Flying Shark

Toaplan

Industry	Video game development
Founded	1979
Headquarters	Japan
Key people	Masahiro Yuge (composer, founder of Tatsujin)
Products	Flying Shark, Fire Shark, other shoot 'em ups
Owner	Tatsujin (intellectual property rights holder)

Flying Shark, released as Sky Shark in North America and Hi Sho Zame (Hishōzame) in Japan, is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade title developed by Toaplan and launched in 1987. The game was published by Taito in Japan, Romstar in North America, and Electrocoin across Europe. Players take control of a biplane to confront successive waves of military enemies using both standard gunfire and powerful bombs capable of clearing hostile projectiles. This was Toaplan's third shoot 'em up and their eighth overall release.

Various third-party studios handled ports of the game to numerous platforms. It enjoyed commercial popularity within Japanese arcades and garnered favorable critiques from Western reviewers, although the home versions received mixed feedback. A follow-up titled Fire Shark was released in 1989. Ownership of the intellectual property now resides with Tatsujin, a company established by Toaplan's composer Masahiro Yuge.

Gameplay

In Flying Shark, players navigate through five vertically scrolling stages set against a military backdrop featuring tanks, warships, aircraft, and artillery units. The player pilots a biplane equipped with two offensive tools: a primary shot and a trio of bombs. These bombs serve as potent weapons that eliminate enemies within their blast range.

Power-ups emerge by destroying particular foes: "S" icons enhance weapon strength, "B" symbols replenish bomb supplies, while additional items grant bonus points or extra lives. Landing on runways beyond the initial stage multiplies the player's bomb count and adds 3,000 points to their score.

Starting with three lives, players earn extra ones every 50,000 points scored. The game employs checkpoint mechanics—when a life is lost, the player respawns at the previous checkpoint but with diminished firepower. The game concludes once all lives are depleted unless additional credits are inserted to continue. After completing all levels, a more challenging second loop begins.

Development

Composers Masahiro Yuge and Tatsuya Uemura provided insights into Flying Shark's development, highlighting their collaboration on the soundtrack which marked Toaplan's inaugural use of FM synthesis technology. Yuge revealed that the foundational gameplay framework was established during the development of Slap Fight, emphasizing an engaging experience centered on shooting and evasion through a bomb-and-shot system designed to alleviate player tension. The team pursued an authentic war theme to emotionally resonate with players, drawing inspiration from the 1979 war film Apocalypse Now. Additionally, a company excursion to Thailand influenced the design of the game's backgrounds, while left-right scrolling elements were incorporated to deepen player immersion.

This project represented Toaplan's first utilization of the Motorola 68000 microprocessor, allowing for an increased number of sprites displayed simultaneously but introducing challenges such as FM sound generation and more precise enemy targeting. The developers intended for players to complete the game through skillful play and accumulated experience. Uemura explained that faster bullet velocities and starting at later stages during higher loops catered to advanced players, with speeds normalizing after exceeding certain limits. Although Taito published the title, they permitted Toaplan to receive developer credit.

Release

Flying Shark debuted in Japan on March 14, 1987, under Taito's publishing. Its international release occurred in the same month: Romstar distributed it in North America as Sky Shark, while Electrocoin handled European distribution. In November 1988, a soundtrack album was co-released exclusively in Japan by Scitron and Pony Canyon.

Ports were developed by multiple third-party companies for various systems including Commodore 64 (1987), ZX Spectrum (1987), Amiga (1988), Amstrad CPC (1988), Atari ST (1988), Nintendo Entertainment System (1989), MS-DOS (1989), X68000 (1991), and FM Towns (1993). Most microcomputer adaptations targeted European or North American audiences; notably, two separate Commodore 64 versions were produced for these regions. The NES version released exclusively in North America is distinguished by featuring one of composer Tim Follin's earliest soundtracks for that platform.

The original arcade edition was later included in the Hishou Same! Same! Same! collection for both Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, published under M2's Toaplan Arcade Garage label. Furthermore, Flying Shark is part of the Toaplan Arcade 1 compilation available on the Evercade, demonstrating sustained interest in Toaplan's classic shoot 'em ups.

Reception

Flying Shark was reportedly more successful than Twin Cobra, becoming Toaplan's top-selling title according to Tatsuya Uemura. In April 1987, the arcade publication Game Machine ranked it as the fourth most favored arcade game in Japan. It achieved the position of second highest-grossing table arcade game in Japan for 1987, trailing only behind Arkanoid. Additionally, it was the fourth best-selling arcade conversion kit in 1988 within the country.

The coin-operated version received a commendable 9 out of 10 rating from Commodore User. The original arcade edition earned favorable remarks from Computer and Video Games. Sinclair User highlighted its engaging and demanding gameplay experience. Conversely, Your Sinclair presented a more ambivalent critique. The magazine Edge praised its gameplay mechanics, visual presentation, and soundtrack, suggesting that Toaplan "arguably perfected the vertical shoot 'em up" genre, while expressing disappointment over the absence of a definitive port. Composer Manabu Namiki recognized it as one of his preferred shoot 'em up titles during a 2010 interview.

The X68000 adaptation was well-received by Yaegaki Nachi from the Japanese publication Oh!X. In contrast, the FM Towns Marty version obtained a modest score of 47% from the German magazine MAN!AC.

Legacy

Released in 1989, the sequel titled Fire Shark (known in Japan as Same! Same! Same!) introduced the character Schneider, who later appeared in Batsugun. The intellectual property rights for Flying Shark, its sequel, and numerous other titles originally developed by Toaplan are currently held by Tatsujin. This company was established in 2017 by former Toaplan staff member Masahiro Yuge and derives its name from the Japanese title of Truxton. In 2022, Tatsujin became part of the Embracer Group, overseeing these classic IPs and facilitating new projects associated with them.

External links

• Flying Shark at GameFAQs
• Flying Shark at Killer List of Videogames
• Sky Shark at MobyGames