Terra Force

Released by Nichibutsu in October 1987, Terra Force is a shooting game that debuted as part of the company’s "Terra" series. The defining feature of this title is its stage design, which shifts between vertical and horizontal orientations. By using a specialized hyper-missile to descend from the surface into the underground world, the gameplay transitions into a side-scrolling format. Both shots and missiles can be powered up, and their overwhelming destructive power at maximum strength is a true spectacle. Consisting of 16 stages in total, the game was an ambitious endeavor for a shooter of its time, and its ingenious system continues to draw attention today.

There is no official documentation regarding the game's story. The gameplay consists of the player piloting a spaceship to annihilate enemies on a planet. The game progresses by alternating between vertically scrolling surface stages and horizontally scrolling underground stages, which are accessed by launching bombing runs.