Silkworm - for NES

Silkworm is a horizontally scrolling shooter for the Nintendo Entertainment System, developed by Tecmo and published by American Sammy in 1990, based on Tecmo's 1988 arcade game. What sets Silkworm apart from the many side scrolling shooters of the era is that the action happens on the ground as well as in the air. One player flies a helicopter, and a second player drives a jeep along the terrain below, so the screen is busy with two very different kinds of movement at once.

Alone you take the helicopter and work your way across the landscape, firing forward and clearing waves of enemies. With a friend, Silkworm becomes a game of mutual protection: the jeep cannot reach everything in the sky and the helicopter cannot cover every threat on the ground, so both players have to watch each other's back as well as their own. After a certain number of kills a goose helicopter forms on the screen, and destroying it rewards you with a weapon power up. Those geese keep appearing throughout the game, sometimes even in the middle of an end of level boss.

Silkworm has long had a reputation as one of the better two player games on the console, and it keeps that reputation because the second player is genuinely different rather than a second ship added on. Driving the jeep teaches you different habits than flying the helicopter, and swapping roles keeps the game fresh for years. The arcade pedigree shows in the pace and in the chunky, readable sprites. For collectors, Silkworm is a strong Tecmo shooter and an easy recommendation for anyone building a shelf of games worth handing a second controller to.

• Genre: Side Scrolling Shooter
• Players: 1-2
• Region: NTSC
• Release Year: 1990
• Developer: Tecmo

Cartridge Only: No Box or Manual
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Condition & Authenticity
This game has been tested and is fully functional. We do not authenticate or certify originality, and listings are intended for players and everyday collectors rather than professional grading or authentication purposes.

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