1943: The Battle of Midway

1943: The Battle of Midway is a classic vertical shooter. You fly a twin-engine P-38 over the Pacific Ocean, shoot down swarms of planes, collect power-ups for the shotgun, the three-way shot and the laser, and take on a battleship or an aircraft carrier at the end of each stage. Your plane has an energy bar instead of lives, and it drops slowly the whole time, so every pick-up counts. It is Capcom’s 1987 arcade game, and it plays right here in your browser with no download.

More arcade shooters: Galaga and River Raid.

How to play

1. Press Play under the title picture and wait a moment while the arcade machine starts.
2. Press Coin (V on a keyboard) to add a credit, then Start (Enter).
3. Fly with the arrow keys and fire with Z.
4. Press X for a special attack, like the lightning attack that hits the planes around you. It costs fuel.
5. Press Z and X together to loop: your plane rolls out of the way and can’t be hit for a moment.
6. Shoot the red planes for power-ups: a POW refills energy and the other icons change your weapon.
7. At the end of each stage, destroy the guns of the big ship before it gets away.

Controls

Computer: arrow keys move, Z fires, X is the special attack (both together: loop), V adds a coin and Enter is Start. Move the mouse over the game to show the bar with pause, restart, sound, save state, load state and full screen buttons.

Phone and tablet: the arcade pad appears under the game: the stick, Fire, Special, Coin and Start.

A USB or Bluetooth gamepad also works.

Cheats

Press the magic wand button next to the full screen button above the game. A small panel opens over the game, and the game waits until you close it. The cheats switch on a few seconds after the machine has started.

• Unlimited energy: your fuel and damage bar stays full.
• Twin escort planes: two small fighters fly beside you and shoot with you.

Reloading the page turns the cheats off again.

About 1943

Capcom released 1943: The Battle of Midway in arcades in 1987 as the sequel to 1942 (1984). The stages are set around the battle of Midway in 1942, and the last boss is the battleship Yamato. Two players can fly together. An updated version, 1943 Kai, came out in Japan the same year, and the series went on with 1941: Counter Attack and 19XX.

Frequently asked questions

Is 1943 free to play here?

Yes. You can play it free in your browser on Yes This Game, with no download and no sign-up.

Does 1943 have lives?

No. Your plane has one energy bar for fuel and damage, and it drops slowly. Pick up POW icons to fill it again.

Can I play it on my phone?

Yes. On a phone or tablet an on-screen pad appears under the game.

Can I save my progress?

Yes. The bar under the game has save state and load state buttons that keep the game in your browser on this device.