Lightning Fighters

1990 video game
1990 video game
Trigon
North American arcade flyer
DeveloperKonami
PublisherKonami
PlatformArcade
Release
  • JP: May 1990
  • NA: June 1990
GenreScrolling shooter
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Lightning Fighters, released in Japan as Trigon[a], is a 1990 vertical-scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Konami for arcades. It was released in Japan in May 1990 and North America in June 1990.[1]

Gameplay

The player controls the titular spaceship and another spaceship named Super Fighters as they defeat alien enemies while traversing levels. They can collect various power-ups to improve their firepower, including a laser saber and a flaming dragon-shaped projectile, while also avoiding enemy projectiles. One particular power-up is exclusive to the two-player mode, where both spaceships utilize a powerful weapon to defeat large swarms of enemies as long as both stay alive while it is used. A checkpoint system is implemented in the Japanese version after the player loses a live, while the international version allows players to resurrect on the spot.[2]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Trigon on their June 15, 1990 issue as being the fifth most popular table arcade unit at the time.[3]

Legacy

Gradius Gaiden features a boss modeled after the ship and weapons from the game, and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards such as "Trigon", "Delta Tri" (based on the mentioned Gradius Gaiden boss), and "Dragon Laser" also represent the game. It runs the same hardware as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time.

Hamster Corporation released the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in August 2020, serving as the game's first re-release outside Japan.[4]

Notes

  1. ^ Japanese: トライゴン, Hepburn: Toraigon

References

  1. ^ 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. 62. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  2. ^ Kalata, Kirt (December 12, 2009). "Trigon – Hardcore Gaming 101". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  3. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 382. Amusement Press, Inc. June 15, 1990. p. 25.
  4. ^ Doolan, Liam (August 20, 2020). "Hamster's Arcade Archives Brings A Konami "Masterpiece" To Switch This Week". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
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