- Release Date: 1982
- Genre: Shooter
- Style: Side-Scrolling Shooter
- Similar Games: Defender (Arcade), Stargate (Arcade), Defender (Commodore 64/128), Stargate (Game Boy), Stargate (Sega Genesis), Stargate (Sega Game Gear), Defender (Atari Video Computer System), Stargate (Atari Video Computer System), Stargate (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Stargate (Nintendo Entertainment System), Defender (ColecoVision), Defender (Texas Instruments TI-99), Stargate (Commodore 64/128), Defender (Intellivision), Defender (Atari 5200)
Game Description
In Sea Hawk you begin the game with eight Sea Hawk fighter planes, each of which are equipped with a machine gun and an unlimited supply of torpedoes. The action in this air-sea battle scrolls to the left and the right, and you can fly in all directions. Your job is to shoot down E-Gull helicopters and destroy AtakLaunch ships. Watch out where you drop the torpedoes, because your own Red Hawk aircraft carriers share the ocean with the enemy ships. If you bomb one of the aircraft carriers, you lose points.If you are taken down by an E-Gull or an AtakLaunch ship, you can parachute to safety. If you land in the ocean or on an enemy vessel, you die, but if you can manage to maneuver to one of the aircraft carriers, your life will be spared. For every 20 E-Gull helicopters you destroy, you will get an extra plane.
You can play Sea Hawk in a fast or slow mode, and there are also three difficulty levels to choose from. In the first level, only one helicopter will appear in the skies. In level two, a couple of helicopters will appear simultaneously, and in the third level of play, three helicopters will come after you. If you are in either the first or second level, you will advance to the next level when you score 10,000 points.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Roots & Influences
Defender, which debuted in the arcades in 1980, was the first game to feature shooting and flying of this type.~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Sea Hawk is similar to Defender in that the screen scrolls to the left and the right, you fly in all directions and shoot horizontally. However, Defender has a wider variety of enemies but no torpedoes, and it takes place on an alien planet instead of above the sea. Both games are intense, challenging shooters, but Defender is more electrifying.While not a very colorful game, Sea Hawk at least has respectable visuals. It has a somewhat faded look since most of the playfield is the color of a pale blue sky, but the clouds are passable and the horizon looks kind of cool. Also, the water actually ripples with some degree of success.
There's no music, but the sound effects, which are admittedly few, are not bad. The torpedoes sound good, and the firing of the machine gun is far from annoying. Other than that, there is the sound of wind and an explosive noise when you get shot. When you destroy an enemy, the game is strangely and disappointingly silent.
The controls in Sea Hawk take some getting used to, but they work fairly well. To fire the torpedoes you simply push the fire button, but to fire the machine gun, you must push the joystick left or right. Since Atari 2600 controllers only have one button, this is a nice solution.
Sea Hawk will impress shooter fans with its emphasis on aiming torpedoes and dodging helicopter bullets. The parachute angle is great which gives you the opportunity to try and float to safety on one of aircraft carriers every time you get shot. It's also cool that you must be careful to not hit your own ships. However, the action gets a little old after awhile, primarily because there are only two kinds of enemies.
Overall, Sea Hawk is a decent game that will test your shooting and maneuvering skills. It's kind of fun to play, but it needs more enemies and, perhaps, an occasional change of scenery.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
Sea Hawk is a semi-enjoyable shooter with plenty of challenge, but don't feel like you have to rush out and find a copy.~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
The graphics are a little bit on the dull side, but they are good enough to get by.~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
There aren't many different sound effects, but the ones included aren't bad.~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
A few more enemies would be nice.~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
The manual is adequate.~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
