Line #15 VideoGame/Scramble


1	[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scramble_5879.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:225:HOW FAR CAN YOU INVADE OUR SCRAMBLE SYSTEM?]]
3	The 1981 UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame ''Scramble'' was Creator/{{Konami}}'s original HorizontalScrollingShooter; it was one of the first games in the genre, along with Creator/{{SNK}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Vanguard}}''.
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5	The player flies a jet fighter armed with lasers and bombs to fire at enemy rockets and flying saucers, trying to avoid colliding with them or the terrain. Hitting fuel tanks not only scores a few points but replenishes your ever-dwindling fuel supply. After five levels, the player flies into the base of the enemy system and destroys a target, after which the game loops with higher difficulty.
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7	A sequel, ''Super Cobra'', was released the same year, with the player now in control of a helicopter and carrying away a suitcase at the end instead of bombing a target. There were now ten levels before the base and the garishly colored backgrounds were slightly more textured, but otherwise the arcade versions of ''Scramble'' and ''Super Cobra'' looked and played pretty much the same.
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9	In the west, both games were licensed by Creator/SternElectronics for arcade distribution. ''Super Cobra'' was ported more widely than ''Scramble'' in the 1980s, but ''Scramble'' has since turned up more frequently on {{Compilation Rerelease}}s of {{Creator/Konami}}'s older games, including [[VideoGameRemake remade versions]] on the Platform/GameBoyAdvance and [[Platform/XboxLive Xbox Live Arcade]].
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11	''Scramble'' was {{retcon}}ned into the ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' series in ''Gradius Generations''.[[note]]The first ''Gradius'' game was codenamed ''Scramble 2'' before its final product release.[[/note]]
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13	!!Tropes in ''Scramble'' and ''Super Cobra'':
14	* AirstrikeImpossible: The objective at the end of ''Scramble'' is to bomb the enemy base.
15	* BribingYourWayToVictory: ''Super Cobra'' became Konami's first video game with a continuous play feature. However, it can only be used up to a deadly 4 times per playthrough in the original Konami version; but in the Creator/SternElectronics-licensed version, it works up to a whopping 255 times per playthrough!
16	* CriticalAnnoyance: There's an alarm when low on fuel, although the volume isn't too loud.
17	* DeadlyWalls: Avoid running into buildings or hills. However, once you bomb the base in ''Scramble'', you can sacrifice your ship and get a free replacement when the game starts over.
18	* DirectContinuousLevels: ''Scramble'' is probably the TropeMaker for continuous-scrolling shooters. The end of each level opens up onto a piece of flat terrain, a short message is displayed with an accompanying jingle, and then the next level scrolls into view.
19	* DroughtLevelOfDoom: The maze starts with a large amount of fuel tanks, and there's no more after that point. This guarantees a limited number of passes to destroy the enemy base.
20	* EndlessGame: Once you bomb the base (''Scramble'') or steal the booty (''Super Cobra''), the game starts over with a faster fuel consumption rate.
21	* EveryTenThousandPoints: Both games grant you an extra life every 10,000 points.
22	* MovingTargetBonus: Shooting missiles down earns you more points if you hit them after they launch themselves into the air.

Context VideoGame / Scramble