Back in 1985, Toaplan put out Tiger-Heli, one of the exceedingly rare shmups that doesn't feature any flying enemies whatsoever. No planes, no jets, nothing that soars or hovers. If it doesn't have treads, floats in water, or is bolted to the ground, then you're not shooting at it. Was a STG with no airborne adversity supposed to be avant-garde or something? Probably not. I mean, Toaplan would eventually become a giant in the shooter genre, but Tiger-Heli was still their first effort. Having tanks AND planes right out the gate was probably too much trouble. Look at Konami. There'd be no Gradius without Scramble. Even the greats started from nothing. From a dream to a program to a product that revolutionizes entertainment. Video games are pretty magical.
Needless to say, it's awfully surprising to discover that Toaplan made another "no-plane" shmup in 1989. Twin Hawk takes place shortly after World War 2. Gorongo, a fictional country named after a Mazinger monster of the week, is under attack by General Giovanni. Though his military lacks an air force, he's got the land and sea superiority to conquer Europe. As commander of the Daisenpuu squadron, it's your job to hop in a A6M Zero flying fortress and infiltrate Giovanni's base. Failure to stop him will mean the end of Europe, World War 3, destruction of the entire planet, and maybe even an alien invasion.
A lot can be said about the almighty tank and the pain they inflict upon fans of shmups. Tanks move slowly but are at least 1% hardier than the popcorn enemies that usually cross your path. What makes them deadly is their accuracy. Their turrets actively seek you out, firing once they've got you sighted. It probably doesn't need to be said, but if you're not moving, you're dying. Tanks work in tandem with their allied planes or artillery, creating walls of bullets to trap the unaware. Their ability to fire the instant they appear onscreen is outright devilish. As long as there is land - or sea in the case of gunships - then a tank could attack from any angle, even if, and especially when the player is at their most vulnerable. Naturally, Twin Hawk is a game for tank-lovers and is confident enough to throw every possible combination of them at players until all the spare lives are depleted.
Besides power-ups that increase the width of your main weapon, your only other tool is the ability to summon a squadron. Flying in formation, these six planes with fire straight ahead, cutting down most anything in their path. The catch is that they're taken out of the fight just as easily as you are. When one of your allies is struck by a bullet, they crash into the nearest enemy to do a just a little more damage. Alternatively, you can double tap the squad button, trading the assist for a bomb with a lot of destructive power. It's worth noting that you can actually keep allied ships relatively safe for quite some time. The tanks only ever aim at you, so it's possible to lure bullets away.
Beyond that however, all you really have is your desire to not to get lit up into a flaming ball of shrapnel. The A6M Zero moves only slightly faster than Simon Belmont. Flying from one side to the next, wiping out every tank hiding in opposite corners? That's simply not happening. This is one of those games where you really have to choose what to engage. Yes, leaving some tanks untouched while they make pot shots is just one of those circumstances that you'll have to deal with. Adding to your troubles is the fact that tanks can still snipe your plane from behind, even when they've been scrolled offscreen. I'm pretty sure this is a crime against shmups, but I respect it. The plane's hurtbox is decently small, and checkpoints are generous to the point that they push you ahead a little bit, so you're not just endlessly repeating the part you're stuck at.
Twin Hawk is really good about teaching its players the value of controlling space. Tempting as it may to sit at the bottom of the screen and react to whatever gets tossed your direction, that tactic won't get you very far. Learn to embrace to the upper half of the screen, especially since being close to the top increases your rate-of-fire. Even if it's impossible to hit everything at once, aggressive play can swiftly eliminate larger tanks. Also, simply moving around the entirety of the screen creates a lot of potential evasive options. You're much less likely to get trapped if you move in a quarter-circle instead of a straight line.
While this is a short game, the multitude of potential loops does offer an incentive to keep trying. Enemy bullets increase in speed when you reach areas 5, 9, 13, and so on. When the bullets get to be a little too quick for your default plane, then you'll trade it for a helicopter. Manage to get even further, and that helicopter is tossed out and replaced with a jet fighter. It's a neat way of keeping the difficulty um... probable? I guess that's the word I'd use. Also, the Mega Drive version is a bit more forgiving than the Arcade original. Players can appreciate Toaplan's vision without hammering at a brick wall for hours.
Compared to the wealth of all-timers in the 16-bit STG library, Twin Hawk can feel a bit limiting. I assure you however that those limitations are beneficial to the game. Everything that you'd expect from a good throwback is accounted for. Solid fundamentals, easy to understand, rewarding to master. Having a heaping helping of tanks to shoot through is just plain neat.
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