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Windjammers cover

1994 · Data East · Arcade · Fantasy sport

Windjammers

Timed SNK exclusive

Windjammers (also known as Flying Power Disc in Japan) is a fast paced sports arcade game released by Data East on the Neo Geo arcade system in 1994 and later on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on June 22, 2010. Following the bankruptcy of Data East, the intellectual rights for this game were acquired by Paon. It was delisted in Japanese Virtual Console for the Wii on December 24, 2013, making it the only delisted Neo Geo game for the Wii Virtual Console.

Released
17 February 1994
Platforms
ArcadeNeo GeoNeo Geo CDNintendo SwitchPlayStation 4PlayStation Vita
Genres
ArcadeFantasy sportSports
Developers
Data East
Publishers
SNK
Series
Windjammers
Modes
MultiplayerSingle-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
Action
Country
Japan
Age ratings
ESRB ECERO APEGI 3
Languages
English, French, German, Italian, Spanish (Spain)

About

Windjammers is a sports arcade game released by Data East for the Neo Geo arcade system in 1994. The game mechanics are essentially the same as Pong or air hockey, where players continuously shoot a flying disc at the goal zone of the opponent attempting to score. The game can be played against the computer or in a 2 player versus. Dotemu ported the game to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in August 2017, Nintendo Switch in October 2018, and iiRcade in February 2021. Dotemu would later develop and publish a sequel, Windjammers 2, which was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC and Google Stadia on January 20, 2022.

Keywords

  • fast paced
  • air hockey
  • classic
  • pixel art
  • pax west 2017
  • character select screen
  • playstation experience 2016

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Players choose from one of six playable characters, each with their own unique speed/power ratings and special throws. Players maneuver around their respective sides of the court in any of the eight cardinal directions (allowing for almost fluid movement in any direction). They must act as the defense and offense of their side, blocking the disc from entering the goal zone, and throwing the disc back to the opponent's side in an attempt to score. Players throw the disc back and forth (with the speed of the disc generally increasing with each throw) until one of them scores a point, which causes the disc to be reset by the referee, who throws it to the player who was scored on so that they can serve.

There are yellow goal zones, worth three points when hit by the disc, and red goal zones, worth five points. In addition, failing to catch the disc while it is in the air (described below) is considered a "Miss" and gives two points to the opponent. Each of the six court types varies in the size and positioning of the goal zones.

Reception

In North America, the April 1994 issue of RePlay reported Windjammers to be the fourteenth most-popular arcade game at the time. The July 1994 issue of Play Meter later listed it as the nineteenth most-popular arcade game at the time.

In Japan, Game Machine listed Windjammers on their May 1, 1994 issue as being the twenty-second most-successful table arcade unit of the month, outperforming titles such as Samurai Shodown. According to Famitsu, the Neo Geo CD version sold over 4,307 copies in its first week on the market.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Neo Geo8 January 1994North America · North America 17 January 1994 · Japan 17 February 1994 · Japan 8 April 1994
Arcade31 December 1994Japan
Neo Geo CD20 January 1995Japan · North America 20 January 1995
PlayStation 429 August 2017Worldwide
PlayStation Vita29 August 2017Worldwide
Nintendo Switch23 October 2018Worldwide · North America 23 October 2018

Editions and related releases

Included in
Windjammers, Karnov & Friends

In the same series

Games like this

Collections6 collections

Years

Publishers

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.