''P-47: The Phantom Fighter'' is a 1988
horizontally scrolling shooter arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game
** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware
** Arcad ...
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
originally developed by
NMK and published by
Jaleco
was a corporate brand name that was used by two previously connected video game developers and publishers based in Japan. The original Jaleco company was founded in 1974 as Japan Leisure Company, founded by Yoshiaki Kanazawa, before being renamed ...
. Set during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, players control a
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...
fighter aircraft to face against the Nazis, who are occupying multiple countries around the world. Its gameplay involves destroying waves of enemies, picking up power-ups and new weapons, and destroying bosses. It ran on the
Mega System 1 hardware.
''P-47: The Phantom Fighter'' was created by NMK as a game that celebrated the fight for freedom instead of war, with composer Sizlla Okamura not wanting the music being about horrors of war and leaned towards the concept of freedom being fun instead. First launched in arcades, the game was later ported to other platforms and has since been re-released through download services for modern platforms. A
conversion
Conversion or convert may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''The Convert'', a 2023 film produced by Jump Film & Television and Brouhaha Entertainment
* "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman''
* ...
for the
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
was in development, but did not receive an official release until 2025 via City Connection, current owners of Jaleco's catalogue. The title was met with mostly positive reception from critics and players alike, earning an award from ''
Gamest
was a Japanese video game magazine that specialized in covering arcade games. ''Gamest'' originated from the bi-monthly fanzine ''VG2 Newsletter'' from the early 1980s. Following the bankruptcy of publisher Shinseisha, many editors would move to A ...
'' magazine; however, the home ports garnered mixed response from magazines, many of which also drew comparison with ''
Silkworm
''Bombyx mori'', commonly known as the domestic silk moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. Silkworms are the larvae of silk moths. The silkworm is of ...
''. A sequel, ''
P-47 Aces'', was released in 1995.
Gameplay
''P-47: The Phantom Fighter'' is a horizonal-scrolling shooter game reminiscent of ''
Silkworm
''Bombyx mori'', commonly known as the domestic silk moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of '' Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. Silkworms are the larvae of silk moths. The silkworm is of ...
'', ''
USAAF Mustang'', and ''Hacha Mecha Fighter''. Players control a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft through eight stages that take place across multiple countries around the world, each with a
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
at the end that must be defeated in order to progress further and face against the Nazis.
Some enemies carry icon-based power-up
items that can be picked to increase the aircraft's firepower such as bombs and missiles as well as a speed booster to increase mobility. Getting hit by enemy fire or colliding against solid stage obstacles will result in losing a live, as well as a penalty of decreasing the aircraft's firepower and once all lives are lost, the game is over unless players insert more credits into the arcade machine to continue playing. After completing the last stage, the game begins again with the second loop increasing in difficulty. In addition to the single-player mode, the game also features a two-player
cooperative multiplayer
A cooperative video game, often abbreviated as co-op, is a video game that allows players to work together as teammates, usually against one or more non-player character opponents ( PvE). Co-op games can be played locally using one or multiple in ...
mode.
Development and release
''P-47: The Phantom Fighter''s
soundtrack
A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
was scored by then-NMK member Sizlla Okamura, best known for his work in ''
Viewpoint
Viewpoint may refer to:
* Scenic viewpoint, a high place where people can gather to view scenery
In computing
* Viewpoint model, a computer science technique for making complex systems more comprehensible to human engineers
* Viewpoint Corpora ...
'' by
Aicom
Aicom was a Japanese video game developer, founded in 1988. The Sammy Corporation website gives 1990 as its first year and says it was a subsidiary of Jaleco. Sammy bought it in 1992.
Its games include ''The Mafat Conspiracy'', ''Totally Rad'' a ...
.
In a 2017 interview with
Red Bull Music Academy
The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is a world-traveling series of music workshops and festivals that was founded in 1998 by Red Bull GmbH. The main five-week event is held in a different city each year. The public portion of its program is a festiv ...
, Okamura recounted his experience during development as the project's
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
, stating that the team wanted a game that celebrated the fight for freedom instead of war.
Okamura did not wanted the music to be about "the horrors of war", leaning towards the concept of freedom being happy and fun, stating that "it might not sound like good “battle music” at first listen, but that's why it ended up the way it is."
Okamura first composed the music using a
Yamaha MSX
MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...
computer, which featured the same sound chip Jaleco used for their arcade releases, before being converted into a useful program for his work to be played back and implemented for sound.
Okamura also stated that, depending on the designers, he would be instructed to compose the music in a certain manner or let him handle the music compositions by himself.
When asked about hardware limitations during the composition of music for arcade titles at the time, Okamura stated that he had to figure out how to use and work with a limited soundscape, in addition of what could be fit within limitations at the time.
