Moon Cresta is a 1980 Arcade game developed by Nichibutsu. It is a single player (or two player, alternating) space shooter and was unique at the time for it’s multi-level concept. Instead of the usual format, in Moon Cresta you get a three part ship. For a 1980 arcade game, the variety and movements of the aliens are amazing. To start the game, you get the first part of your ship. If the aliens destroy part of your ship, then you get the next part. If you successfully destroy four alien waves, you must dock with the remaining portions of your ship. The quicker that you are able to dock , the more bonus points you will receive. When docked, your ship is larger and easier for the aliens to hit. Also, when firing, the cannons will alternate firing from different parts of your ship. Since the cannons are spaced differently, this has an impact on your aim. When all three parts of your ship have been destroyed, the game is over. At 60,000 points, you earn a bonus play. Click on this link to learn more about the arcade version of Moon Cresta.

Arcade; Moon Cresta (Gremlin) Start Game. Moon Cresta (Gremlin) 13,722 1 16 3. The classic arcade game Moon Cresta has now made its way to the Atari 7800! Each round consists of ten waves of aliens, and two sets of docking sequences (provided you have a ship left to dock with). Every two waves of aliens have different entrance sequences, attack sequences, and point values. 'MOON CRESTA' is a shooting game produced and released by Nichibutsu in 1980. Players control Unit 1 and Unit 2 and Unit 3 of the airplane, and by combining these airplanes, will defeat the enemies. The 'Arcade Archives' series has faithfully. Nominate for Retro Game of the Day! Play Moon Cresta (Nichibutsu) Online Play this Arcade game in your web browser, here on GamePhD! Use Chrome/Firefox if Internet Explorer doesn’t load the game. Rank: Player: Score% Tokens: Achieved: 1. Andrew Iwaszko: 77,780: 100.00: 73: 09/21/20: 2. Sam McNear: 63,400: 81.51: 60: 10/12/19: 3. Matt Hall: 56,650: 72.83: 53.

Moon Cresta has become one of my favorite games for the 7800. The 7800 version was written by Bob DeCrescenzo in 2011 and Bob provided a few carts to Atari retro gamers last fall. Just recently, Moon Cresta has become available for order at the AtariAge store. Bob’s 7800 version is true to the arcade and the graphics look great. Bob spent quite a bit of time getting the alien movements to work correctly and the result is fantastic. Moon Cresta is a hard game and it took me a long time to finally get to 10,000 points. I was hoping that some type of bonus would happen at 10,000 points, but the bonus occurs at 30,000 points in the 7800 version. So far, I have only managed to get to 30,000 points 3 or 4 times. I can’t image ever being able to play Bob’s Moon Cresta on the most difficult setting. Once again Marc (Freelancer Games) has done an outstanding job with the label and box graphics. Click here to learn more about the development of the 7800 version of Moon Cresta. To buy a copy of Moon Cresta for your 7800, visit the AtariAge store.

Moon Cresta
Developer(s)	Nichibutsu
Publisher(s)	Nichibutsu
Designer(s)	Shigeki Fujiwara
Series	Terra Cresta
Platform(s)	ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC, Dragon 32, Sharp X68000, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release	JP: July 1980 NA: October 1980^[1]
Genre(s)	Fixed shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer (alternating turns)
Arcade system	Namco Galaxian

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Moon Cresta^[a] is a fixed shooter video game released in arcades in 1980 by Nichibutsu. It was licensed to Centuri who released it in arcades as Eagle. Incentive Software published ports of Moon Cresta for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Dragon 32, and ZX Spectrum.

Gameplay[edit]

In-game screenshot

The player begins the game with a small spaceship armed with a single laser cannon. After successfully completing the first four waves of alien attacks, the player must attempt to dock the ship with the next 'stage' of the ship. This second stage has two lasers in addition to the original one. Each docked stage is one of the player's 'lives.'

After successfully clearing two more waves of aliens, the player must again dock with the third and final piece of the ship, which also has two more lasers (giving the player five lasers in total). The trade-off for this is that the entire ship is a much larger target. Failure to correctly align the stages during either docking sequence causes the destruction of the stage being docked with.

After completing the first eight waves, the player's ship reverts to the first stage and the process is repeated. If any of the player's three ships are lost along the way, the docking sequence occurs only after the first four waves have been completed. Play ends when all three of the player's ship-stages are destroyed.

Reception[edit]

Review scores
Publication	Score
AllGame	^[2]
Crash	90%^[3]
Eurogamer	9/10^[4]
Sinclair User	^[5]
Your Spectrum	2/3^[6]

Moon Cresta was a success for Nichibutsu. It helped propel them into the video game business, and is one of their most successful arcade games.^[7]Computer + Video Games commented on the game's visuals for being bright and colorful, and its gameplay for being captivating.^[8]Game Machine felt the same way, recognizing it as a sure-hit for arcades because of its gameplay and mechanics.^[9]

The ZX Spectrum version in particular was met with average reviews. Your Spectrum said that the gameplay was close to the arcade original, but felt that it was beginning to show its age.^[6]Sinclair User had a similar response, and commented that the only reason to even play it was to win a contest held by Incentive.^[5] They said that the game was a good conversion of the original, but the gameplay itself was dated and not as fun as other games for the system.^[5]Crash magazine was a lot more positive towards the game, awarding it a 'Crash Smash' award;^[3] they applauded it for its simplistic gameplay, accurate portrayal of the arcade game, and its overall addictiveness, saying: 'At a time when the emphasis tends to be on complicated arcade/adventures or third generation platform games, I think it’s brave of Incentive to release an old fashioned shoot em up like this, and I’m thankful that they have. Great fun!'^[3]

In 1998, Allgame said that while Moon Cresta had several unique ideas, particularly the ship docking mechanic 'slick' controls, and its fast-paced action, it was ultimately hampered by its high difficulty level.^[2] They said that the tough gameplay would put off a lot of players, saying: 'Slick controls, distinctive graphics and almost-musical sound effects add up to a memorable package, but one which was too tough for some casual gamers to master.'^[2] By contrast in 2007, Eurogamer greatly praised the game for its addictive nature, creativity, and overall challenge that helped set the standard for games to follow.^[4] They said: 'I still, to this very day, admire Moon Cresta for being an adrenalin-fuelled, no nonsense shmup that epitomises the simplistic gaming challenges of early arcade games. Left, right and fire was all it took to take a young impressionable teenager from a world where potting the black was the challenge of the day.'^[4]

In a 2016 retrospective review, Hardcore Gaming 101 labeled Moon Cresta as being an influential and well-regarded shooter from the era.^[7] They greatly praised the game's key differences from games like Galaxian and Galaga, s

Arcade Games Moon Cresta