| Air Buster | |
|---|---|
 Arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Kaneko |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Satoshi Igarashi |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, TurboGrafx-16, Genesis |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Air Buster[a] is a 1990 horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Kaneko. It was published by Namco in Japan and Sharp Image Electronics in North America (licensed from Namco).[1] Two players control the "Blaster Fighter" star ships in their efforts to destroy a mysterious mechanical fortress orbiting Earth, with plans to take control of the planet. The Blaster Fighters can equip one of seven available weapons, which will change the ship's firepower and abilities, such as diagonal shots, homing missiles and small drones that follow the player's ship.
Air Buster received a favorable reception for its visuals, sound effects and gameplay, although complaints were directed at the difficulty, which was deemed "too easy" by numerous publications. Ports of the game were released for both the TurboGrafx-16 and Sega Genesis, the former being renamed to Aero Blasters for international releases. The Sega Genesis release was ported over to the "Project EGG" digital storefront in 2014, which remained exclusive to Japan. A version for the X68000 was in development but never released.[3]
- ^ a b "Catalog - Brand New: Air Buster". Vol. 15, no. 7. RePlay. April 1990. p. 154. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Machine Catalog: Video Games". RePlay. Vol. 16, no. 1. October 1990. pp. 78–86.
- ^ "The Softouch - Software Information: 新作情報 -- エアバスター". Oh!X (in Japanese). No. 143. SoftBank Creative. March 1994. p. 25.
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