![Heavy Unit Longplay (Arcade) [QHD] @AL82RetrogamingLongplays](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/izD0g01S-dI/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Game Info
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Developer: Kaneko
Publisher: Taito
Year of Release: 1988
Game Review & Impressions
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I reckon Kaneko must have been fans of R-Type when they created Heavy Unit, because this horizontal shooter certainly has similarities. You're shooting wave-upon-wave of weird bio-mechanical aliens within equally strange environments, but to Kaneko's credit, they did a really good job.
The game's principal mechanic is the ability to switch between two different forms by collecting 'T' token power-ups. Spaceship mode enables faster movement and reduces chances of being hit by enemy projectiles due to its smaller size, whereas mech mode is bigger and bulkier, but benefits from higher-powered weapons and more versatility. Both forms can benefit from the barrier shield collectible, which provides limited protection from collisions with enemies and their projectiles.
Heavy Unit is a solid shoot 'em up with some great graphics and a decent soundtrack. It's good fun and the gameplay still holds up.
Chapters
---------------------------------------------------
00:00 Attract mode
00:43 Stage 1
02:55 Stage 2
05:14 Stage 3
08:14 Stage 4
16:21 Stage 5
Game Info
---------------------------------------------------
Developer: Kaneko
Publisher: Taito
Year of Release: 1988
Game Review & Impressions
---------------------------------------------------
I reckon Kaneko must have been fans of R-Type when they created Heavy Unit, because this horizontal shooter certainly has similarities. You're shooting wave-upon-wave of weird bio-mechanical aliens within equally strange environments, but to Kaneko's credit, they did a really good job.
The game's principal mechanic is the ability to switch between two different forms by collecting 'T' token power-ups. Spaceship mode enables faster movement and reduces chances of being hit by enemy projectiles due to its smaller size, whereas mech mode is bigger and bulkier, but benefits from higher-powered weapons and more versatility. Both forms can benefit from the barrier shield collectible, which provides limited protection from collisions with enemies and their projectiles.
Heavy Unit is a solid shoot 'em up with some great graphics and a decent soundtrack. It's good fun and the gameplay still holds up.
Chapters
---------------------------------------------------
00:00 Attract mode
00:43 Stage 1
02:55 Stage 2
05:14 Stage 3
08:14 Stage 4
16:21 Stage 5
![Heavy Unit Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/izD0g01S-dI/mqdefault.jpg "Heavy Unit Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Kaneko
Publisher: Taito
Year of Release: 1988
Game Review & Impressions
I reckon Kaneko must have been fans of R-Type when they created Heavy Unit, because this horizontal shooter certainly has similarities. Youre shooting wave-upon-wave of weird bio-mechanical aliens within equally strange environments, but to Kanekos credit, they did a really good job.
The games principal mechanic is the ability to switch between two different forms by collecting T token power-ups. Spaceship mode enables faster movement and reduces chances of being hit by enemy projectiles due to its smaller size, whereas mech mode is bigger and bulkier, but benefits from higher-powered weapons and more versatility. Both forms can benefit from the barrier shield collectible, which provides limited protection from collisions with enemies and their projectiles.
Heavy Unit is a solid shoot em up with some great graphics and a decent soundtrack. Its good fun and the gameplay still holds up.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
00:43 Stage 1
02:55 Stage 2
05:14 Stage 3
08:14 Stage 4
16:21 Stage 5")
![After the War Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jAZf4_QHvp8/mqdefault.jpg "After the War Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Dinamic
Publisher: Dinamic
Year of Release: 1989
Game Review & Impressions
After the War is one of those games I had for the Amiga which I had something of a soft spot for back then. The gameplay is distinctly average, but it features some truly excellent pixel art and animation for the time; the more I look at it, the more impressed I am. I recorded a longplay of the Amiga version several years back, but having had to endure the pain that is the C64 port, I simply fancied revisiting this edition of the game again and create a new play-through in higher fidelity.
