Hamster, the company behind Arcade Archives, has announced that it will be reissuing Taito's original flight sim, Midnight Landing, on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S tomorrow (Thursday, October 23rd).
Debuting in arcades in 1987, Midnight Landing was the first in a series of flight sim games from the famous Japanese developer, which included 1988's Top Landing, 1995's Landing Gear, and the 1999 title Landing High Japan.
The original version of the game was played with a yoke and a throttle, with these controls being set inside a cockpit-style arcade cabinet decorated to look like the exterior of a commercial airliner, complete with a Taito Airlines logo on the side. As for the game itself, it focuses, as the name suggests, on landing a plane during the night, which was obviously useful at the time, as it meant the developers didn't have to draw large, detailed drawings of airports, but could achieve the same effect with rows of yellow lights on the runway.
While approaching the landing strip, players will need to take into account the wind speed and direction, as well as the angle and rate of descent, with a green "landing" message flashing onscreen if they are successful and a replay showing an alternative angle of their approach.
It's not exactly the most in-depth flight sim ever created, but it will likely be a source of interest for fans of Taito, as it has never been reissued on consoles before.
The game costs $7.99 on Switch and PS4, with the Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S versions being priced at $9.99. An upgrade option from Switch & PS4 to Switch 2 and PS5 is also available for $2.99.