the world, then beginning a conquest of the planet. Determined to prevent the aliens from using the planetoid to deploy nuclear weapons with impunity, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

deploy the elite strike force A-Jax to cripple the alien campaign and destroy the planetoid. The player combats the occupation forces using vehicles under operation code named 'A-Jax' created to liberate the Earth. Game play is divided into two scrolling sections with two different vehicles: the first being a vertical scrolling section with the helicopter and a

rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' (1967 fil ...

scrolling stage with the jet/space fighter. The game spans eight stages and extends to 30,000 points, a second at 150,000 points. During the helicopter segments, the player has access to four different weapons air-to-air weapons (Vulcan, 3-Way, Triple, Laser) and air-to-ground bombs. Each air-to-air weapon is available through their own specific pick-up icon, while picking up a B upgrades the bombs' speed and power. However, the helicopter can only equip one air-to-air weapon at a time, with the Bomb being constant. The player also has access to Options which add additional firepower. The jet segments contrast highly from the helicopter segments--they have a complete lack of available power-ups and additional weapons beyond a machine gun and bomb.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''A-Jax'' on their January 15, 1988 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade unit of the year.

References

External links

* *{{WoS game, id=0005493, name=Typhoon
''Ajax''

Arcade Archives is a series of emulated arcade games from the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s developed and published by Hamster Corporation. A sub-series called focuses on re-releasing Neo Geo titles in their original arcade format, unlike many s ...

Page 1987 video games Amstrad CPC games Arcade video games Commodore 64 games DOS games Helicopter video games Konami games Vertically scrolling shooters ZX Spectrum games X68000 games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation Network games Konami arcade games Video games developed in Japan Arcade Archives games Hamster Corporation games Multiplayer and single-player video games es:Typhoon (videojuego)