Controls[edit]
- Joystick or
: Use the joystick or direction pad to guide each player's biplane in any one of eight directions. Although the plane will always face left, and continue to fly over the terrain in that direction, you control the relative placement of the plane throughout the visible screen. - Fire or
: Press the fire button to shoot your biplane's gun. You have unlimited ammunition, and can fire up to three bullets on the screen at a single time. The bullets have a limited range and disappear if they do not hit anything after traveling a certain distance. Bullets always travel to the left, but they are affected by the climbing or diving of your plane. - Loop or
: Press the loop button to make your biplane perform an aerial 360° loop. If pressed by itself, the plane's final position will be slightly behind where you initiated the loop. Use the joystick in conjunction with looping to influence the eventual outcome of the loop. While looping, your plane is invulnerable to attack, but becomes vulnerable once again immediately after to loop is finished. 
: NES only. Press the Start button in the middle of the game to pause the action.
Players[edit]
The battle of Sky Kid is waged by two brave ace pilots, the Red Baron and Blue Max. The names "Red Baron" and "Blue Max" are references to Manfred von Richthofen, the famous World War I flying ace, and the prestigious order Pour le Mérite, informally known as Blue Max. Although this aspect is downplayed in the American release of the game, the Red Baron and Blue Max are in fact birds. They are lead by their commander Black Hawk, and they are fighting the army of the Green Crows. In each mission, they are assigned a particular bomb target, although other targets may be present throughout the mission. Their only goal is to take off, survive the assault of the Green Crow army, navy, and air force, obtain the bomb, drop it on their assigned target, and safely land on the runway. It's certainly far easier said than done. The Green Crows will throw all of their firepower at either player in an effort to shoot them out of the sky. But as ace pilots, the Baron and Max can't be taken out of action so easily.
Two players[edit]
In a two player game, both players will fight against the Green Crows simultaneously. While the objective is to work cooperatively together, players can interfere with one another and make things harder. If one player shoots the other player, the player who was hit will be temporarily disabled. That player will not fall, but he or she will be momentarily unable to move or fire. Even for a split second, this can be the difference between surviving or falling. Try not to fire at your partner.
Looping[edit]
Looping is a one of the most powerful techniques in the game. While your plane is looping, you are invulnerable to every attack. You can use this technique to avoid being shot down, to change your position quickly on the screen, or even to fire in five directions that you could not ordinarily fire in. If you fire while you are looping, your bullets will travel in whatever direction your plane is facing. While the timing can be very difficult to master, it's possible to fire straight up or down, or backward, or some diagonal combination of those directions.
Flight recovery[edit]
When Baron or Max are shot, they begin to nose dive towards the ground. When this occurs, players can press up on the joystick and mash the buttons as quickly as possible in an effort to right the plane again. If the player succeeds in time, the plane will stabilize and play will continue on. The higher the mission, and the more the player is shot, the harder it becomes to correct the flight of a diving plane.
| 1st tail spin | 2nd tail spin | 3rd tail spin | n tail spins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission 1 | 3 button taps | 5 button taps | 7 button taps | 2 more taps than the previous tail spin. |
| Mission 2 | 5 button taps | 7 button taps | 9 button taps | |
| Mission 3 and beyond |
7 button taps | 9 buttons taps | 11 button taps |
Enemies[edit]
Enemy Planes[edit]
100 points. The majority of your dogfights will be against these fellows. The Green Crows may not be great fighters, but they are master squadron pilots, and can keep a tight formation whenever they need to. They have three basic behaviors. They can engage Baron and Max head to head by flying from left to right. They can tail Baron and Max by appearing from the right and flying to the left, sometimes traveling in lazy waves up and down. But the most vicious of the Green Crows pursue Baron and Max from behind with great speed. You must be especially careful of these faster pilots. Nothing distinguishes them from any other pilots visual except their independent flight behavior. Loop behind them when they get too close and fire!
Commander[edit]
300 points (50 points per Parachute). Commanders will appear occasionally in certain missions. They will always fly from right to left. As they do, they leave behind several bombs connected to parachutes in hopes that one will get in Baron or Max's way and blow them up. Don't let them get the drop on you. Either get above them and blast them from above if it's possible, or carefully angle yourself beneath the shower of parachutes and fire up at the bottom of the plane.
Trucks[edit]
200 points. Trucks are a very basic, non-offensive ground unit. They are completely defenseless and cannot fire back at you. They are used by the Green Crows to transport military equipment, and the travel across the ground at a good clip.
Tanks[edit]
200 points each. The Green Crow army contains two types of tanks; antiaircraft tanks and regualar tanks. The tank on the left is the antiaircraft type. Like Baron and Max, they have a limited range and can only hit a target about halfway up the screen. But they can swivel the turret and aim in either direction. The right tank can only fire straight forward, and is used to lead a chain of ground units in case Baron and Max decide to fly down low and take them all out. Avoid taking on the right tank head on, as you will usually lose the contest.
Rapid Cannon[edit]
200 points. Rapid Cannons are stationary cannons that blast a projectile high up into the sky. When that projectile nears the top of the screen, the projectile explodes into four pieces. While the projectile is capable of damaging the players' planes, the explosion is far more dangerous since it is larger and lasts longer. Avoid hanging out at the very top of the screen when Rapid Cannons are within range.
Boats[edit]
200 points each. The Green Crow navy is not their most impressive armed force, but it serves its purpose. The Air Boats are very much like the antiaircraft tanks. They fire upwards at the players, but have a limited range. The Rapid Boats, shown to the right, are like floating Rapid Cannons. They can shoot exploding cannon projectiles in the air over the water. The same strategies for Rapid Cannons apply to Rapid Boats. Stay out of the upper atmosphere when they're around.
Submarines[edit]
1000 points. Submarines are not capable of attacking Baron or Max. They are used by the Green Crows to keep tabs of the battle, and hence, they periodically rise to the surface to get a better glimpse of the action. When they do, they will rise for a short period of time before diving back under the surface of the water. This is your opportunity to launch an attack on them and earn a nice 1000 point bonus. However, don't foolishly pursue the Submarines if doing so would being you within range of enemy fire, or cause you to collide with the terrain.
Fire Balloon[edit]
200 points / 500 points. Fire Balloons are a special division of the Green Crow's aerial forces. They use hot air balloons to hover in place and intercept any aerial threat invading their territory. They are capable of firing in four directions at one time. While dangerous to face, they possess a serious design flaw. They are vulnerable in two different place. If you manage to shoot the balloon down, the gunship portion crashes to the ground. If you shoot the gunship portion, the balloon flies harmlessly into the air. You will earn 200 points for whichever segment of the Fire Balloon you hit, but you can also earn a bonus 500 points if you manage to shoot the other section out of the air while it is falling/rising.
Mini Balloon[edit]
200 points. Mini Balloons are a little bit like the Fire Balloons. They hover in mid-air in anticipation of any invading forces. They can only fire in one direction, and they do not possess the same design flaw as the Fire Balloons. Once you hit any portion of it, the entire thing explodes.
Attack Missile[edit]
Deluxe only. 500 points. Attack Missiles will appear on the screen if you perform a loop at particular points in the missions. They appear in the top-left corner of the screen, and speed across to the right side. They do not attack Baron or Max directly.
Kaminari Kid[edit]
Deluxe only. These indestructible gods of thunder make life difficult for our aerial heroes. They sit atop particular storm clouds and create lightning in every direction beneath the cloud. Baron and Max must do well to avoid the terrible electric storms that these deities create. When they appear on the screen, special music begins to play to make you aware of their presence. When you hear this music, remember to make survival your priority, and get out of harm's way.