Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 26, 2026

Terra Force

Terra Force is a 1987 scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Nichibutsu for arcades. It is a spinoff of the Cresta series, which includes Moon Cresta, Terra Cresta and Sol Cresta. It was initially only released in Japan. Hamster Corporation acquired the game's rights alongside Nichibutsu's intellectual property, releasing the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for the PlayStation 4 in 2016 and Nintendo Switch in 2019.

Last revised
Jul 26, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Terra Force
Arcade flyer
DeveloperNichibutsu
PublisherNichibutsu
DesignerShigeki Fujiwara
PlatformArcade
Release
  • JP: October 16, 1987
1
GenreScrolling shooter
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Terra Forcea is a 1987 scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Nichibutsu for arcades. It is a spinoff of the Cresta series, which includes Moon Cresta, Terra Cresta and Sol Cresta. It was initially only released in Japan.2 Hamster Corporation acquired the game's rights alongside Nichibutsu's intellectual property, releasing the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for the PlayStation 4 in 2016 and Nintendo Switch in 2019.34

Gameplay

The player controls a spaceship as they destroy alien enemies on a planet. Ever level starts on the surface, which is a vertically scrolling level where aliens and buildings can be destroyed for points.5 After a boss enemy is defeated, players access caverns where enemies are more widespread, while also having to avoid colliding with obstacles. Laser, bomb and "speed" power-ups are available in limited supply.36

Development

The game's development was led by Shigeki Fujiwara, co-creator of the Bomberman series, as his last project before leaving Nichibutsu for Hudson Soft. He envisioned a mix of MagMax's side-scrolling perspective and the vertically scrolling gameplay of Terra Cresta, leading to an ambitious mix of levels of both perspectives.5

Notes

Notes

  1. Japanese: テラフォース, Hepburn: Tera Fōsu
References

References

  1. "話題のマシン" [Topical Machines] (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement Press, Inc. November 1, 1987. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  2. Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 56. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  3. Calvert, Darren (May 9, 2019). "Nintendo Download: 9th May (North America)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 24, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  4. "『アーケードアーカイブス テラフォース』の配信日が5月2日に決定！ ハイパーミサイルで迫りくる敵たちを殲滅するシューティングゲーム | ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). May 1, 2019. Archived from the original on August 7, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  5. "『テラフォース』が｢アーケードアーカイブス｣で配信開始！". PlayStation.Blog 日本語 (in Japanese). November 17, 2016. Archived from the original on June 23, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  6. "『テラフォース』がPS4向け"アーケードアーカイブス"にラインアップ、11月17日より配信開始". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). November 8, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
External links