1991 · Port · Treco · Shoot 'em up · Shooter

Task Force Harrier

Port

Task Force Harrier EX is a vetically-scrolling shooter based on the 1989 arcade title Task Force Harrier from UPL. The player controls the titular Harrier V fighter plane, which fires both air and ground volleys -- necessary to hit the targets that approach from both the air and the ground. The player can collect various powerups to increase their firepower, including smart bombs, weapon upgrades, and most notably a pair of invulnerable satellites which can change formation at command. There are three difficulty settings and a total of twelve stages to blast through.

Released: 20 December 1991
Platforms: Nintendo Switch Sega Genesis
Genres: Shoot 'em up Shooter
Developers: Treco
Publishers: Treco
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Action
Country: Japan
Composers: Tenpei Sato

About

Task Force Harrier is a 1989 vertical scrolling shooter video game developed by NMK and published by UPL for arcades. It was released in Japan in October 1989 and in North America by Sammy in November 1989. It was ported to the Sega Genesis by Jorudan and Treco as Task Force Harrier EX on December 20, 1991 in Japan and North America in May 1992. Hamster Corporation released the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in May 2021.

Keywords

modern warfare
shoot 'em up
flight
modern military
vertical scrolling

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game is a conventional scrolling shooter, in which your mission is to penetrate a hostile communist military force situated inside Russian territory. The player takes control of a Harrier fighter jet with two types of main weapons. The first type can only shoot flying opponents, such as enemy planes and copters; the second, a bomb-type weapon, can only hit ground enemies, such as tanks and turrets. The player can also acquire escorts to increase firepower. Changing the formation of the escort fighters results in different shot patterns and also affects the maneuvering speed.