1943: The Battle of Midway

1943: The Battle of Midway is a shoot 'em up developed and published by Capcom for arcade machines in 1987. Later on, the title was ported to several computers and consoles such as the NES, PC, Sega Saturn, Amiga, Atari ST, among others. Most of the computer versions were published by US Gold.

Capcom is a developer that requires no introduction. Founded in 1979, it is responsible for some of the best-known sagas in the world of video games, as Mega Man, or Resident Evil. This installment is the second of the 194X game saga, with 1942: The Pacific Air War as its predecessor and 7 other titles that came later.

The game's history is set in the middle of World War II. Seven months after the Pearl Harbor attack, American and Japanese forces collided in a battle on a small island called Midway. This event is of great historical value because several historians claimed that this battle completely changed the war course.

Regarding gameplay, the player must go through 16 levels to destroy the Japanese battleship Yamato. To do this, he/she must fly an American plane called P-38 Lightning, also used in the previous installment. Similarly, the user can shoot, perform evasive maneuvers, and use special attacks consuming fuel. This element is essential for the players since they will lose the game if they don't pick up items to recover them.

Although the title does not stand out visually, it has a lot of improvements from 1942. The graphics feel much more fluid, and the planes are much more detailed. The colors are also much sharper, presenting a palette dominated mostly by blue, green, and orange. The audio was also greatly improved. The sound effects do not stand out from their contemporaries but significantly improve the outdated sounds of the previous entry.

The arcade version of 1943 received mostly positive reviews, making it one of the most successful titles of the year. Unfortunately, the home computer versions were not so exciting. The Amiga conversion was disappointing; the NES version is better, but if you compare it with masterpieces such as Banshee, there is no match. Anyway, nostalgia is nostalgia, regardless of the quality of the game. If you want to revive this timeless classic, don't waste any more time! Go and download it.