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52 / wfmag.ccDeveloper Profile / TecmoBomb Jack
Arcade / various 1984
Key to this fixed-screen platformer’s success
was the feel of its controls. Jumping and gently
gliding around as the titular hero made avoiding
enemies and grabbing bombs a flowing and
addictive pastime, and the concept’s simplicity
meant that its better home computer ports
(particularly the ZX Spectrum version) were just
as much fun.Rygar
NES 1986
The original arcade game – a run-and-gun
affair – was entertaining enough, if a bit lacking
in long-term appeal. The NES version really
took things up a notch, with more weapons
and plenty of exploration. Of particular note
is Rygar’s surreal fantasy theme: it’s all giant
mutant turtles and ghouls, while its hero’s
default weapon is a giant, deadly yo-yo.Ninja Gaiden
NES 1988
Like Bomb Jack four years earlier, it was the
precision of the controls that made Ninja
Gaiden satisfying, even as it murdered you for
the five-thousandth time. Jump, cling to a wall,
back-flip over to a street sign, then vault to a
higher platform, before fatally slashing a villain
with your sword... it still feels taut, thrilling, and
perfectly judged today.Star Force
Arcade / NES / various 1984
Tehkan’s attempt to jump on the Japanese
vertically scrolling shooter craze was decent
if unremarkable, but it does have a small yet
important place in video game history. Hudson
Soft handled the MSX and NES ports, and
appeared to like it so much that they made Star
Soldier – a superior, unofficial successor that
sparked a long-running series.Tehkan World Cup
Arcade 1985
This top-down rendition of the beautiful game
really came to life in two-player mode, with
the trackball controls and sheer speed of each
match – which lasted all of 90 seconds –
giving it a sense of sweaty-palmed competitive
urgency. Other arcade-style football games, not
least the terrific Sensible Soccer, offer at least a
small debt to this one.Solomon’s Key
Arcade / various 1986
This fixed-screen platformer owes a debt to
earlier games like Lode Runner, with its central
character’s ability to create and destroy blocks
to form platforms and open up pathways. The
need to collect keys to unlock doors gives the
game a more cerebral feel, though, and it soon
became one of the most widely-ported Tecmo
titles of the 1980s.10 Tecmo titans
A selection of the studio’s finest moments
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