After Burner

Did You Know?

• The game's aircraft carrier is named the SEGA Enterprise.
• The cockpit cabinet featured two speakers at head-level for stereo sound and a seatbelt.

Development and release

Development began in early December 1986, shortly after Out Run was completed, and much of the team had worked on that earlier game. Sega intended After Burner to be its first true blockbuster, and the project was kept a closely guarded secret within the company. Because Sega had adopted a flextime work system, development took place outside company headquarters in a building named Studio 128. Suzuki was inspired by the film Laputa: Castle in the Sky and initially wanted a similar aesthetic, but this was scrapped in favor of a style akin to Top Gun to make the game approachable for worldwide audiences. The game was programmed and tested on a PC-98 system, making it the first Sega-published game developed using personal computers rather than workstations. Developers created techniques for sprite and surface rotation and for smoke trails from missiles. Suzuki lacked time to visit real locations, so stage settings were invented. The refueling and landing sequences were added for variety.

Reception

After Burner was the most popular arcade game in Japan in August 1987 according to Game Machine. It ended the year as the country's second highest-grossing large arcade game, behind Out Run, and then became the overall highest-grossing arcade game of 1988. In the United States, it ranked among the top five highest-grossing dedicated arcade games of 1988 and stayed a top ten earner in various locations through 1990. Upon its release in the United Kingdom in September 1987, it was the top-grossing arcade game. Critics gave it positive reviews. Clare Edgeley of Computer and Video Games called it a fabulous game, praising its gameplay and motion cabinet while noting a lock-on mechanic similar to Data East's Lock-On. Top Score described it as having finger-numbing action and stunning animation, calling it a glossy air combat game that outranks similar efforts. Sinclair User gave it an 8 out of 10. Ciarán Brennan of Your Sinclair urged players not to let the higher price stop them from experiencing the action. Robin Hogg of The Games Machine called it Sega's hottest release so far, praising the graphics and gameplay but criticizing the £1 UK price. At the 1987 Gamest Awards in Japan, After Burner won Best Graphics and was runner-up for Game of the Year. It also received a Special Award at the 1988 Gamest Awards and won Most Innovative Game at the 1988 AMOA Games Awards in the United States.

Ports

After Burner saw releases on many home computers and consoles, including the Amiga, MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, X68000, FM Towns, Commodore 64, Master System, PC Engine, Sega Saturn, MSX, and ZX Spectrum. The Commodore 64 got two separate versions: one in Europe from U.S. Gold, and another in the US from Activision and Weebee Games. A Famicom port came from Sunsoft in Japan, while an unlicensed NES version was released in North America by Tengen. Rutubo Games handled a 32X port, called After Burner Complete in Japan and Europe. A Game Boy Advance version appeared in the Sega Arcade Gallery compilation. The Master System port was a US bestseller for Sega in 1988. Computer Gaming World praised that version for its remarkable aircraft detail, spectacular scenery, and excellent explosions. The ZX Spectrum port scored 90% from Sinclair User and 86% from Crash, with Sinclair User calling it a top-class conversion destined for the charts. Zzap!64 gave the Commodore 64 version a 17% rating, calling it incredibly disappointing with laughably bad graphics and sound. A later Computer Gaming World review for the PC gave it one star out of five, saying it fell short of the arcade original. GamePro found the 32X version's graphics, sound, and gameplay all great, but noted only minor differences from the Genesis version of After Burner II, making it mainly for newcomers. After Burner II itself was also ported to the PC Engine, X68000, Mega Drive, Famicom, FM Towns Marty, Atari ST, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and Sega Saturn. The game was later rebuilt with stereoscopic 3D as part of the 3D Classics series for Nintendo 3DS.

Legacy

Although the After Burner brand was long dormant, Sega created several aerial combat games centered on the F-14 Tomcat with similar features, including G-LOC: Air Battle and its sequel Strike Fighter, later rebranded After Burner III in home release. Later associated games include Sky Target, which retained similar gameplay and presentation with 3D graphics, and Sega Strike Fighter, an arcade flight combat game with free-roaming movement and similar music but featuring an F/A-18 Hornet. In 2006, Sega released After Burner Climax on Sega Lindbergh hardware, the first arcade game to bear the brand since After Burner II. It was ported to Xbox Live Arcade and PSN, followed by the spin-off After Burner: Black Falcon for PSP in 2007. After Burner Climax was de-listed in December 2014, then brought back in March 2019 to digital mobile platforms under the Sega Forever brand. In Japan, After Burner II was released on PlayStation 2 as part of the Sega Ages classic series. M2 ported After Burner II to the Nintendo 3DS eShop in Japan in 2013 and worldwide in 2015, adding Touch Controls, screen layouts resembling various cabinets, and an unlockable Special mode with a time-slowing Burst system. An emulated version of After Burner appears in the in-game arcade in Shenmue 2. The plane from After Burner appears as a cameo in Fighters Megamix via cheat code. Music from After Burner appears remixed in Bayonetta, reused in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.