Play Air Fortress Online

Game Overview

Air Fortress is one of those NES games that starts with a classic setup—giant fortress spaceships show up out of nowhere and start wrecking everything. You play as Hal Bailman, the poor guy handed a "Lightship" and told to go blow up eight of these things from the inside. Sounds simple, right? Not quite.

The game splits into two totally different phases. First, you're dodging enemy fire in a side-scrolling shooter segment, trying to blast your way to the fortress's airlock. Once you dock, things get tense—you're on foot (well, in a spacesuit) with just a blaster, bombs, and a jetpack that eats energy like crazy. Standing still recharges you, but good luck staying still when the clock's ticking before the whole place explodes.

There's something weirdly satisfying about scrambling through the maze-like interiors, hunting for the core while managing your energy. And those rare super-bombs? Absolute lifesavers when you're swarmed mid-flight. Just don't celebrate too early—forgetting where you parked your escape ship is a real gut-punch.