1943: The Battle of Midway

The sky over the Pacific is full of enemy fighters and in a single aircraft you face an entire army – this is the essence of 1943: The Battle of Midway, one of the most influential vertically scrolling shooters of the late eighties. Capcom here built on its earlier hit and pushed the genre toward a more elaborate upgrade system.

The game is a sequel to the legendary 1942 and ran on the Capcom CP System board. The player controls a fighter plane in a fictionalised air battle over Midway and gradually shoots down waves of aircraft, ships and giant bombers. Unlike many shooters of the time, 1943 was built not just on lives but on an energy gauge that thinned out from hits and even from ordinary flight and could be replenished.

The most interesting mechanic was the upgrade system: between missions and during them you could boost your weapons, endurance and special abilities, such as a devastating strike sweeping the whole screen or temporary rolls dodging bullets. With this the game brought elements of gradual progression that were fresh at the time and foreshadowed the later evolution of the genre. Fights against giant ships and aircraft split into destructible parts were the highlight of every level.

Culturally 1943 earned its place as one of the pillars of Capcom's arcade era and a respected jewel among vertical shoot 'em up games. The World War II theme in the Pacific resonated and the game became a favourite in arcades around the world. Its balanced difficulty and emphasis on strategic resource management set it apart from purely reflex-based titles.

The game received a number of conversions to home consoles and computers, including an NES version, and it was followed by further sequels in the series. It still appears in Capcom's retro collections today and belongs among the names every fan of classic aerial shooters knows.

Why play it: For a finely tuned vertical shooter that adds a pleasant layer of upgrades and strategy to classic action.