Known in its native Japan as Hi no Tori Hououhen, and Firebird in the West, this 1987 Konami release for the MSX2 is a vertically-scrolling shooter of some repute.

Firebird is based on a very popular Japanese Manga series (Hi no Tori, or “bird of fire” or “Phoenix”) by Osamu Tezuka.

Firebird is a very tough game to master and is quite simplistic by today’s standards, but was significant at the time and has a cult following still now. Worth a play if you can find a copy.

More: Firebird on Wikipedia