Hector '87

Released by Hudson in 1987, Hector '87 is a vertically scrolling shooter set amid alien-occupied star systems. Its defining feature is a stage format that alternates between two distinct modes: aerial combat in a jet fighter — strafing enemy aircraft and bases — and ground assault sequences where the player becomes an armed infantryman storming fortresses. Weapons can be collected and upgraded to spread shots and missiles, and the bosses are suitably massive. The seamless air-to-ground mode switch sustains a fast, punishing rhythm that makes Hector '87 one of the defining hard-edged shooters of the early NES era.