Metal Fighter is a 1989 side-scrolling shoot-’em-up for the NES, developed in Taiwan by Joy Van and released unlicensed — Sachen put out this Asia version, while Color Dreams published it in the US. You pilot MCS-920, a small flying robot fighter, on a mission to free the planet H17 from an alien invasion, blasting through enemy waves across seven stages.
How to play
The goal is classic arcade shooting: fight through each stage’s enemies and reach the boss at the end. MCS-920 starts out able to jump and fire in place, but most of its power comes from pickups. Flight and speed power-ups can simply be collected, while the weapon capsules — a spread multi-shot, twin lasers, bouncing lasers, and a hovering auxiliary shot — each force a one-on-one duel against a doppelganger clone of your own fighter before you’re allowed to keep the upgrade. Move with the D-pad (arrow keys), jump and shoot with the A/B buttons (Z and X), and use Start (Enter) to begin or pause.
Tips
- Grab the flight and speed power-ups as soon as you see them — unlike the weapon capsules, they don’t require winning a duel first.
- Go into a weapon-capsule duel already flying and at full speed; the extra mobility makes the one-on-one fight against your clone much easier to dodge through.
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