Play Shock Wave Online

Shock Wave was a late release for the Nintendo Entertainment System, arriving in 1990 from developer and publisher SOFEL. It landed on a console already crowded with established hits, offering a different kind of challenge for players looking beyond the usual platformers and action games.

You control a lone astronaut navigating a series of single-screen maze rooms. Your main objective is to destroy all the enemy pods in each stage to unlock the exit. Your primary tool is a pistol that fires a projectile, but its key mechanic is that the shot doesn't just travel in a straight line; it ricochets off walls, and each impact sends a powerful, screen-filling shockwave that can chain-react through the environment. This turns every shot into a calculated risk, as a poorly aimed blast can set off a cascade of energy that also destroys crucial power-ups or even yourself. The game demands careful positioning and timing, often forcing you to wait for the perfect moment in a wave's pattern to fire. It feels like conducting chaotic, unpredictable energy with a single, precise trigger pull.