Legendary Wings (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
274A playthrough of Capcom's 1988 vertically-scrolling shooter for the NES, Legendary Wings.
Legendary Wings straddles the gap between generations of shoot 'em ups from the mid/late 80s, bridging the gap between the older Capcom titles (1942, Section Z) and the newer, higher octane ones on more capable hardware (UN Squadron, Forgotten Worlds). And even though the NES was limited compared to the arcade hardware that those all ran on, the clearly more "modern" design of Legendary Wings helps the NES title feel substantially more refined than the ports of the older arcade titles.
Like most 80s Capcom games, the premise behind this one is a bit strange. At first glance it appears to take place in the distant past. - until you start running into robotic flying enemies, that is. It actually takes place in the distant future, where a computer that has played God to mankind since the dawn of time has apparently grown tired of helping the human race advance itself. The computer decides that the time has come to wipe humanity out, and so you play as a warrior, a guy that receives the power of flight from the gods, who is tasked with saving the world from the computer's intentions. And for whatever reason, your character wears what appear to be pink ass-less chaps. I know, I don't get it either.
There are five stages total, and each has four sub-areas: you always begin above ground flying over ancient monuments and whatnot, and end each stage in an underground tunnel sequence that culminates in a spaceship filled with brains and eyeballs. Each stage has a "penalty" area (where you go if you get caught in the breath of the giant face in the ground) and a "bonus" area (revealed by destroying a ground weapon hiding the entrance). While neither of these areas are required, the bonus area provides a lot of convenient weapon power-ups and point bonuses, helpful in winning extra lives.
The gameplay is pretty standard but it feels fast and smooth. You can upgrade your fire-power multiple times: in addition to improving power and coverage of your weapons, each upgrade allows you to absorb an additional hit before you die.
The game is surprisingly short, but many people will probably appreciate the difficulty level here. It's not stupidly easy, but it's not excessively difficult either. Even if shmups aren't your bread and butter genre, this is a game that most people can probably conquer with a bit of practice, and with far less frustration than with games like Gradius, Starship Hector, or Gun-Nac.
Legendary Wings isn't what I'd call legendary, but it is a good game with appealing graphics, great music, solid controls, and a reasonable challenge. If you're daunted by the more hardcore shooters and find yourself looking for one that's a bit more accessible to masses, this is a great pick. It's fun, no matter your skill level.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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