Last Mission

Last Mission is a top-down multidirectional shooter developed by Data East and released in arcades worldwide in 1986 . You assume the role of an alien-humanoid space pilot exiled from your home galaxy for committing an unlearned crime . The only way to return and restore your honor is to invade and defeat the alien forces who torment your people. Armed with the Main Fighter, you scroll in eight directions across a planet surface, destroying enemies while avoiding tanks, crab-shaped creatures, and floating orbs . The spacecraft rotates automatically when you change direction, always remaining centered on screen. Destroying ground installations yields weapon power-ups marked by letters, each with limited duration shown by a bar . An on-screen scanner displays a 4x4 grid showing enemy positions. Completing each level requires destroying the mothership boss .

Arcade

Released in 1986 by Data East in Japan, then worldwide. The arcade hardware runs on two M6809 CPUs at 2 MHz, with a M6502 sound processor and YM2203 audio chip . Display resolution is 256x240 pixels with 1024 colors on a vertical raster screen . Cabinet features an 8-direction joystick and three buttons. In Japan, Game Machine listed Last Mission as the fourth most-successful table arcade unit of December 1986 . The arcade version is considered superior to later home conversions, featuring smoother scrolling, richer colors, and Yukihiko Kitahara's arcade soundtrack.