Twin Cobra
1987 · Shooter · Arcade
Overview
Twin Cobra (1987) is Toaplan's vertical helicopter shooter, the sequel to Tiger-Heli, with two-player co-op and dense enemy fire.
Deep Dive
Twin Cobra flies a gunship helicopter over land and sea, destroying tanks, ships and gun emplacements. Collectible colour-coded power-ups switch between weapon types and increase their strength, and bombs clear the screen in emergencies. Two players fly side by side. Its aggressive enemy fire and powerful weapons defined Toaplan's style, which went on to shape later shoot-'em-ups.
Developer Story
Twin Cobra was developed by Toaplan in 1987. The vertical-scrolling helicopter gunship game was one of Toaplan's most successful early titles. Toaplan became one of the most important shoot-em-up developers of the late 1980s, and Twin Cobra established their signature style: dense enemy formations, aggressive bullet patterns, and powerful weapons.
Did You Know?
- Twin Cobra's two-player mode had both helicopters sharing the screen in a genuinely co-operative format.
- Toaplan's house style — developed through Twin Cobra and Truxton — influenced the "bullet hell" genre that Cave and RAIDEN perfected in the 1990s.
- The helicopter setting was a refreshing alternative to the spacecraft-dominated shooter genre.
- Toaplan closed in 1994, and its former staff went on to found studios including Cave, Takumi and Gazelle.
Sources & further reading
- Twin Cobra — Wikipedia
