Blue Lightning

Blue Lightning

released on Dec 01, 1989

Blue Lightning

released on Dec 01, 1989

Blue Lightning, a launch title for the Lynx, is an arcade flight game heavily based on After Burner. The player controls the prototype Blue Lightning jet in combat against the enemy. The game consists of nine missions with varied objectives. These range from shooting down enemy planes to taking out tanks and ships or radar installations. In a courier mission, documents must be delivered by landing on a certain airfield. Upon successfully completing a mission, a password is given. The action is seen from behind the Blue Lightning. With the heavy arcade focus, there is no danger of stalling or even crashing into the ground. Crashing into air or ground targets is possible, however. The Blue Lightning is armed with a cannon with unlimited ammunition and 40 missiles. The on-board computer automatically seeks missile lock for enemy targets while the cannon must of course be aimed manually. The Blue Lightning is also equipped with an afterburner: activating it puts the plane to maximum speed for ten seconds, allowing one to catch up to enemy targets that got away. After use it takes another ten seconds to recharge. The plane is also able to pull off a barrel roll, useful to lose the lock of enemy missiles.


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The Lynx's answer to After Burner. Sadly doesn't reach the same heights, but plays OK on the handheld system.

This one has a more open world feel compared to After Burner, and sadly that slows the game down (along with the technical challenges being on a handheld system). You'll be flying around with a false sense of control and rapidly running out of missiles before trying to slog through finding more enemies.

Pretty fun for a short play if it's available, not much more.

Playing Through My Evercade Collection Part 14: Atari Lynx Collection 2

I feel I'm about to just parrot a lot of what @HongKongHermit has already stated in their review but this absolutely is a game that's style over substance. Graphically the game absolutely shows off what the Lynx could do and there's certainly a neat feeling with the After-Burner style graphics going but after just a bit, there's the feeling of sluggishness as the game just is missing the speed needed for this sort of game.

It doesn't help that the game isn't very helpful with showcasing what's deadly and what isn't, resulting in some later levels being a shroud of shrapnel where its questionable if you'll be hit or not. As it stands its not an awful game but just one that drags itself across the line with graphical goodwill and the occasional heated moment.

Though the game lacks variety, Blue Lightning is a solid and well-made arcade shooter with some of the most impressive graphics you'd ever see on a handheld for years and years.

Incredible visuals for a handheld game, Blue Lighting had "I can't believe they can do this" graphics. If you wanted to impress someone with an Atari Lynx, you'd show them this.

Sadly, it just wasn't actually very fun to play. You could fly up into the clouds, or down low to dodge buttes in the desert, but most of the enemies sort of fly past you and only shoot near you, very little in the way of direct attacks. You'd die sometimes, but it felt like a random event not the result of being bad at flying the plane.

Sure was a pretty game though.