PixlBit

A popular theme in many manga (mangi?) and anime flicks is the complete retconning of World World II. Games, manga and anime such as Valkyria Chronicles, Operation Darkness, and Pumpkin Scissors take the setting, esthetic and look of 1940′s Europe and each added their own twist; whether that be mechs, steampunk technology, or field medics in fetish outfits.

Pictured: War

This strange fasination with revisionist histroy warfare is by no means a recent phenomina. Most kids of my generation where made aware of this Japanification of war when we first played UN Squadron for the Super Nintendo. 

A casual glance at the cart for UN Squadron elicits virtually no emotion at all; the artwork better suited for cheapie budget title- a game cart that should belong along beside Bill Elliot Nascar and Bulls Vs. Lakers in supermarket bargain bin, but hiding behind that generic label is a gem of a game that is in the top 10th percentile of the SNES library.

It cannot be denied that the label screams generic shovelware, save for one very important part... the little red rectangle that says “Capcom”. Capcom, fresh off dominating the third party library of the Nintendo Entertainment System, began it’s reign of 16 bit effulgence primarily with arcade ports, such as Final Fight, UN Squadron and Magic Sword.

However, where as the SNES port of Final Fight is ultimately remembered as an unremarkable misstep and Magic Sword a pleasently neutered port of its arcade forerunner, UN Squadron is unfortunately hardly remembered at all- which is a shame!

Beneath the generic label and uninspired name, lies what Super Famicom players knew as Area88; a challenging, colorful 16-bit actioner that separates itself from the formulaic design of the standard spaceship shmup in a couple of ingenious ways. Having more in common with Gradius than After Burner, UN Squadron strayed further from both by adding non linear stages, upgradable and selectable weapons and aircrafts, and a most revolutionary of all, a health bar.

The addition of the health bear not mean the UN Squadron was playing it soft, however. The levels are semi-linear, giving you an ever changing choice in what to play next. The sheer variety of gameplay that this game throws at you is staggering. In addition to the standard verticle scrolling stages, there are stages where you must detroy ground-based bunkers, sink submarines and combat attack jets in a free scrolling (horizontal or verticle) space. 

Aiding you against this barraige of death are a vast array of selectable and upgradable weapons and a variety of different planes, all of which can be purchased in between stages. Top all that off with starkly Japanese, anime inspired chracter designs and a fantastic soundtrack,and you have a game that absolutely should not be missed and should be celebrated by all fans of old games.