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Front Line

ColecoVision

ColecoVision

Front Line is a vertically scrolling action game. Your mission is to infiltrate enemy territory and destroy their fortress. To reach the fortress, you will have to make your way through varied and dangerous terrain. Jungles, deserts, brush, and rocks all slow your progress, plus each area has num...

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Developer
Taito

Released on
1983

Size
1–2 Players

Version
ColecoVision

Requirements
ColecoVision

Downloads
Shooter

Publisher
Coleco Industries

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Front Line is a vertically scrolling action game. Your mission is to infiltrate enemy territory and destroy their fortress. To reach the fortress, you will have to make your way through varied and dangerous terrain. Jungles, deserts, brush, and rocks all slow your progress, plus each area has numerous enemy fighters and tanks trying to stop you. To help get past these obstacles, you are armed with a machine gun and grenades; at some points in the game you may even come across an abandoned tank which you can control to increase your odds of survival. When you reach the end of the level and successfully destroy the fortress, the game will repeat at a higher level of difficulty. Gameplay is for one or two players, and four different skill levels are available.

Front Line

Overview & History

Released by Coleco in 1983, *Front Line* is an intensive console port of Taito's classic 1982 arcade run-and-gun shooter. Tasked with single-handedly breaching an enemy military installation, the lone soldier protagonist must navigate through heavily fortified trenches, dodge sniper fire, and ultimately destroy the enemy’s heavily armored fortress. The ColecoVision adaptation was widely praised upon release for capturing the thrilling, frantic energy of the arcade original, standing out as a premier example of early 1980s home console action thanks to its surprisingly deep vehicular combat mechanics and demanding difficulty curve.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard scrolling shooters of its era, *Front Line* alternates between intense on-foot combat and high-powered vehicular warfare. Players begin each stage as a foot soldier armed with a standard rifle and grenades, capable of moving in eight directions to dodge incoming artillery. The real tactical depth emerges when you locate and board motorized tanks or heavy armored personnel carriers (APCs). These vehicles drastically increase your offensive firepower with rapid-fire cannons, but they also introduce a risk-reward dynamic: taking too many enemy hits forces you to eject before the vehicle explodes, leaving you dangerously vulnerable on foot. Players must strategically weave between enemy bunkers, time their grenade tosses to clear entrenched mortar positions, and manage fuel or damage thresholds on vehicles to survive the relentless onslaught across the shifting battlefields.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move in eight directions and aim the soldier or vehicle turret
Action Keys: Fire weapon (Button 1) and throw grenades / enter or exit vehicles (Button 2)
Enter: Start / Pause