Play Kyuukyoku Tiger (japan) Online

Kyuukyoku Tiger came out for the Sega Genesis in 1990, developed by Toaplan. It was part of that wave of arcade-style shooters that defined the early 90s on the console, a straightforward port of a cabinet I'd sometimes see in the corner of a pizza place.

You pilot a helicopter, moving it up the screen while enemy vehicles and aircraft pour in from all directions. Your main goal is simply to survive as long as possible, clearing stages by destroying everything in your path. Your primary weapon is a standard forward shot, but collecting power-ups lets you switch between different shot types, like a wide spread or a focused laser. You also have a limited supply of screen-clearing bombs to use when you're completely surrounded. The pacing is relentless, and the difficulty is steep, with bullet patterns that quickly fill the screen. It feels like a constant, tense scramble for survival where one mistake can end your run.