I took the time to peruse the game manual to learn about the plot for the game. Jonathan Jungle Rogers must brave the horrors of a post-nuclear Manhattan, searching for the headquarters of Professor McJerin in a bid to escape the horrors of an irradiated Earth by launching in to space. You dont ever encounter the professor, or see yourself blast off into space for that matter, but its excuse enough to beat up/shoot a load of bad guys with a truly colossal machine gun.
As with most of Dinamics games, After the War is divided into two distinct sections. The first part of the game is set above ground in the crumbling ruins of downtown Manhattan, where Jungle Rogers must duff up mohawk-sporting punks, corrupt cops, emaciated skater dudes, as well as deal with the rabid mutts which infest the streets. In their infinite wisdom, Dinamic decided to spread the controls across joystick AND keyboard, requiring the player sit in front of the Amiga to be able to access all the controls. Its a problem throughout the game, persisting into the second part, which is undoubtedly the trickier of the two sections.
Set under the streets of Manhattan, Rogers must cut a swathe through giant rats and mutated humans hiding in the abandoned tube tunnels, searching for an entrance to McJerins secret base. The key to success here is learning when and where bad guys will spawn, bringing a storm of hot lead to bear on where you know theyll spawn. Youll often have to deal with multiple targets at once, and as most of them are complete bullet sponges, its difficult to avoid taking damage. Inside the base itself, shotgun-wielding guards and automated sentry guns will make short work of Rogers if youre not careful, and the countdown timer will tick away all too quickly, so you should be on the look out for timer power-ups to top it up.
The final boss of the game is, perhaps unsurprisingly, an exceedingly cheap war of attrition against a massive tank with multiple cannons. The cannons track your location no matter where you are on screen, so the only real strategy available to you is hope you have enough spare lives in reserve to soak up the damage and destroy the guns before they destroy you. Theres little point trying to avoid the shells being fired at you, so you best get really good at clearing the earlier sections without losing lives or wasting too much time. Your reward for beating the game is a brief page of text advertising Dinamics next game, which is another kick in the teeth.
So the game is distinctly mediocre, but as I noted at the start of this review, I just love the games aesthetic. The graphics are highly detailed and look fantastic, so its a shame that the developers forgot to adjust the colour palette values when the ported this from the Atari ST to the Amiga. Despite using the same RGB format between the two systems, the Amiga interpretation of these values results in colours only half as bright as the ST counterpart. Its an issue that affected a number of games where the ST was effectively the lead platform, but the developers simply failed to fix this issue before the Amiga port shipped, with the end result looking really dark. WinUAE has an in-built fix for games with this dark palette issue, but anyone playing this back in the day either had to squint really hard, or crank up the contrast on the TV to rectify the problem.
After the War is by no means a classic, but I still think it has a certain charm. If youre sufficiently deft of finger to deal with the clunky control scheme, you might just have some fun with it.
Chapters
00:00 Part 1 - Manhattan Streets
18:47 Part 2 - Manhattan Underground")
![Sega Arcade Gallery: OutRun Longplay (Game Boy Advance) [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jJauoYj3I54/mqdefault.jpg "Sega Arcade Gallery: OutRun Longplay (Game Boy Advance) [4K]
Game Info
Developer: Bits Studios
Publisher: THQ/Sega
Year of Release: 2003
Game Review & Impressions
I have to assume that if youre a regular to my channel, youre already familiar with OutRun and how it was a watershed moment for driving games back in the day. The original coin-op was powered by a monstrously capable arcade board with multiple CPUs and custom chips, delivering a gaming experience that would take close to a decade before it could be replicated at home.
The version released as part of the Sega Ages collection for the Sega Saturn in 1996 was impressive enough, turning in a better-than-arcade perfect port with improved framerate and CD audio, but Im even more impressed by the conversion included as part of the Sega Arcade Gallery collection for the Game Boy Advance. Maybe its the fact I had to suffer a countless number of dire coin-op conversions on the Commodore 64, but the fact this game runs as well as it does on a bloody handheld from 2001 blows my mind somewhat. Its definitely the star of the show on this compilation from Bits Studios, running at a smooth 60 fps and featuring just about everything you could wish for. The amount of sprites being push isnt as high as the arcade, but it doesnt matter, because it still looks fantastic. The recreation of the iconic soundtrack is just the cherry on top!
