To mark the release of Toaplan Arcade Garage: Flying Fire Shark on Western eShops on 29th August 2026, we're republishing our original import review from May 2022.
Please note that the text below refers to the Japanese release and there may be differences between the versions and DLC available on your local eShop.
M2’s ShotTriggers series has been an ongoing pilgrimage of preservation for some of the greatest shoot 'em ups in arcade history. Hishou Same! Same! Same! combines an early Toaplan series of two: Hishouzame and Same! Same! Same!, known in the West as Flying Shark and Fire Shark, respectively.
Both original arcade titles are presented here with a variety of modes, correctly maintained aspect ratios, screen settings, and a library of bonus features and options to tinker with. Regional variations are also present, since they have slight alterations in overall difficulty. After an initially long load, the opening menu screen blasts you like a Van Halen power ballad with a terrific arrangement of Flying Shark’s ‘Against The Attack’ — regrettably unavailable as an in-game audio option.
Flying Shark (1987) and its sequel, Fire Shark (1989), are quasi-World War-themed shoot 'em ups, sending up biplanes with hefty ordnance against futuristic, cannon-bristled tanks, battleship-patrolled seas, enemy bases and muted mountain ranges. Graphically, these titles are a product of their time, and all the more endearing for it, peppered with land-based details like runway strip airmen pointing you to glory, or the trailing plane that crashes on take-off, its pilot lying inert in a smouldering pit.
Toaplan sought to broaden their shoot-'em-up horizons with a faster, more expansive experience in the Shark titles, ploughed with secrets, bonuses and layered scoring elements. Anyone who assumes that the modern bullet hell format is the summit of shoot-'em-up difficulty doesn’t understand the broadness of the genre.
In bullet hell, 90% of fire is pure periphery, obfuscating paths through tiny hitboxes. Conversely, Flying Shark and Fire Shark are absolute destroyers of worlds, with singular aimed bullets zipping in from every direction. To ease the pain, M2 provides a finger-sparing auto-fire button — something the original arcade release didn’t have by default. Unfortunately, it’s locked at 10hz speed, which is about double what it should be, and as a result there is some break-up in the rate of fire.
Like most shoot 'em ups, powering up is a matter of urgency, and doing so requires you to know the opening stages in detail. Flying Shark is the easier game, with just five stages in a loop, and more limited weapon options and strategies. It’s similar in feel to Tiger-Heli, though less punishing, and some may prefer its brevity and relative simplicity. More straightforwardly structured, you swat biplane formations and accrue power-ups until you’re laying out a formidable barrage. It’s an extremely enjoyable learning process, and getting through even the first 15-minute loop is incredibly gratifying thanks to its incremental nature and awesome, driving soundtrack.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/toaplan-arcade-garage-hishou-same-same-same
