BreakThru is a horizontally scrolling shoot ’em up developed and published by Data East for the NES, ported from the 1986 arcade original. Players drive an armed assault vehicle through five enemy strongholds — mountains, bridges, prairies, cities, and airfields — shooting tanks, jeeps, and helicopters and jumping over mines and gaps to recover a stolen fighter plane.
How To Play BreakThru
Control
Action
D-Pad
Move the vehicle (speed up, slow down, change position)
A Button
Fire the main gun
B Button
Jump over obstacles, mines, and gaps
Start
Start game / pause
About BreakThru
Release date
Arcade (JP): 1986 · NES (NA): November 1987 · NES (JP): 1987
Developer
Data East
Publisher
Data East
Platform
NES / Famicom; originally Arcade, plus Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64
Genre
Side-scrolling shoot ’em up (vehicular combat)
Modes
Single-player
Also known as
強行突破 (Kyoukou Toppa, “Forced Breakthrough”) — Japan
Sheldon has spent over a decade immersed in retro gaming, from NES classics to arcade gems. He's deeply passionate about preserving gaming history and helping others rediscover these timeless titles. When he's not gaming, Shaun writes about the evolution of video games and their cultural impact.
