Super Cobra is a 1981 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Konami for arcades. It was released in Japan in March 1981 and in North America by Stern on June 22, 1981. It is a spiritual successor to Scramble, using the same arcade hardware.
The game was a commercial success, selling 12,337 arcade cabinets in the United States within four months, becoming Stern’s third best-selling arcade game. Super Cobra was widely ported by Parker Brothers, and there are Adventure Vision and standalone versions from Entex.
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Gameplay
The player controls a helicopter through tight caverns. A laser and bombs can be used to destroy defenders, tanks, and UFOs while infiltrating 10 Super Cobra defense systems. The ship has a limited fuel supply, which is depleted over time. More fuel can be acquired by destroying fuel tanks in the game. Players navigate through ten levels and a base, where they must safely make it through the level and extract loot.
Ports
The game was ported to the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Intellivision, Odyssey², and Atari 8-bit computers by Parker Brothers. It was also released for Sord M5, MSX, Entex Adventure Vision and Casio PV-1000. Entex produced a standalone tabletop version.
Reception
The game was a commercial success, selling 12,337 arcade cabinets in the United States within four months, by October 2, 1981, becoming Stern’s third best-selling arcade classic after Berzerk and Scramble. Scramble sold 15,136 cabinets in the U.S. in five months earlier that year, adding up to 27,473 U.S. cabinet sales for both.
Arcade Express in November 1982 gave the Adventure Vision port a score of 9 out of 10. They concluded that it “takes real skill to master, and represents the state-of-the-art of scrolling shoot-outs”.
Creative Computing in January 1984 said the Atari 8-bit version of “Super Cobra is much more challenging and has better graphics” than other side scrollers and would “please any shoot-’em-up fans”.
The Atari 2600 version was awarded a Certificate of Merit in the category of “Best Action Videogame” at the 5th annual Arkie Awards for 1983. They compared it to Vanguard and said it “provides the same brand of relentless, multi-scenario action”.
Legacy
Super Cobra appeared alongside Scramble on the retro compilation Konami Arcade Classics, released for the PlayStation in 1999. Hamster Corporation released the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in October 2020.
See also
- Cosmic Avenger
- Vanguard
Notes
References
External links
- Super Cobra at the Killer List of Videogames
- Super Cobra at the Arcade History database
- Super Cobra for Atari 8-bit computers at Atari Mania
- Super Cobra can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive (Atari 8-bit port)
- Super Cobra at MobyGames
- Full longplay of Super Cobra (arcade, Stern/Konami, 1981) on YouTube
Gamer24h Editor's Take
Super Cobra has made quite a name for itself in the gaming world, captivating us with its distinctive atmosphere and compelling gameplay dynamics. Developer Konami has done a remarkable job of drawing players into its world, earning our admiration with its attention to detail. Masterfully blending Scrolling shooter mechanics with modern standards, the game's fluid gameplay makes hours fly by unnoticed. If you're looking for an absorbing world and satisfying mechanics that pull you right in, this game might be exactly what you've been searching for.