Popular games published by company UPL
Bio-ship Paladin is a 1990 horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game. It was later ported to the Sega Mega Drive. While the game is essentially a standard horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up, it has an innovation that makes it unique in the genre. The player flies a spaceship (specifically, a bioship) which has the standard forward guns to be found in all horizontal scrollers, but it also possesses a weapon that can be manually targeted with a crosshair, in the same manner as in the game Missile Command. This allows the player to fire in any direction with pinpoint accuracy, and adds an extra level of strategy to the game. The game saw an almost arcade perfect port on the Sega Mega Drive. What few changes there were actually enhanced the look of the game such as added parallax scrolling backgrounds in level 2.
The game tells another story in Ninja-kun series. This time it’s a platform game with some twists. There are two tasks alternating through levels: you are required either to kill every enemy in the level (as in the previous games) or simply to reach the exit. Running into enemies usually won’t kill you, however if you are hit by a single projectile, you’ll have to start from a checkpoint. Enemies vary from plain ninjas to giant skeletons or killer fish. Each level has a time limit, and when this limit is close to an end a fire wheel of death will appear on the screen, chasing Ninja-kun. Ninja-kun has some techniques for successful progression though the levels: many enemies can be temporarily stunned by jumping on them or hitting them from below; and ninja can obtain some power-ups including boomerang, bombs, a devastating fire attack or invincibility. Ninja-kun is capable of wall climbing and wall jumping, the latter requiring some practice from the player. The levels (called “scenes” in-game) are scattered through mountains, caves, beaches and underwater locations. You can choose which set of levels you’ll start in by playing a mini-game at the beginning.
The game takes place in modern times where a great depression has swept over the world. Amidst the depression and its riots of jobless workers, a mad scientist starts his plan of world domination. Taking command in the titular fortress orbiting Earth, the evil Doctor Gegeben Funkerun uses his own robots, flying fortresses and mercenaries to wreak havoc across the globe until all his demands are met. Assisting the attacked and weakened governments, workers across the nations help develop a series of jet fighters called the Aizerun Geist to use against the forces of Dr. Funkerun and save the world. Before each stage begins, players are given a choice of weapons to purchase at a hangar for the Aizerun Geist. There are four weapons within three tiers to choose from including Main Attack, Sub Weapon and Bomb. Of the Main Attack the player can choose Twin Shot, Laser, Heavy Laser and the Charge Shot. Of the Sub Weapons, players can choose additional firepower, Homing Missiles, Shielded Options or an energy barrier. Players can stock up on multiple bombs including Small bombs, rockets, larger bombs or napalm. The Aizerun Geist provides tactical advantages during combat with the use of its manually directional Sub Weapon. Players are able to direct additional firepower in five directions including vertical and horizontal by pressing the bomb button while firing. The game runs for six stages through various settings such as a jungle, stormy skies, Tokyo and Fortress Strahl itself.
A one or two player fighting game published and developed by UPL Co., Ltd in 1990.
Ark Area is a scrolling futuristic shoot 'em up arcade game released by UPL in 1987 in Japan only. You control a spacecraft and shoot enemies, collect power-ups, and defeat bosses to advance up to 23 levels. It is the sequel to the video arcade game Nova 2001.
An action platformer for the Arcades. It is the first of the Ninja-kun series.
USAAF Mustang is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game originally developed by NMK, and published by UPL in 1990. It was ported a year later to the Sega Mega Drive by Taito while being renamed Fire Mustang. NMK Co. Ltd. also developed the Sega Mega Drive version. The game is a very standard horizontal scrolling shoot em' up with only one type of available weapon and a bomb weapon. Players took on a fictional campaign in a World War II setting as a USAAF fighter pilot in a titular North American P-51 Mustang against the Nazi Luftwaffe and the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service.
Task Force Harrier was produced by UPL in 1989.
Atomic Robo-Kid is a horizontally scrolling shooter released in arcades by UPL. The player controls the titular character through six stages of increasing difficulty, facing an alien "governor" boss (which are so large as to be considered levels in and of themselves, as some of the bosses take up several screens) at the end of each level, followed by a "duel" level against other Robo-Kid sized robots. Many levels branch into others, giving the player the choice over which zone to enter next, increasing replayability.
Omega Fighter is a vertical scrolling shooter developed for the arcades by UPL in 1989. While similar to most shooters, Omega Fighter was unique in its gameplay, level and enemy focus: rather than flying over multiple levels, the player faced up against an enormous space battle cruiser which contained every level. Taking place in the future, an enormous alien battle cruiser/space craft carrier has attacked the Earth. The Earth's only defense lies in small fighter craft wielding great firepower with the mission of dismantling the cruiser one portion at a time before it lands. Players were briefed before every mission to destroy specific parts of the enormous ship. Destroying these parts of the ship would actually play some significance on the game's ending, but overall contributed to the player's score. The game has a unique scoring aspect that awarded the player for destroying enemies at point blank range.
Mouser is UPL's answer to Nintendo's Donkey Kong. As the cat protagonist, you must rescue your sweetheart from a gang of bad mice. Your girlfriend is held captive on the top of a series of platforms, and before you can reach that platform, you must capture a number of mice, after which a ladder to the top appears. The mice will try to hinder you by throwing items at you; on the first level, they throw flower pots, later on they throw spanners and bombs. Also spread out on the levels are fish, which will speed you up and grant you limited invincibility.
Black Heart is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released by UPL in 1991. The player controls a fire-breathing dragon and shoots enemies with fireballs, collects power-ups, and defeats bosses to advance levels.
Mutant Night is a shoot'em up game of the "run & gun" type : the players controls a walking character shooting at enemies while avoiding their attacks.[4] Unlike most run&gun games, Mutant Night has almost no platform part and the character's shooting power is very limited : short range and not multi-directional, the bubble are always shot in the direction the character is facing. The game is divided in various levels or acts and focuses on fast-paced action and memorization. The levels are very short and straightforward, with a level design relying only on enemies attack patterns and on the game's physics to challenge the player. Mutron-kun can walk left or right, shoot bubbles and jump, and hurries to reach a small trapdoor at the end of each level. The difficulty curve of the game increases significantly after the first level and can be somewhat unforgiving. Power ups are available in the form of small pink pods on the ground which when shot release a coloured orb into the air, which can do one of the following: make Mutron-kun very large and invincible for a short period, transform Mutron-kun into multiple creatures, award extra points or grant increased fire power in a scatter shot pattern.