Developer: Software Creations Publisher: Taito Release: 09/89 Genre: Shooter
Good advertising and catchy box art always sell video games. As a comic book fan I saw many video game ads that made even the most mundane titles seem epic. Honestly, how many of you wanted to play Hydlide after seeing that knight blocking dragon fire? Or how about 8 Eyes, a game that looks like Castlevania with a falcon? Hopefully no one as those titles will make you hate video games. Sky Shark had the double combo of awesome box art and ad copy that made you feel like a World War II veteran at 8 years old. It might have been hammy but it sold me on the game. While it would soon be surpassed by home grown efforts Sky Shark is a solid port of a good arcade game and more intense than you will expect.
Sky Shark is the third in a series of shooters that began with Tiger Heli, a game I am not particularly fond of. As such the two titles are similar but Sky Shark is a better conversion. The soundtrack is fantastic; Tim Folin makes the hardware sing and the music is one of the most notable aspects of this version. Tiger Heli devolves into an embarrassing slideshow (courtesy of the butchers at Micronics) as soon as two enemies appear and has a ridiculous number of flickering sprites. Sky Shark is smooth in comparison. The game pushes a lot of sprites and I can only remember a few instances of slow down. You will appreciate the stable framerate as this is one tough nut to crack.
The weapon system is light compared to its predecessors. Bombs are readily available and while they do not clear the screen they eliminate all bullets in addition to anything in their radius. The only other weapon is an upgrade to a slight wide shot which can stack six times. I kind of miss the satellite ships from Tiger Heli. It was annoying when they were destroyed but it added an extra factor to gameplay. It sounds like a lot but is woefully inadequate in dealing with the chaos the game spews. A temporary shield or even a spread gun would have done wonders to liven up the game.
Like most arcade games at the time Sky Shark is unrelentingly brutal and the home port follows suit. Enemies attack in large numbers from all corners which will frequently lead to cheap deaths. The game is fairly generous with bombs and you would do well to take advantage of the fact all projectiles disappear the moment a bomb is unleashed. Even with that invincibility window until you learn the enemy patterns death is a constant. Unfortunately all of your precious power-ups go with it. It is hard to mount a comeback once you die. The cheap deaths do not stop at bad enemy placement; bullets blend into the background at an alarming rate. Seemingly every enemy ship unleashes a torrent of gunfire which is surprising. For a 1987 game this one has a level of action unheard of for the time.
Five levels does not sound like a lot but each feels like a war zone. Like most Toaplan shooters the levels are long and the game seems twice its actual length. Despite beginning five lives and three credits most will take a few tries to see this one to its conclusion. Or maybe not. Technically there is no ending. There is a clear final “boss” but after that Sky Shark endlessly loops from the second stage onward. For those that chase high scores each successive loop increases enemy and bullet speed. But Sky Shark is so by the book, including its scoring that it is not particularly satisfying to do so. There are plenty of better games with interesting scoring mechanics like Zanac if that is what you seek.
In Closing
Although similar to Capcom’s 1942 and Tiger Heli Sky Shark has a lot more to offer than those titles, not just from a gameplay standpoint but also presentation. The problem is its release date. By 1989 more advanced shooters such as Life Force and especially the Guardian Legend were available and more enticing if you want a shooter fix. This is still a good game but a third wheel to the better titles in the genre.
