My Played Video Games Review: U.N. Squadron for the Super Nintendo

U.N. Squadron is a side-scrolling flying shooter game released by Capcom of Japan for their CPS arcade hardware and for the Super Nintendo/Super Famicom in 1989. The game was known in Japan as Area 88.

This was a fun-to-play shooter back in the day. You can choose your pilots, weapons, and planes as you play.

The Story

Fly high in a high-tech aircraft! The Evil Project 4 has torn freedom from the country of Aslan. Mercenaries control the entire country, except for an airfield. But this field is the headquarters for the coolest fighter pilots in the world - UN Squadron!

You must destroy all Project 4's bases as you drive them back. Dogfight stealth fighters and blast enemy tanks! Lead an airstrike for freedom!

The Graphics and Sound

The graphics are good, but it is nothing to get too excited about. The special effects from each weapon are nice, but the planes themselves are not that well designed. Each level's background looks good, but they are repetitive.

The music is another of the game's strong points. The game has some of the best music available on the SNES. Depending on the situation, you will listen to fast-paced, exciting background music, or thrilling and suspenseful music tracks. U.N. Squadron also features plenty of sound effects, but unfortunately, most of these sounds are irritating.

The Gameplay

In this horizontal shooter, you play as one of 3 pilots whose mission is to stop the terrorists from taking over the country.

The game has 10 regular levels that must be completed and you start it with just a few options. Each level will put you against military forces, and each concludes with a boss. As you destroy enemies and complete levels, you earn money which can be used to buy special weapons and new planes.

Each pilot has strengths and weaknesses. Shin has the fastest-charged regular cannon, Mickey is the best at special weapons, and Greg recovers health better from enemy fire. Each plane specializes in using different weapons, and each special weapon has unique uses.

In this shooter, you won't be suffering from too many cheap deaths. There is a long life bar and it drops only one point for each hit. However, after taking a hit, you get into a critical mode which means you will be dead if you are hit again in the next few seconds.

Replayability is fine. The challenge is good, there are no boring moments, and yet there are no spots that are particularly frustrating. The hard level mode is very challenging, and even the best players will be hammered with it.

My Verdict

Despite some minor flaws, U.N. Squadron is one of the best SNES shooter games ever released. I can happily recommend it to all fans of this genre.

Play it on the Super Nintendo/Super Famicom or play it on some trusty, old emulator.

Let's keep on gaming in the free world!