''P-47: The Phantom Fighter'' was first released in Japan in May 1988 and North America on August of the same year by Jaleco, as well as Europe by Electrocoin, running on the Mega System 1 board.
The game was ported to various platforms including the
PC-Engine
The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched in ...
(published by Aicom),
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...
,
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 ...
,
Atari ST
Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's Atari 8-bit computers, 8-bit computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available i ...
,
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 ...
and
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...
.
All home computer ports were developed by Source the Software House and published by
Firebird Software
Telecomsoft was a British video game publisher and a Division (business), division of British Telecom. The company was founded by Ederyn Williams in 1984 and operated three separate labels: Firebird, Rainbird, and Silverbird. The first employee ...
in Europe under the title ''P47 Thunderbolt''.
A conversion for the Sega Mega Drive under the title ''The Freedom Star'' was in development but never released, though the Mega Drive version's soundtrack was later released as part of the ''SUPER Rom Cassette Disc In JALECO'' music album by
City Connection's Clarice Disk label and has since been showcased in a playable state at a Japanese gaming event. It has received various re-releases on
digital distribution
Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of information or materials through digital platforms. The distribution of digital ...
platforms such as
iOS
Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
by
Dotemu
Dotemu SAS (originally DotEmu SAS) is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris, founded in 2007 by Xavier Liard and Romain Tisserand. It is best known for its remasters and remakes.
History
Dotemu was founded by Xavier Liar ...
, as well as the
PlayStation Network
PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...
and
Nintendo eShop
The is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served ...
by
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 ...
as part of their ''
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.
The arcade version is also included as part of the ''Jaleco Arcade 1'' compilation for
Evercade
The Evercade is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by British company Blaze Entertainment. It focuses on retrogaming with ROM cartridges that each contain a number of emulated games. The Evercade was released on 22 May 2020, and ...
.
The Megadrive conversion internally titled ''P-47: The Freedom Star'' was in development around 1990, but for unknown reasons was cancelled. After the company City Connection acquired the rights to Jaleco's catalogue back in 2014, the soundtrack for the game was released as part of the ''SUPER Rom Cassette Disc in Jaleco'' in 2015 and the unfinished version of the game was shown at various events across Japan. In 2024, it was announced the game would be getting a proper release under a new name ''P-47 II MD'', and be finished up by Habit Soft. The game was released in Japan on March 13th 2025, with the overseas distribution being handled by Limited Run Games and Retro-Bit, which are scheduled to release sometime in May or June 2025. A new boxart for the game was created by Tankro Kato, known for his Hasegawa model kit artworks.
Reception
Arcade
Japanese magazine ''Game Machine'' listed ''P-47: The Phantom Fighter'' on their June 15, 1988 issue as being the fourth most popular arcade game at the time.
The arcade version of ''P-47: The Phantom Fighter'' earned an "Annual Hit Game" award from ''Gamest'' magazine.
''
Commodore User
''Commodore User'', (also referred to as ''CU'') later renamed to ''CU Amiga'', is a British magazine initially published by Paradox Group before being acquired by EMAP.
Timeline
''Commodore User'' was launched in October 1983 with an initial pr ...
'' praised the addictive gameplay and graphics, stating that "this one looks set to be Jaleco's most successful product to date; it's certainly their best.".
''
Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...
'' Clare Edgeley commended the graphics and regarded the game as "well worth playing."
''
The Games Machine
''The Games Machine'' was a video game magazine that was published from 1987 until 1990 in the United Kingdom by Newsfield, which also published '' CRASH'', ''Zzap!64'', '' Amtix!'' and other magazines.
History
''The Games Machine'' ran head ...
''s Robin Hogg and Cameron Pound commended the fun and addictive gameplay despite the standard graphics and sound.
''
Your Sinclair
''Your Sinclair'', originally ''Your Spectrum'' or ''YS'', is a discontinued British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was commercially published between 1984 and 1993.
History
The magazine was la ...
''s Ciarán Brennan regarded the title to be a poor ''
Nemesis
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods.
Etymology
The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...
'' variant lacking speed and complexity, criticizing the low difficulty and uninspired sprites, stating that "this is definitely one for the fanatic."
''
Crash''s Philip King and Mark Caswell regarded the presentation to be mediocre and the gameplay to be unoriginal but addictive, stating that "once you start blasting away, you'll find it hard to stop."
''
ACE
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...
''s Andy Smith stated that "the game's fun but it's not going to get your heart racing too much."
Boris Schneider-Johne of German publication ''Power Play'' commended the visuals and bosses, though the slowdown when many sprites are on-screen was criticized but noted this was crucial for certain situations, stating that "if you want to let off steam for a few laps, "''P-47''" is just the thing. But if you are not a real action fan, the blast of air becomes too monotonous after half an hour at the latest."
