Hector '87/Gameplay

Controls

 * : Use the direction pad to guide the ship across the screen. You are able to move the ship in eight directions, regardless of scrolling orientation.
 * : Press the A button to fire air-to-ground cluster bombs.
 * : Press the B button to fire the air-to-air photon cannon.
 * : Press the Start button to begin a new game, or to pause the action mid-game.
 * : Press the Select button to change the menu selection on the title screen or mode select screen.

Game Modes

 * Normal: The Normal mode allows you to play through all six histories in the game. You begin the game with three lives, with the opportunity to earn more at 200,000, at 500,000, and at 1,000,000 points.  The game ends if you run out of lives, or if you beat the boss of the sixth and final stage.
 * 2 Minutes: Earn as many points as you can in 2 minutes of play. You only get one life.  The game ends immediately after two minutes, or if your ship runs out of energy.
 * 5 Minutes: Earn as many points as you can in 5 minutes of play. You only get one life.  The game ends immediately after five minutes, or if your ship runs out of energy.

Starship Hector
You must pilot the Starship Hector through history to find out the fate of six lost civilizations. In some histories, the game will be presented from a top-down perspective while the view scrolls vertically. In other histories, the game will be presented from a side view while the screen scrolls horizontally. In other case, the capability of the starship is the same. However, the different views cause the weapons to function slightly differently. In the vertical view, the air-to-air photon cannons can only be used to hit aerial enemies, and the air-to-ground cluster bombs are only effective against ground targets. In the horizontal view, both weapons are almost equally effective against all enemies regardless of whether they are ground or air based. The only exception to this are the objects that provide your ship with extra energy; in both views, they can only be prompted to provide you with energy by hitting them with cluster bombs.

The starship has a shield that will degrade when the ship is hit by an enemy or their bullets. It begins with 16 units of energy. Most collisions that you sustain will cause four units of energy to be lost from the shield, although collisions with some larger enemies or the level terrain can destroy your craft instantly. Bombing the particular objects that provide you with energy is the only way to restore shield energy that you have lost within a stage. Clearing a stage and advancing to the next stage will also restore your energy. Stages are cleared by advancing to the end of that history, and defeating the boss that awaits you. If you die at any point in the level, you will be forced to return to the beginning of that level; there are no mid-points in this game.