OutRun is a timeless classic, and this version for the GBA is a gem of a conversion. For anyone wanting to play OutRun on the go back in 2003, this would certainly not have disappointed.
Chapters
00:00 Route A
08:12 Route B
13:23 Route C
18:44 Route D
24:00 Route E")
![Lady Master of Kung Fu Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jvf6TpkSZqc/mqdefault.jpg "Lady Master of Kung Fu Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Kaneko
Publisher: Taito
Year of Release: 1985
Game Review & Impressions
Lady Master of Kung Fu is a peculiar entry from Kanekos back catalogue. Its a mash-up of Kung Fu Master and Elevator Action, in which the titular Lady must kick and nunchaku opponents in her quest for the magic letters secreted behind one of the doors on each floor of the building in which she finds herself. The added complication is that certain rooms contain mid-stage bosses, which will sap your health if not careful.
It wasnt until I beat the second stage that I realised that the Lady was progressively shedding garments in each successive victory pose. Im not a prude by any means, but the third and final victory screen proved just a bit unnecessary in a game like this - its not even a particularly GOOD game, just another obscure oddity from the Japanese arcade scene at the time.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
00:38 Stage 1
03:53 Stage 2
06:40 Stage 3
15:48 Ending")
![Wings Longplay (Amiga) [QHD] [Part 2 of 2]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k-l-U-Xzrwg/mqdefault.jpg "Wings Longplay (Amiga) [QHD] [Part 2 of 2]
Game Info
Developer: Cinemaware
Publisher: Cinemaware
Year of Release: 1990
The second and final part of my longplay of this epic World War I game for the Amiga computer.
Related Longplays & Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5IJ06MR3SI
Chapters
0:00:00 Gameplay
8:02:00 Ending
8:04:00 Bonus: Death and Dishonour")
![Bug Bash Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kA1shiYjPn4/mqdefault.jpg "Bug Bash Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Mutation Software
Publisher: Microtec
Year of Release: 1990
Game Review & Impressions
I discovered Bug Bash after completing a longplay of its sequel Doodlebug (stay tuned), and reckoned it was worth checking out. It marks the earliest period of Adrian Cummings game development on the Amiga, and is an intriguing title. My initial thought was that Bug Bash might have been a public domain title, and whilst it did end up as a PD title, it was originally sold as a two-game commercial release.
The purpose of the game is to help our insect-like protagonist tidy up the garden, for it has been littered with junk by less environmentally friendly bugs under the control of the Evil Slug. Each of the seven levels involves collecting pieces of litter and depositing them in a trash can located somewhere in the garden. You can only ever carry a single item at a time, which means plenty of travel back-and-forth across the zone, and as theres no counter to tell you exactly how many items remain, its easy to waste time and energy both of which are limited in finding the next piece. Insects of various shapes and sizes will also take every opportunity to get in your way, but these can be dispatched with a few blasts from your spray-gun. Each stage culminates with a fight against an oversized boss, who can only be defeated by hitting them repeatedly in a specific part of their body.
The core mechanics remain consistent across each of the levels, but each stage adds some new variable to spice things up. This includes increasing the rate at which your energy decays, introducing rain droplets that cause damage if they hit you, or reducing the number of magic mushrooms from which you can regain energy. Later levels even see parasitic bugs sit atop these lifegiving beacons, munching on them steadily until they disappear entirely. This becomes one of the major challenges in the later levels, because collecting litter in specific order becomes something of a priority; youll need to figure out a strategy where you can top off your health and collect litter without wasting time, because once those mushrooms are gone its only a matter of time before youll run out of energy.
If youve read this far, youd be right for thinking that the odds are stacked heavily against you. The difficulty curve in Bug Bash is particularly high, especially the boss sections, which really should have been redesigned or rebalanced to make them easier to beat. You get no refill of energy before starting these sections, so youre screwed if you forgot to top off your health from a mushroom before depositing the final piece of litter. The sense of fun from the first couple of levels quickly turns to an overbearing sense of frustration, and with a fairly limited gameplay loop I doubt many will bother persevering with the remainder of the levels.
