Super Cobra

For the helicopter, see Bell AH-1 SuperCobra.
Super Cobra
North American arcade flyer
DeveloperKonami[a]
Publishers
[b]
Platform
Arcade
Release
March 1981
  • Arcade
    • JP: March 1981
    • NA: June 22, 1981
    M5
    Adventure Vision
    Odyssey²
    2600
    • September 1983[1]
    Atari 8-bit
    • 1983
    Intellivision
    • 1983
    MSX
    ColecoVision
    5200
GenreScrolling shooter
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemKonami Scramble

Super Cobra[c] is a 1981 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Konami for arcades. It was released in Japan in March 1981 and in North America by Stern on June 22, 1981.[5][4] It is a spiritual successor to Scramble, using the same arcade hardware.

The game was a commercial success, selling 12,337 arcade cabinets in the United States within four months, becoming Stern's third best-selling arcade game. Super Cobra was widely ported by Parker Brothers, and there are Adventure Vision and standalone versions from Entex.

Gameplay

The player controls a helicopter through tight caverns. A laser and bombs can be used to destroy defenders, tanks, and UFOs while infiltrating 10 Super Cobra defense systems. The ship has a limited fuel supply, which is depleted over time. More fuel can be acquired by destroying fuel tanks in the game. Players navigate through ten levels and a base, where they must safely make it through the level and extract loot.[6]

Ports

The game was ported to the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Intellivision, Odyssey², and Atari 8-bit computers by Parker Brothers. It was also released for Sord M5, MSX, Entex Adventure Vision and Casio PV-1000. Entex produced a standalone tabletop version.[7]

Reception

The game was a commercial success, selling 12,337 arcade cabinets in the United States within four months, by October 2, 1981, becoming Stern's third best-selling arcade classic after Berzerk and Scramble. Scramble sold 15,136 cabinets in the U.S. in five months earlier that year, adding up to 27,473 U.S. cabinet sales for both.[11]

Arcade Express in November 1982 gave the Adventure Vision port a score of 9 out of 10. They concluded that it "takes real skill to master, and represents the state-of-the-art of scrolling shoot-outs".[8]

Creative Computing in January 1984 said the Atari 8-bit version of "Super Cobra is much more challenging and has better graphics" than other side scrollers and would "please any shoot-'em-up fans".[12]

The Atari 2600 version was awarded a Certificate of Merit in the category of "Best Action Videogame" at the 5th annual Arkie Awards for 1983.[10]: 42  They compared it to Vanguard and said it "provides the same brand of relentless, multi-scenario action".[13]

Legacy

Super Cobra appeared alongside Scramble on the retro compilation Konami Arcade Classics, released for the PlayStation in 1999. Hamster Corporation released the game as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in October 2020.[14]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Ports developed by Entex and Parker Brothers.
  2. ^ Ports published by Entex and Parker Brothers.
  3. ^ スーパーコブラ (Sūpā Kobura) in Japanese[4]

References

  1. ^ "Atari VCS game release dates". Atari Archive.
  2. ^ "Colecovision game release dates". Atari Archive.
  3. ^ "Atari 5200 game release dates". Atari Archive.
  4. ^ a b "スーパーコブラ まとめ [アーケード]" [Super Cobra Summary (Arcade)]. Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain, Inc., Tokuma. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  5. ^ "Overseas Readers Column - Konami Industry Grants a License on "Super Cobra" to 3 Foreign Companies". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 173. Amusement Press, Inc. September 15, 1981. p. 31.
  6. ^ Stern. Super Cobra Manual (PDF). p. 3. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  7. ^ "Entex Arcade Defender and Super Cobra Handhelds". Retroist. May 3, 2013. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "The Hotseat: Reviews of New Products" (PDF). Arcade Express. November 7, 1982. pp. 6–8 [6]. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  9. ^ "Critically Speaking..ColecoVision-Compatible" (PDF). Computer Entertainer. Vol. 2, no. 10. January 1984. p. 150.
  10. ^ a b Kunkel, Bill; Katz, Arnie (January 1984). "Arcade Alley: The Arcade Awards, Part 1". Video. 7 (10). Reese Communications: 40–42. ISSN 0147-8907.
  11. ^ "Stern production numbers and more CCI photos". Tokens Only. May 1, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  12. ^ Leyenberger, Arthur (January 1984). "A Baker's Half Dozen Games for the Atari Computer". Creative Computing. Vol. 10, no. 1. pp. 114–123. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  13. ^ Kunkel, Bill; Katz, Arnie (January 1984). "1984 Arcade Awards". Electronic Games. 2 (11). Reese Communications: 71–72. ISSN 0730-6687.
  14. ^ Lane, Gavin (March 13, 2020). "Every Arcade Archives Game On Nintendo Switch, Plus Our Top Picks". Nintendo Life. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
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