Arrow Flash
Arrow Flash is a side-scrolling space shooter. The player controls a female spaceship pilot who is sent on a mission into deep space to save the Earth from an assault by an evil dragon from another galaxy. Moving vertically or horizontally, players must avoid or kill the enemies and make it to the end of the level alive where a boss battle awaits. During gameplay, the player can switch at any time between two modes: normal spaceship and flying robot. The two forms use different weapons and also have different special abilities, called Arrow Flash. While the spaceship can fire destructive lasers for major damage, the robot can raise a shield that will protect from enemy attacks for some time and instantly kill anything that touches it. The Arrow Flash attacks can be charged by holding a button for several seconds, or collect icons during your flight to release it quickly afterwards.
SCREENSHOTS
PHYSICAL
HISTORY
Arrow Flash (Japanese: アローフラッシュ, Hepburn: Arō Furasshu) is a horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed by I.T.L and published by Sega in Japan and Europe and by Renovation Products in the United States for the Mega Drive / Genesis in 1990. The game's main character pilots a prototype transformable fighter-mecha left from her grandfather to fight against an alien attack on humankind. The game is mostly a horizontal shooter, with one down scrolling stage.
Gameplay
The player initially has a basic shot, which can be upgraded and/or exchanged for different weapons, as well as gain smaller ships that follow the player's ship around and copy its attacks. As is usual, these power-ups are distributed throughout the levels. They are retained when advancing to the next stage but lost entirely when the player loses a life.
Two additional mechanics differentiate Arrow Flash from similar scrolling shooters, one of which is the ability to transform the player's ship. The two forms available are a humanoid mech and a fighter jet, with the player's weapons changing depending on the form. The jet form only shoots forward but intensely, it can fly faster horizontally, and the helper ships follow the jet in a snakelike pattern. The mech form has a wider shooting angle (sometimes even firing backwards upon getting enough upgrades), has a faster vertical speed, and the helper ships remain in a fixed formation whilst in this form. Missiles will also home on enemies in mech form, whereas they only travel directly forward in jet form. Regardless of form, the ship is destroyed with only one hit unless the player picks up an energy shield, which can sustain three hits.
The game's titular "Arrow Flash" is a highly powerful ability, differing for each form: the jet fires five large blasts forward, while the mech form becomes engulfed in flame, rendering it immune to attacks for a short time. In the default "Stock" mode, Arrow Flashes are instant but limited, and must be used sparingly, while "Charge" mode allows arrow flashes to be used infinitely but with a weaker effect, and must be "charged up" before use.
Plot
Arrow Flash follows the protagonist Zana Keene (named Anna Schwinn in the European release, and Starna Oval in the Japanese release) as she fights against hostile aliens. The game contains references to Gundam and Macross.
Reception
Arrow Flash received mixed reviews, including 32/50 from ASM, 3/10 from Génération 4, 24% from Mega, 90% from Player One, 73% from RAZE, and 69% from Zero.
STORY
In the US version, players take control of Zana Keene, a pilot for United Government Space Force, and attempt to stop viking terrorists led by Great Hilagi using a transformable mecha-space fighter named the ERX-75 "Chameleon," developed by Zana's grand father Zerrek Keene.
In the European version, players take control of Anna Schwinn, a pilot for United Government Space Force, and attempt to stop powerful alien empire named Zorgon V using a transformable mecha-space fighter named Arrow Flash, developed by Anna's father Herbert Schwinn.
1CC RUNS
One-credit clears we point to as the benchmark for this game.
GAMEPLAY VIDEO
SCORES
ACHIEVEMENTS 1 set
Tracked by RetroAchievements and earned in an emulator that reports to it. A game tracked on more than one machine gets a set for each, because they are different lists earned on different hardware.