The lasting impressing of Bug Bash is a game thats too difficult for its own good. Therere some good ideas, but it really needed a fairer difficulty curve and perhaps some more levels and mechanics to hold the players interest.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
02:34 Stage 01
05:48 Stage 02
09:32 Stage 03
13:21 Stage 04
17:25 Stage 05
21:45 Stage 06
25:34 Stage 07
30:15 Ending")
![Rise of the Robots Longplay (PC DOS) [4K] [CD-ROM Edition]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kCGqM8glvMs/mqdefault.jpg "Rise of the Robots Longplay (PC DOS) [4K] [CD-ROM Edition]
Rise of the Robots Longplay (PC DOS) [4K] [CD-ROM Edition]")
![The Sword & the Rose Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kRGGwMIqNCs/mqdefault.jpg "The Sword & the Rose Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Codemasters
Year of Release: 1990
Game Review & Impressions
Also known as Prince Clumsy, The Sword & the Rose is a budget Ghosts n Goblins clone that dispenses with scrolling, and most of the fun. This is a very basic flick-screen platformer where the only real challenge is staying alive, locating the occasional key to open a locked gate.
The games chief problem is the way enemies constantly spawn on every single screen, often overwhelming you. Without a weapon that can defeat them in a single hit, youre doomed to failure, which means avoiding most of the extra equipment you find.
Codemasters earned a reputation for putting out some quality budget games, but The Sword & the Rose is not one of them. Its overly difficult, too short, and devoid of any enjoyment.
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
03:55 Gameplay")
![Jim Power: The Lost Dimension Longplay (NES) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kROBxlfvtFg/mqdefault.jpg "Jim Power: The Lost Dimension Longplay (NES) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Piko Interactive
Publisher: Piko Interactive
Year of Release: 2021
Game Review & Impressions
Jim Power started life on the Amiga, featuring some stunning parallax scrolling and brilliant music from Chris Huelsbeck, but was eventually ported to various consoles, including the PC Engine. The SNES version is particularly memorable for horridly weird reversed scrolling between the foreground and background layers, which means its not a game to play whilst slightly tipsy.
Given the resurgence of retro games in the past few years, Jim Power was re-released on various formats, but also received a conversion to the NES. I dont know if this was built from the ground up, or whether it was a prototype from back in the day which was eventually picked up and finished, but I can say its a pretty stunning conversion.
The graphics and music are excellent, and the gameplay is rock solid too. This is a nifty run-and-gun shooter with plenty of levels, and well worth checking out.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:58 Title Music (full loop)
04:23 Stage 1-1
06:10 Stage 1-2
07:36 Stage 1-3
09:10 Stage 1 Tunnel
10:28 Stage 1 Boss
11:02 Stage 2-1
13:04 Stage 2-2
14:49 Stage 2-3
16:45 Stage 2 Tunnel
18:03 Stage 2 Boss
18:45 Stage 3-1
21:02 Stage 3-2
22:52 Stage 3-3
25:17 Stage 3 Tunnel
26:35 Stage 3 Boss
27:34 Final Boss
29:01 Ending")
![Qwak Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kapiH6X-2pQ/mqdefault.jpg "Qwak Longplay (Amiga) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Jamie Woodhouse/Team 17
Publisher: Team 17
Year of Release: 1993
Game Review & Impressions
I covered Qwak on the channel way back in 2013, but that longplay was cut short by a bug where the program crashed once the score passed a certain limit. I didnt get to cover all of the 80 different game screens present, which meant the whole longplay turned into one massive loose end of a video.
Over a decade later, I decided to give the game a second try. Despite having no ending (it loops around after beating stage 80), I felt I had unfinished business with Qwak, something which I wanted to rectify. Again, I encountered the same game-breaking bug that crashes the whole thing when earning a Gem Bonus at the end of a level so stupidly large the game couldnt see to cope with the value, but I was able to plough through the final remaining stages by deliberately avoiding gems, which meant I was able to get all 80 levels covered before calling it quits.
