When did Twin Hawk release?

Twin Hawk was first released on December 31, 1989.

Twin Hawk

Dec 31, 1989ShooterArcadeSega Mega Drive/Genesis TurboGrafx-16/PC EngineTurbografx-16/PC Engine CDPC Engine

Twin Hawk — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Twin Hawk on?: Twin Hawk was released on Arcade, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD, PC Engine.
When did Twin Hawk release?: Twin Hawk was first released on December 31, 1989.

About Twin Hawk

Twin Hawk is a 1989 vertically scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito. Twin Hawk resembles other shooters of the time, specifically Toaplan's earlier game, Flying Shark. Also like Toaplan's other games, there were various differences between the Japanese version and other versions, including a checkpoint system and higher difficulty for the former. Unusually, the game contains no flying enemies; thus, a complete lack of physical obstructions and a stronger focus on the numbers and speed of ground forces. Another draw of Twin Hawk is the game's unique "smartbomb" in the form of a group of friendly planes; pressing button 2 once will call in six Flying Fortresses to surround and protect the player's plane, and provide back-up fire. They are easily taken down by enemy fire, so the player must use them wisely. Pressing button 2 again immediately after the call-in will sacrifice the planes for a more typical smartbomb. Otherwise, pressing button 2 while any other plane is on-screen will suicide them all into the nearest enemies below.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD, PC Engine
Developer: Toaplan
Publisher: Taito
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Warfare

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

59/100

from 5 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Fake risk
Sega Genesis	1990	$27	$71	—	60%	Low

Also released on: Arcade · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine · Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD · PC Engine. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29

Loose

$27

Complete

$71

Sealed

—

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Japanese release	$35	$54	—

How often it sells

Loose: about once a month
Complete: about 2 times a month
Sealed: about once a year

Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.

Price over time

Loose
Complete

A loose copy sold for about $24 in Jul 2018, $21 five years ago, and $27 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2019	$17.38	$34
Jan 2020	$17.76	$44
Jan 2021	$16.00	$46
Jan 2022	$27	$54
Jan 2023	$31	$63
Jan 2024	$21	$71
Jan 2025	$26	$58
Jan 2026	$28	$53
Oct 2026	$27	$71

Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.

Release record

Territory	Date	Barcode
Europe / PAL	1990	—
Japan	23 June 1990	4974365540340

Source: Product numbers: MAME's Mega Drive software list and the No-Intro serial records in the libretro database, published where both agree on the same cartridge dump, or from the libretro records alone where MAME lists no number for that dump. Board and ROM numbers: MAME's software list

Region: EU+JP
Released: 1990
Authenticity: Low

Modern re-releases, such as Sega Ages, the Genesis Mini and Nintendo Switch Online, are not tracked hereLow counterfeit risk

Sega Genesis prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A faithful but forgettable Toaplan shooter conversion that reviewers found far too easy.

Twin Hawk is the Mega Drive version of Toaplan's 1989 vertically scrolling arcade shooter, ported by the same Toaplan staff and published by Sega. It came out in Japan on 23 June 1990 and in Europe the same year. You command a Flying Fortress fighter in an alternate end-of-World-War-II setting. The port stays faithful to the arcade game, but a smaller color palette means the sprites are recolored.

Reviews were lukewarm. Mean Machines Sega called it very average and said it added nothing to an overtired genre, and Sega Pro in 1994 found it fun at first but criminally easy to complete.

What the press said at the time

Mean Machines Sega Issue 3

December 1992

60%

“Yet more Megadrive vertically scrolling malarkey, with the usual assortment of power-ups and end-of-level bosses. Twin Hawk is very average indeed, adding nothing to an already overtired genre.”
— Mean Machines Sega, December 1992

How the Sega Genesis version differs

Mean Machines scored the Megadrive game 60%, calling it very average and adding nothing to an overtired genre.

Sega Pro also called it an average shoot-'em-up, criminally easy to complete.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · PC Engine · PC Engine CD-ROM²

Arcade

Toaplan

Arcade. The arcade game uses either a checkpoint system or an immediate-respawn system, depending on its settings.

Before you buy

Among European-only carts it sits above the middle. The Japanese loose cart usually costs somewhat more than the European one, while a complete Japanese copy usually costs less; the Japanese cartridge has a different shape and needs an adapter or two plastic tabs removed from a Western console's slot.