Home conversions
The PC Engine version was well received by critics.
''Computer and Video Games'' Paul Glancey praised the PC Engine port for its graphics as well as sound and gameplay, regarding it to be a "very tough arcade conversion, but veterans of computer wars past should find ''P-47''s good blasting action both addictive and challenging."
''The Games Machine''s Phil Harrison commended the PC Engine port for its arcade-accurate presentation and music.
Readers of the Japanese ''
PC Engine Fan
PC Engine Fan was a Japanese magazine dedicated to the TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine, published by Tokuma Shoten. It ran from 1988 to 1996.
History
The first issue of ''PC Engine Fan'' was published in late 1988. The magazine originated as a section in ...
'' magazine voted to give the PC Engine port a 20.69 out of 30 score, ranking at the number 287 spot.
The Amiga port received mixed reviews from critics.
''
CU Amiga-64''s Mike Pattenden criticized the sound and difficulty level of the Amiga port.
''
Amiga Format
''Amiga Format'' was a British monthly computer magazine for Amiga computers, published by Future Publishing. The magazine lasted 136 issues from 1989 to 2000. The magazine was formed when Future split '' ST/Amiga Format'' into two separate pub ...
''s Andy Smith praised the Amiga port for its arcade-accurate presentation and co-op play.
Max Magenauer of German magazine ''Amiga Joker'' gave the Amiga port a mixed outlook, criticizing the graphics as well as sound, controls and gameplay.
When reviewing the Amiga port, ''
Amiga Action
''Amiga Action'' was a monthly magazine about Amiga video games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Europress (later IDG Media) and ran for 89 full issues, from October 1989 to December 1996. After its closure, it was merged into sister ...
''s Steve McNally as well as Italian magazine ''Amiga Byte'' drew comparisons with ''Silkworm''.
''
Zzap!64
''Zzap!64'' is a computer games magazine covering games for computers manufactured by Commodore International, especially the Commodore 64 (C64). It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact.
The magazi ...
''s Stuart Wynne and Phil King commended the Amiga port for its presentation, visuals, sound and co-op feature but noted the retail price to be high for a conversion.
French magazine ''
Joystick
A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Also known as the control column, it is the principal control devic ...
'' and ''
Tilt
Tilt may refer to:
Music
* Tilt (American band), a punk rock group, formed in 1992
* Tilt (British band), an electronic music group, formed in 1993
* Tilt (Polish band), a rock band, formed in 1979
Albums
* ''Tilt'' (Cozy Powell album), 1981
...
''s Alain Huyghues-Lacour regarded the Amiga port to be superior than the Atari ST version, praising the visuals and playability.
Daniel Melin of Swedish magazine ''Datormagazin'' praised the visuals but criticized other areas of the Amiga port.
''
Amiga User International
''Amiga User International'' (or ''AUI'') was a monthly computer magazine published in its later years by AUI Limited, it was the first dedicated Amiga magazine in Europe and in comparison to other Amiga magazines, AUI had a more serious persp ...
''s Tony Horgan criticized the presentation, graphics, design, sound and gameplay of the Amiga port.
As with the Amiga version, the Atari ST iteration was met with mixed reception. ''
Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...
''s Paul Rand regarded the ST port of ''P-47'' to be a playable title as well as a good arcade conversion, but noted the graphics to be "very garish."
''
The One''s Brian Nesbitt remarked that the visuals in the ST port were colorful but unremarkable while criticizing other issues, stating that "''P-47''s fun in a mindless sort of way, and it's tough enough to keep most players on their toes - but not for any great length of time... especially at the price."
''
ST Action'' praised its appealing simplicity and playability.
As with the Amiga iteration, French magazine ''Génération 4'' as well as ''Micro News''s Marc Lacombe and ''
Zero
0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. Adding (or subtracting) 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged; in mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and compl ...
''s
Matt Bielby
Matt Bielby is a magazine editor based in the UK. He is best known for launching and editing many successful titles in assorted markets during the 1990s, mostly on the subjects of computer and video games, and film and television. These include ...
drew comparisons with ''Silkworm'' when reviewing the ST port.
''
Aktueller Software Markt
''Aktueller Software Markt'' (literally ''Current Software Market''), commonly known by its acronym, ''ASM'', was a German multi-platform Video game journalism, video game magazine that was published by Tronic-Verlag from 1986 until 1995. It was ...
''s Peter Braun praised the graphics, sound and gameplay of the ST port, stating that "''P 47'' can be recommended to all those who are fed up with adventure and strategy construction sites and want to hit the wall again with a good action game."
Martin Gaksch of German magazine ''Power Play'' commended the gameplay speed and co-op feature of the ST port but criticized various in-game issues, regarding the game to be an average shooting game.
