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Twin Cobra

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Twin Cobra is a vertically scrolling shoot-em-up. You pilot the TC-17 Twin Cobra assault helicopter to fight the forces of Commander Anziga, the myopic leader of the nation of Kaban. Your job is to fly into Kaban and take out the entire military base of Commander Anziga. You will fight small h...

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Developer
ToaPlan

Released on
1987

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Shooter

Publisher
Taito

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Cooperative
Yes

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Description

Twin Cobra is a vertically scrolling shoot-em-up. You pilot the TC-17 Twin Cobra assault helicopter to fight the forces of Commander Anziga, the myopic leader of the nation of Kaban. Your job is to fly into Kaban and take out the entire military base of Commander Anziga.

You will fight small helicopters, tanks and stationary guns, defeat the large helicopters to get power-ups. By picking up colored icons (blue, yellow, red or green) you can change to different weapon types. Blue is a forward spread shot, yellow is a four-way shot, red is a wide forward laser shot and green is a continuous forward laser shot.

At the end of each section, you land on a carrier ship and count up your bonuses.

Twin Cobra

Overview & History

Released by Taito in 1987 and originally developed by Toaplan under the Japanese title Kyukyoku Tiger, Twin Cobra stands as a towering milestone in the vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up genre. Following the spiritual foundation laid by Tiger Heli, this military-themed arcade classic drops players into the cockpit of the advanced AH-67 Twin Cobra attack helicopter. Tasked with single-handedly dismantling a massive, heavily fortified rogue military regime across eight grueling, high-intensity stages, the game earned a legendary reputation for its punishing difficulty, relentless pacing, and iconic hard-rock soundtrack composed by Tatsuya Uemura.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike many contemporary horizontal shooters, Twin Cobra utilizes a fixed vertical perspective with stages spanning lush jungles, heavily defended naval bases, and high-tech enemy fortresses. Players must manage a devastating arsenal powered by four distinct, color-coded power-up icons dropped by designated red enemy carriers: the wide-spreading Red Vulcan, the concentrated Blue Laser, the ground-clearing Green Four-Way, and the devastating Yellow Plasma beam. Collecting matching power-ups increases weapon firepower up to four distinct tiers. Additionally, players possess a limited supply of smart-bomb "Option" strikes that instantly call in a squadron of supporting fighter jets to obliterate all on-screen enemies and projectiles, providing a crucial tactical reprieve during chaotic bullet-hell moments. Secret 1-Up items and point multipliers are cleverly hidden beneath specific structures, rewarding aggressive and observant pilots who dare to fly dangerously close to enemy installations.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Navigate the AH-67 helicopter across the vertical playing field
Action Keys: Primary Fire (hold for continuous rapid-fire) / Smart Bomb (clears the screen of enemies)
Enter: Start / Pause the game