1991 Task Force Harrier EX
Task Force Harrier EX is a vetically-scrolling shooter based on the 1989 arcade title Task Force Harrier from UPL. The player controls the titular Harrier V fighter plane, which fires both air and ground volleys -- necessary to hit the targets that approach from both the air and the ground. The player can collect various powerups to increase their firepower, including smart bombs, weapon upgrades, and most notably a pair of invulnerable satellites which can change formation at command. There are three difficulty settings and a total of twelve stages to blast through.
History
Task Force Harrier is a 1989 vertical scrolling shooter video game developed by NMK and published by UPL for arcades. It was released in Japan in October 1989 and in North America by Sammy in November 1989. It was ported to the Sega Genesis by Jorudan and Treco as Task Force Harrier EX in 1991. Hamster Corporation released the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in May 2021.
Gameplay
The game is a conventional scrolling shooter, in which your mission is to penetrate a hostile communist military force situated inside Russian territory. The player takes control of a Harrier fighter jet with two types of main weapons. The first type can only shoot flying opponents, such as enemy planes and copters; the second, a bomb-type weapon, can only hit ground enemies, such as tanks and turrets. The player can also acquire escorts to increase firepower. Changing the formation of the escort fighters results in different shot patterns and also affects the maneuvering speed.
Adapted from Wikipedia , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text may have been shortened.