Turbo Force (ターボフォース) is a vertical scrolling shmup released by Video System for Arcades in 1991.
Overview[]
Turbo Force features gameplay very similar to that of the Sonic Wings series, along with a nearly identical power-up system. The only differences are that the Diabloon slowly loses power even if not damaged, and that instead of a bomb that can be deployed at the player's discretion, the special weapon detonates as soon as the Diabloon touches its power-up.
Turbo Force lacks the dialogue, pilot characters, and endings present in later Sonic Wings games. According to the graphic designer Soukou Junyoukan (装甲巡洋艦, aka "Armored Cruiser"), "The story is that an American Air Force pilot, while racing his car on a public road, wanders into another mysterious dimension and gets caught up in a war there. Oops!"[1] This other dimension takes the pilot (and two of his buddies, if all three players are used) into a future world which has been invaded by an alien civilization. The pilot modifies his car into a flying, fighting machine and sets out to defend the new world from its enemies.[2]
Soukou explains that the developers had free rein to design their elements of the game, resulting in a somewhat disjointed aesthetic. The developers used what they learned from creating Turbo Force to make Sonic Wings a better, and more successful, game.[1]
Turbo Force was not available for home gaming consoles until 2023, when Hamster Corporation released it as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation.
Story[]
Translated from the Japanese flyer
Three air force pilots were driving when they suddenly found themselves transported back in time with their beloved cars! Unlucky!!
They appeared in a future world that had been invaded by a different civilization and was on the brink of annihilation!
To protect their homeland in the future, the three modified their beloved cars and revived them as three super machines called the "Turbo Forces" with flying and combat capabilities.
Launch Turbo Force! Restore peace to the world!
Aircraft[]
Stages and Bosses[]
Turbo Force contains seven stages. When the final boss is defeated in the seventh stage, the game loops back to the first stage.
| Stage | Boss |
|---|---|
| 1 | Legged tank |
| 2 | Checkered craft w/ Insect Rainfire? |
| 3 | Insect monster |
| 4 | Cross Fire |
| 5 | Fire Master |
| 6 | Demon head |
| 7 | Mega car Tenukie Chaudo? |
Releases[]
Arcade[]
Turbo Force was released in arcades in Japan and the US. Like many older Namco arcade games, two versions of the game exist ("old" and "new"). Other than this, there appear to be no differences between Japan and US boards.
Nintendo Switch & PlayStation 4[]
Turbo Force was released digitally for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on March 8-9, 2023, as part of Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archives series.
Soundtracks[]
References[]
| Games | |
|---|---|
| Sonic Wings Series | Sonic Wings · Sonic Wings 2 · Sonic Wings 3 · Sonic Wings Special · Sonic Wings Special for Android · Sonic Wings Limited · Sonic Wings Assault · Sonic Wings Reunion |
| Sonic Wings Related | Gapporin · Karate Blazers · Lethal Crash Race · The Mahjong Touhaiden · Ojanko High School · Power Spikes II · Rabio Lepus · Rabio Lepus Special · Spinal Breakers · SukuSuku Inufuku · SukuSuku Inufuku 2 · Tao Taido · Turbo Force |
| Other Video System Games | 3 On 3 Dunk Madness · F-1 Grand Prix · F-1 Grand Prix Part II · F-1 Grand Prix Part III · Hyper V-Ball · Pipe Dream · Power Spikes · Super Volleyball · Tail to Nose: Great Championship |
| Unreleased Games | Droppers · Metal Rabbit |