Captain Skyhawk (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Milton Bradley’s 1990 air combat action game for the NES, Captain Skyhawk. Captain Skyhawk was always a game I really enjoyed as a kid. We rented it often, and no matter how many times I beat it, it was always a reliable standby for those weekends when all the good stuff had already been taken by the time we got to the video store. It’s a flight combat “simulation“ that plays at a frantic, breakneck pace, making it feel far closer to an arcade game than most NES flight games managed. You’re given eight missions in total, and these are always broken up into three distinct parts: the first is a vertically-scrolling shoot ’em up stage where you have to either destroy a base, rescue a scientist, or bomb a target. These stages make up the lion’s share of the gameplay, and are definitely the best part of the game. You dodge and weave between mountains as you take out a variety of ships, helicopters, and anti-air batteries, and though you have control over your speed and altitude, you have to be very aware of your surroundings - one false move will send you crashing to the ground in a ball of flame. Once you’ve completed the primary objective, you make your escape through swarms of enemy planes in a series of dogfights. These are viewed in the traditional, behind-the-plane view that anyone who has played Top Gun will be immediately familiar with. The pace is much slower and easier to handle than the top-down stages, and these rounds are what will provide you most of your credits that you’ll need to upgrade your primary gun and to restock secondary weapons. The third and final segment of each stage requires you to dock at a space station - you have to line your plane up exactly with the opening of the base and fly toward it, but be careful with your rotation speed! A mistimed attempt will leave you splattered on the wall. Beyond the surprising variety of the gameplay, the most striking feature of Captain Skyhawk is its presentation. Though the NES was no stranger to faked 3D perspectives - Solstice, Isolated Warrior and many others used this technique - few developers used it to such dramatic effect as Rare did with Captain Skyhawk. Rare was no stranger to this style - Snake, Rattle and Roll; R.C. Pro Am; Cobra Triangle; and Marble Madness both used it with excellent results, and with each they clearly had refined their skills. In producing an impressively smooth and fast game that gave the convincing illusion of depth, Rare created one of the more graphically impressive titles for the NES. David Wise’s soundtrack can’t be faulted either. Though there isn’t much music to speak of, the tunes here (especially that intro!) are super memorable. The controls are also what you’d expect from a Rare game. Though there are a couple of awkward button combinations (usually involving the inconvenient use of Select), the plane controls smoothly and responds instantly to your commands. The game is fairly difficult, but if you die, it was probably not the fault of the game’s mechanics or any lack of responsiveness. It might not have ever been a triple-A title, but Captain Skyhawk is so well put together that it’s hard to imagine anybody not having fun with it. It’s also common and fairly cheap as far as NES titles go, so if you haven’t played it yet, what’s stopping you? *This video is a brand new recording to replace my old SD playthrough of Captain Skyhawk. Be sure to watch it at 60fps for the full experience! _ No cheats were used during the recording of this video. NintendoComplete () punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games! Visit for the latest updates!