par
This little-known Konami arcade game is a run and gun/beat ’em up hybrid, with the distinction of having 3 separate lanes that can be used for travel along it’s 5 interconnected stages. This feels like a predecessor to Sunset Riders and The Lone Ranger (NES)- both excellent Konami classics. As per usual for early Konami, this game features some great pixel art and chiptunes. Good variety of background art throughout the stages also.
Players pick between three weapons at start, and the crouch button lets you dodge enemy attacks and also plant yourself in position to attack upwards or downwards without moving into harms way. There is a surprising amount of strategy you can use with the lanes, allowing for half-steps if you use the crouch button at the right time, which will allow you to both dodge attacks and reach further with attacks than normal. Even in the tighter single-lane sections, you can move upwards against the wall to dodge attacks. It takes a bit of getting used to this unique control scheme and layout, but once you do its pretty fun to experiment with the weapons in different situations. Enemy patterns are simple and learning to effectively position yourself to take them out should be your main focus in the game.
I found the most effective weapon is the Whip, giving the same range as the gun and able to hit through walls and obstacles. The only downside is that the attack takes slightly longer because of the animation, but the attack also hits for the duration of this animation so its not such a bad tradeoff. You can also change directions mid-attack.
Second best are the Fists, which are the only weapon that have a « domino effect » where if you hit an enemy, it will knock down any enemies closely behind them in that lane. This effect goes through walls and obstacles as well, but because of the short range you will put yourself in more dangerous situations as a result. Fists are the only weapon that give you double points.
Gun is pretty lackluster, mainly because of it’s short range (nearly same as whip) but requiring one shot per person, unlike the whip which can hit multiple enemies in one shot.
There are three different special attacks also, gained from taking down certain enemies. The bomb is one that you have to be extra-careful with, because unlike the other two specials there is a wind-up time to it. As a result you cannot use it to get out of tight situations as easily as the other two.
Thanks to Ace for the recent release of not only Iron Horse, but also Jackal- another Konami gem that I played mostly on NES previously. I’m working on a run to record for that as well, but with the high difficulty in the game it may take some time.
You can support Ace’s efforts to bring arcade classics to MiSTer via his Ko-Fi:
https://ko-fi.com/ace9921
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Iron Horse arcade core 07-25-2021 build
A.K.A: 大列車強盗 , アイアンホース
Personal Best: 194,100
Dips: Lives: 7 // Difficulty: Normal
Filter: Scanlines(Bright)110_85_soft // Gamma: Poly 2.4
Played using a Hori Real Arcade Pro VX-SA (with Seimitsu LS-62 lever) arcade stick & 1ms USB polling.
Video: Integer scaled to 1080p // HDMI to Datapath e1s capture card
Volume reduced 30%
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|:=-Timestamps-=:|
00:00 – Boot
00:18 – Title / Demo
01:40 – Full Game (Whip/Fists – PB: 194,100)
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Occasional livestreams on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/WalrusFPGA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WalrusFPGA
=—————CONTRIBUTE—————=
None of this would be possible without the constant hard work of Sorgelig. It cannot be overstated how much he has done and continues to do for this project, since its beginning. You can support him either at his Patreon in the link below, or on Paypal, depending on your preference. MiSTer is a paradigm shift in how we can experience these classic games. This is a long-term preservation project that will continue to grow so that gamers today and in the future can experience these excellent systems as accurately and lag-free as possible. Donating what you can will help keep the updates coming. Thank you.
Patreon: https://patreon.com/FPGAMiSTer
PayPal: https://paypal.me/FPGAMiSTer
=—————–INFORM—————–=
Github link for this core: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Arcade-IronHorse_MiSTer
MiSTer Forum/Wiki/Github (source, guides and info): http://MiSTerFPGA.org
Official MiSTer Discord for live chat/help: https://discord.gg/4xKVg4XVYn
(Be respectful; this server is moderated. New users must be verified.)
=——————BUILD——————=
Worldwide list of sellers for MiSTer expansion boards: https://misterfpga.org/viewforum.php?f=34&sid=74e1c5e7dae1b99284789d93194cfa0b
I have personally ordered all my parts from https://www.MiSTerAddons.com and have been 100% satisfied with the quality and service there. (North American seller. If in a different region, check list linked above for best local shipping rates.)
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