is a 1990 vertical-scrolling shooter

arcade video game An arcade video game is an arcade game that takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-oper ...

developed and published 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 the US and Europe, it was released as ''Lightning Fighters''.

Development

The three composers for the game were also working on the music for the Famicom title ''

Crisis Force is a 1991 vertically scrolling Shoot 'em up, shooting game released by Konami in Japan for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Family Computer. The player controls one of two fighter ships piloted by Asuka and Maya, a pair of twin siblings descen ...

''. It was released in arcades in May 1990.

Plot

A gigantic alien spacecraft crash lands into a future Earth, carrying an army of alien warriors with it. The precise reason as to why or how the ship arrived is never revealed though their intention is made very clear: led by some sort of a self-aware biomechanical life form, the aliens directly attacked Earth and the only thing that was able to stop them were a pair of prototype starfighters with extremely advanced equipment including a "dragon laser" which was some form of self-aware life form in the form of a fiery dragon, seen on the title screen and box cover.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Trigon'' on their June 15, 1990 issue as being the fifth most popular table arcade unit at the time.

Legacy

Though ''Trigon'' has become an obscure arcade-only title, Konami has referenced it multiple times over the years. '' Gradius Gaiden'' features a boss modeled after the ship and weapons from the game, and ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' cards such as "Trigon", "Delta Tri" (based on the mentioned ''Gradius Gaiden'' boss), and "Dragon Laser" also represent the game. It runs the same hardware as the ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...

'' arcade game. It was eventually released for the first time as part of

Hamster Corporation is a Japanese video game publisher, with office located in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. The game division of Toshiba-EMI Limited spun off Hamster Corporation in November 1999. On the Japanese PlayStation Store, more than 360 titles are distribut ...

's ''

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 ...

'' series for the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

and

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

on August 20, 2020.

References

1990 video games Arcade Archives games Arcade video games Arcade-only video games Konami arcade games Konami games Multiplayer and single-player video games Vertically scrolling shooters Video games developed in Japan {{scroll-shooter-videogame-stub