’80s action from Sun Electronics
This week’s Arcade Archives entry sees Hamster return to the dawning age of the shmup genre, as Sun Electronics’ formative stellar shooter Markham returns on Nintendo Switch.
Released in arcades way back in 1983, Markham is a very basic horizontal shmup which sees players guide a small ship through a series of mountain ranges, taking out hidden enemy installations en route. Armed with a beam gun as well as a volley of missiles, players take on waves of enemy fighters and powerful – and delightfully retro – UFOs.
To modern eyes, Markham is incredibly simplistic and also a little on the slow side, but it’s still nice to see all of these early shmups, all of which broke ground for some of the finest arcades of all time, get another turn in the spotlight. At eight dollars, this is a questionable purchase, but it’s nice for completionists to have the option.
Markham is available to download now on Nintendo Switch. Check out the action below, in this video from YouTuber Old Classic Retro Gaming.