''Joystick''s Jean-Marc Demoly commended the ST port for its realistic-looking graphics, parallax scrolling effects, sound design and playability.
''Tilt''s Alain Huyghues-Lacour commended the visuals and animations, recommending arcade arcade players enough to give the ST port a try.
French magazine ''Amstar'' praised the Amstrad CPC port for being "an excellent conversion of the arcade game of the same name", praising the visual presentation and difficulty level.
''
Amstrad Action
''Amstrad Action'' is a discontinued monthly magazine, which was published in the United Kingdom. It is about home computers from the Amstrad CPC range and later the GX4000 console.
It is the first magazine published by Chris Anderson (TED), Chri ...
''s Trenton Webb and Rod Lawton praised the CPC port for its visual presentation and addictive gameplay, though Lawton ultimately remarked that the game was "just another shoot-em-up when all's said and done".
Alian of French publication ''Amstrad Cent Pour Cent'' commended the overall quality of the CPC port.
''Joystick''s Bó TGV drew comparison with ''Silkworm'' when reviewing the CPC port but commended the conversion for its presentation and sound.
''Tilt''s Alain Huyghues-Lacour praised the CPC port for being better than the Atari ST iteration, commending the graphics and gameplay but lamented the lack of co-op play.
''Zzap!64''s Stuart Wynne and Phil King regarded the Commodore 64 port to be not as slick as the Amiga iteration, criticizing the lack of co-op play as well as the visual presentation.
''Aktueller Software Markt''s Torsten Blum regarded the C64 port to be disappointing, criticizing the jerky-scrolling background graphics and lack of music during gameplay, however the sprite animations were praised.
''
Your Commodore
''Your Commodore'' was a magazine for Commodore International, Commodore computers, including the Commodore 64, Amiga, and the Commodore Personal computer, PC range. It was published in the UK from October 1984 until late 1989 when the name was s ...
''s Ashley Cotter-Cairns gave the C64 port an overall negative outlook, criticizing the sprite flickering indistinct backgrounds, among other issues.
''
Commodore Force''s Miles Guttery criticized the preset enemy patterns but regarded the C64 port to be a "fair trigger exercise."
''The Games Machine''s Warren Lapworth praised the MS-DOS port for its arcade-accurate visuals and adjustable gameplay options but criticized the sound effects and keyboard controls, stating that "P47's still a jolly little shoot-'em-up."
''Crash''s Mark Caswell and Nick Roberts commended the ZX Spectrum port for its visual presentation, however Caswell stated that "''P-47'' holds nothing new in the way it plays, but could just give the hardened shoot-'em-up fan a challenge."
''
Sinclair User
The ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was pub ...
''s Jim Douglas drew comparison with ''Silkworm'' but commended the visuals and playability, stating that the Spectrum port is a "clean conversion of an average coin-op. Low on skill but high on kill."
''Your Sinclair''s Robin Candy regarded the Spectrum port to be a traditional horizonal-scrolling shoot 'em up, criticizing the overly detailed backgrounds that leads enemy bullets blend within the scenery, however Candy stated that "''P47'' may not be ''
R-Type
is a horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and released by Irem in 1987 and the first game in the ''R-Type'' series. The player controls a star ship, the R-9 "Arrowhead", in its efforts to destroy the Bydo, a powerful a ...
'', but it's a perfectly competent and satisfying addition to the Speccy stable of shoot-'em-ups."
Spanish magazine ''MicroHobby'' praised the Spectrum port for its visuals, controls, sound and replayability.
Sequel
: ''See main article:'' ''
P-47 Aces''
In 1995, an arcade-only sequel titled ''P-47 Aces'' was developed by NMK and published by Jaleco for the
Mega System 32 hardware. The sequel has the same concept but has some differences in gameplay such as players having the option to select four different airplanes with their own unique abilities. In Japan, it proved to be a popular arcade game.
Notes
References
External links
''P-47: The Phantom Fighter''at
Killer List of Videogames
Museum of the Game, which includes the Killer List of Videogames (KLOV), is a website featuring an online encyclopedia devoted to cataloging arcade games past and present. It is the video game department of the International Arcade Museum, and h ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:P-47: The Phantom Fighter
1988 video games
Amiga games
Amstrad CPC games
Arcade Archives games
Arcade video games
Atari ST games
Cancelled Sega Genesis games
City Connection franchises
Commodore 64 games
Cooperative video games
DOS games
Dotemu games
Hamster Corporation games
Horizontally scrolling shooters
Jaleco games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Nintendo Switch games
NMK (company) games
PlayStation 4 games
TurboGrafx-16 games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games scored by David Lowe
Video games scored by Sizlla Okamura
ZX Spectrum games