Cobra Command (1988 video game)
Cobra Command (コブラコマンド) is a 1988 arcade video game developed and published by Data East that was later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a horizontally scrolling shooter in which the player flies a heavily armoured helicopter through six stages to destroy enemy tanks, cannons, submarines, and gunboats.[2] There are missions to Sumatra, Java, Borneo, South China Sea, Siam, and the enemy's headquarters.[3]
Cobra Command | |
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![]() Japanese arcade flyer | |
Developer(s) | Data East |
Publisher(s) | Data East |
Director(s) | T. Seki |
Producer(s) | Kohji Sasamoto |
Designer(s) | Akira Otani Kazuhiro Takayama (hardware) |
Programmer(s) | Kohji Sasamoto |
Artist(s) | Akira Otani M. Narita T. Konishi Satoshi Furukawa |
Composer(s) | Shogo Sakai, Masaaki Iwasaki, Takafumi Miura (NES) Azusa Hara |
Platform(s) | Arcade, NES |
Release | September 1988: Arcade[1] November 1988: NES |
Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
Ports

The NES port of Cobra Command was released the same year as the arcade game. Unlike the arcade game, the NES version does not scroll automatically, and its gameplay is similar to Choplifter as the main goal for each level is to rescue all of the hostages. Also, throughout the game, the player's helicopter can be upgraded by landing in certain areas.
A port of Cobra Command was announced to be released on the Retro-Bit Super Retro Cade.[4]
Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed the game on their October 15, 1988 issue as being the sixth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[5]
References
- "ライセンス一覧表". www.dataeast-corp.co.jp. Archived from the original on 23 April 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- Robbins, Judd; Robbins, Joshua (1989). Mastering Nintendo video games. Hayden Books. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-672-48464-3.
- "Cobra Command". Mobygames. 1988. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- "Retro-Bit Super Retro-Cade Review – A High-Quality RetroPie Killer". GameRevolution. GameRevolution. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
- "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 342. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 October 1988. p. 29.