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U.N. Squadron

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The game is a military, side-scrolling shooter. Great graphics and music. Based on the Japanese Animation "Area 88". Shin Kazama is engaged to his girlfriend, Ryoko, and is on the verge of graduating flight school. He has dreams of becoming an airline pilot for his fiance's father's airline co...

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Developer
Capcom

Released on
1989

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Cooperative
Yes

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Description

The game is a military, side-scrolling shooter. Great graphics and music. Based on the Japanese Animation “Area 88”.

Shin Kazama is engaged to his girlfriend, Ryoko, and is on the verge of graduating flight school. He has dreams of becoming an airline pilot for his fiance’s father’s airline corporation, but one night in Paris, his backstabbing friend Kanzaki takes him to a bar and has him get drunk enough to trick him into joining the Asran military, where he must serve for 3 years. And now there’s only three ways he can get out: 1. He can serve his three year term, 2. He can buy his way out by earning $1,000,000 from destroying enemies, or 3. He can desert, which is considered a federal crime in Asran. In the fight against Project 4, Shin is joined by two pilots, Mickey Simon and Greg Gates.

The player can choose between three mercenary pilots: Shin Kazama, Mickey Simon, and Greg Gates. Each pilot flies a specific plane and has slightly different capabilities:

— Shin Kazama: Shin flies an F-20 Tigershark; the weapons on his plane fire forward only but at a quick pace. Shin and his plane are the most balanced combination available.
— Mickey Simon: Mickey flies an F-14 Tomcat; the weapons on his plane also fire forward only, but are also larger (albeit slower), inflicting more damage than Shins plane.
— Greg Gates: Greg flies an A-10 Thunderbolt; this plane has smaller forward fire than either Shin or Mickey’s planes, but it also fires a second stream downward at a 45° angle from the forward firing stream.

U.N. Squadron

Overview & History

Released by Capcom in 1989 for the CP System arcade hardware, U.N. Squadron (known in Japan as Area 88) is a quintessential side-scrolling shoot 'em up loosely based on Kaoru Shintani’s acclaimed manga. Set against the backdrop of the Area 88 mercenary air force, the storyline casts the player as an elite pilot fighting against the terrorist organization Project 4. Unlike standard linear sci-fi shmups, Capcom infused the genre with a distinct tactical layer by adapting the manga's economic and procurement themes into the arcade experience.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

What truly sets U.N. Squadron apart from its contemporaries is its shop system. Before launching into missions across hostile deserts, canyons, and ocean dreadnoughts, players earn capital by destroying enemy squadrons. This hard-earned cash is spent at the hangar between stages to upgrade weapon payloads, armor, and engine speed, or to purchase devastating special ordnance like cluster bombs, napalm, and Phoenix missiles. Players can choose between three distinct pilots—Shin Kazama, Mickey Simon, and Greg Gates—each piloting a different iconic aircraft: the F-20 Tigershark, the F-14 Tomcat, and the A-10 Thunderbolt II, respectively. While all start with standard Vulcan cannons, their upgrade paths and hit-boxes vary. Another defining mechanical innovation is the shield/health bar rather than the dreaded one-hit-death trope, allowing fighters to absorb a finite amount of enemy fire before going down in flames. Coupled with stunning sprite art, massive multi-tiered bosses like the stealth bomber Nergal, and memorable compositions by Harumi Fujita, the game delivers an intense, enduring aerial combat challenge.