Capcom is a Japanese studio. Yet the developer once crafted a shoot ’em up loosely based in WWII’s Battle of Midway, where you are tasked with, well, fighting against Japan. One might say that this was because the shooter in question was targeted at the Western market. A careful look into 1942, however, and it becomes clear that this is actually Japanese vengeance disguised as simple entertainment. Time to take a trip to the past, with the NES port of the classic arcade shmup.
Micronics transferred 1942 from the Arcades to the humble NES, and as expected visually downgraded the port. Luckily, the original wasn’t that much of a looker. Apart from a higher frame rate, crisper graphics, and none of the usual NES flicker when numerous objects appeared on screen, the aesthetic remains the same. Most players will spend their time looking at a simple ocean, occasionally at a simple grassland and, every now and then, simple brown soil. 32 levels of blandness. 1942 is repetitive, and that’s an understatement.
Gameplay-wise, the NES port is the same bar some speed changes, with the NES version having somewhat slower movement. The player-controlled plane shoots two projectiles at the enemy aircrafts, avoiding collisions and enemy fire, racking up points, and trying to last as long as possible. The challenge increases a bit on each level, with more enemies on the screen and more formations. Some move in a zig-zag fashion or doing loop-de-loops, whilst others are slower, bigger, but also tougher, spraying more bullets at you whilst you attempt to blast them to smithereens.
Variety isn’t 1942’s strong suit. After stage 10 or so, players will find themselves in a constant feeling of déjà vu. The enemy types aren’t exactly that many, and the power-up system isn’t great. Upon destroying every unit in a formation of red planes, an item appears which “upgrades” the plane level by level. One adds two more projectiles and another adds two additional planes right besides the main one (increasing firepower and acting as shields). Unfortunately, the rest are simple things like a score bonus or an additional “R power”. This is the – limited – ability to make a small manoeuvre that turns the plane invincible for a few seconds. Neat, but as it turns out not that helpful. Most will use it just to catch their breath.
This is an endurance race, basically. One that’s challenging yet doable, especially since there is the option to hit continue in this port – as game companies back then didn’t know they could take more money from console users like today.
1942 has its unique retro charm. For those who are into that, it makes for a good recommendation for a rainy evening – but there is a catch. The music is atrocious. Calling it music is an insult, to be frank. Forget about Capcom’s fantastic line of soundtracks. This attempted to recreate the drumming used in military marches. The end result is not that great, and it gets worse. The tune can only be heard when the plane isn’t firing its guns. When it does (like 99% of the time), it’s an annoying beeping sound that can drive you crazy. Approach with a good set of earplugs or go straight to the much better 1943: The Battle of Midway.
