Space Manbow

Space Manbow is a 1989 scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Konami for the MSX2 home computer. It was later ported to mobile phones, followed by digital re-releases for the Virtual Console and Microsoft Windows via Project EGG. The plot follows Kliever Mu, an archaeologist and former pilot, who takes on the mission of preventing the Manbow space battleship from destroying the solar system. The player controls the Manbow-J, fighting enemies and avoiding obstacles, while collecting power-ups to enhance the ship's firepower.

Konami's MSX division initially decided to adapt the arcade game Thunder Cross for the MSX, but the final product was deemed uninteresting. Konami would halt production if the game was not enjoyable, so the team remade it several times, but it still failed to get approval. Around that time, Osaka Gas began incorporating manbow fish into its advertising, and Akihiko Nagata, general manager of Konami's PC department, decided to capitalize on the idea. The game was redesigned from scratch, with input from other teams within the MSX division, resulting in Space Manbow. The soundtrack was composed by Tsuyoshi Sekito and Yuji Takenouchi using a sound chip that expanded the audio capabilities of the MSX.

Space Manbow earned critical acclaim, with praise for its audiovisual presentation, balanced difficulty, and smooth multidirectional scrolling. Retrospective commentary in the years following its release have hailed it as one of the best titles for the MSX.