MagMax (マグマックス, Magumakkusu) is an arcade video game which was developed by Nihon Bussan and released in 1985 under its brand Nichibutsu.[2] A horizontal scrolling shooter, players control the title hover ship in an attempt to completely construct the ship into a giant robot and to destroy any enemies attempting to stop it.

Magmax
NES box cover
Developer(s)Nihon Bussan, Ocean Software
Publisher(s)Nichibutsu
FCI
Imagine Software
Platform(s)Arcade, NES, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC
ReleaseArcade
1986: NES
1987: C64, Spectrum
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter

The three-headed mechanical dragon found as a boss character in the game, known as Babylon, strongly resembles Mecha-King Ghidorah from the Godzilla franchise.

Ports edit

The Nintendo Entertainment System version was published by Nihon Bussan in Japan on March 18, 1986 and by FCI in North America in October 1988. The game was also ported to the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC by Ocean Software and released on their Imagine label in 1987.

In 2015, an emulated version was released for the PlayStation 4 in the Arcade Archives series from Hamster Corporation,[3] and was also released for Nintendo Switch in May 2020.[4]

Reception edit

In Japan, Game Machine listed MagMax on their April 15, 1985 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade unit at the time.[6]

References edit

  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)]. Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 127. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  2. ^ "MagMax". Killer List of Videogames. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  3. ^ "MagMax". Hamster Corporation. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  4. ^ Doolan, Liam (8 May 2020). "Hamster's Latest Retro Offering For Switch Is The Horizontal Shooter Magmax". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  5. ^ Game review, Amstrad Action magazine, Future Publishing, issue 23, August 1987
  6. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 258. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 April 1985. p. 19.

External links edit