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Time Pilot

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Time Pilot is a multi-directional scrolling shooter and free-roaming aerial combat arcade game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto, released by Konami in 1982, and distributed in the United States by Centuri. Debuting in the golden age of video arcade games, it is a time travel themed game that allowed t...

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Developer
Konami

Released on
1982

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Time Pilot is a multi-directional scrolling shooter and free-roaming aerial combat arcade game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto, released by Konami in 1982, and distributed in the United States by Centuri. Debuting in the golden age of video arcade games, it is a time travel themed game that allowed the player’s plane to freely move across open air space that can scroll indefinitely in all directions.

The Killer List of Videogames included Time Pilot in its list of top 100 arcade games of all time.

The player assumes the role of a pilot of a futuristic fighter jet, trying to rescue fellow pilots trapped in different time eras. The player must fight off hordes of enemy craft and defeat the mother ship (or “boss”) present in every level. The background moves in the opposite direction to the player’s plane, rather than the other way around; the player’s plane always remains in the center.

Time Pilot

Overview & History

Released by Konami in 1982 and designed by Yoshiki Okamoto, Time Pilot is a groundbreaking multi-directional scrolling shooter that drops players into the cockpit of a futuristic fighter jet with a singular mission: rescue stranded pilots scattered across the fabric of spacetime. Unlike static-screen shooters of its era, Time Pilot forces the screen to continuously scroll in all directions around your central craft, simulating boundless flight. The narrative unfolds chronologically backward and forward through history, tasking you with surviving distinct historical eras ranging from 1910 biplanes to 2017 cybernetic fighter squadrons, culminating in a final showdown against an alien mothership in the year 2001 (or 2082 in some ports).

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core gameplay loop revolves around continuous movement and 360-degree rotation. You pilot a nimble ship trapped in a relentless aerial dogfight, eliminating a specific quota of enemy craft per stage before a menacing boss squadron appears. Your arsenal consists of a forward-firing machine gun and a missile attack that destroys targeted grounded or airborne threats. Each chronological jump—from 1910 biplanes, 1940 World War II propeller planes, 1970s jet fighters, to 2082 futuristic spaceships—drastically alters enemy behaviors, attack formations, and projectile speeds. Rescue friendly parachuting pilots mid-combat to secure bonus points and achieve high-score supremacy, but beware: lingering too long in one era triggers overwhelming enemy reinforcements.