Exerion

Jaleco's 1983 arcade shooter arrived on the Famicom in 1985, offering a vertical pseudo-3D scrolling experience. Players pilot a bird-shaped fighter called the Exerion against relentless alien formations, with the game's most distinctive trait being genuine inertia: releasing the directional input lets the ship continue to drift before slowing to a stop, giving controls an uncommonly physical feel. Armament consists of unlimited rapid-fire small shots and a limited but powerful dual-cannon main weapon; shooting specific enemy types replenishes the main ammo supply. The background employs a two-layer parallax scroll to simulate depth — an early and influential use of the technique. With endlessly escalating loops and no true ending, Exerion is squarely aimed at high-score chasers.