For those unaware, Qwak was originally developed and released for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers back in 1989. Jamie Woodhouse, the games developer, would later update the game for the Commodore Amiga, boasting radically upgraded graphics, new features, not to mention in-game music (Allister Brimble and Bjørn Lynne). It was awarded 88% by Amiga Power magazine in its November 93 edition, a score I reckon is quite reasonable.
The best way is to describe Qwak is a single-screen arcade action game, which draws influence from Bubble Bobble. The objective of each level is to collect the gold keys to open one of the exit gates, then proceed to the next stage. Each screen is inhabited by various creatures that will damage you on contact, so the obvious solution would be to defeat them to remove the threat, but managing to clear a screen without killing anything rewards the player with a massive Pacifist bonus score. Theres also the consideration that you have a limited supply of eggs with which to hurl at the monsters, so it also pays to pick your battles carefully. Point score for killing enemies is very limited compared to other games, so youll really want to conserve your egg supply for levels where you really have no option but to fight.
Despite having not played the game for close to 13 years, Im still of the opinion this is an excellent game. Its easy to pick up, but incredibly difficult to master, especially once you reach the levels where you need to collect lightbulbs to revel enemy positions and hazards. The graphics, sound and music are all excellent, and the fact the whole game fits on a single floppy disk is quite the achievement. Qwak is an addictive game
Chapters
00:00 Attract mode
01:36 Stage 01 - 10
07:53 Stage 11 - 20
13:49 Stage 21 - 30
20:10 Stage 31 - 40
26:56 Stage 41 - 50
33:23 Stage 51 - 60
39:52 Stage 61 - 70
45:33 Stage 71 - 80
53:52 Game over")
![Mega Turrican Longplay (Sega Genesis) [QHD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l5kFZbdWH7o/mqdefault.jpg "Mega Turrican Longplay (Sega Genesis) [QHD]
Game Info
Developer: Factor 5
Publisher: Data East
Year of Release: 1993
Game Review & Impressions
Mega Turrican marked Factor 5s shift to focusing on console development, and I think its a step up in overall quality. I longplayed this directly after completing the Amiga version (Turrican 3), and while things are very very similar, the console version has the edge. The graphics are improved, boasting detailed parallax background layers, and there are more colours overall than the Amiga counterpart.
The actual gameplay is virtually identical on the Genesis, although having three buttons makes life a lot easier in the control stakes. As I noted in my review of the Amiga version, the level design is a lot tighter and more linear than Turrican or Turrican II, and are the better for it, at least in my opinion. I think the overly long xenomorph-esque section drags on a bit too long, but its probably the best in terms of pacing and flow.
I should also say that, as a huge fan of the Amiga and its musical capabilities, the soundtrack accompanying the Genesis version is really rather good. Chris Huelsbeck did a great job in translating his compositions to the console, and there are some really great drum samples throughout.
Mega Turrican isnt the best run-and-gun shooter on the Genesis, but its still a solid entry, provided you can overlook the stupidly long fourth stage its obnoxiously annoying face hugger-like enemies. Its a decent game, and infinitely better than that really weird rebranding of an earlier Turrican game, Universal Solider.
Information & Trivia
- To access the secret stage 1-2, you must have a score containing two consecutive zeros (like 12500, 10080) when you reach the final elevator in 1-1. Provided your score contains tow consecutive zeros when you reach the bottom of the shaft, youll enter the secret stage.
Video Notes
- All gems collected
- All extra lives collected
- Secret level 1-2 showcased as part of main playthrough (see timestamp)
Related Longplays & Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcIJJNaEWTs
Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:14 Stage 1-1
06:42 Stage 1-2 (secret stage)
09:33 Stage 1-3
11:41 Stage 2-1
14:47 Stage 2-2
20:53 Stage 3-1
21:36 Stage 3-2
29:50 Stage 4-1
42:27 Stage 4-2
45:30 Stage 4-3
56:15 Stage 5-1
1:02:19 Final boss
1:04:14 Ending")
