Master of Weapon

Master of Weapon comes from Taito, one of the oldest and most influential Japanese game companies, and it is a vertically scrolling shooter. Taito had deep roots in the genre, and its releases were recognisable by dense, detailed graphics and by strong musical scores — the company's sound work in the eighties stood among the best being produced anywhere in the industry.

The play is traditional. You fly upward, destroying targets both on the ground and in the air, and success depends on distinguishing which weapon suits which. Separating fire into air and ground modes was common in this branch of the genre and it adds a genuine tactical layer: holding the button is not enough, because you need to switch according to what is approaching. Difficulty follows the conventions of its period, assuming a player will gradually learn each stage's layout through repetition rather than reading it on sight.

You can start the game directly in your browser here, which makes it easy to sample how this generation of shooters played before any modern concessions existed. There is no autosave, no mid-stage checkpointing — only a stock of lives and steadily mounting pressure. Genre enthusiasts will find an honest piece of work. It is not among Taito's most celebrated releases, but it holds the standard the company built its reputation on, and it demonstrates the craft that made the studio's shooters worth seeking out in the first place.