The cancelled Jaleco shoot 'em up returns after 35 years in this incredible release!
Jaleco's P-47: The Phantom Fighter proved to be a success at the arcades. Various ports would arrive in 1989, hitting various home PC consoles in Japan and Europe, such as the Commodore 64, Amiga, DOS, Atari ST, and the ZX Spectrum under the title of P-47: The Thunderbolt. A port to the Japanese Mega Drive under the title of P-47 II: The Freedom Star, which would have been Jaleco's first entry on the console, was well in development before the project was canceled. After 35 years, this unreleased game has returned once more to add another exciting entry to the console's library of shoot 'em ups as P-47 II MD. Don't miss your chance to own this blast from the past!
P-47 II MD - Collector's Edition
Battle across the European and Pacific fronts during World War II and take control of the United States Army Air Forces’ P-47 Thunderbolt! Fight to destroy Japan’s super-heavy prototype bomber, FUGAKU. With stunning multi-layered scrolling, navigate through beautifully rendered stages, including Europe’s scenic landscapes, high-altitude cloud seas, and vast oceans. Face iconic bosses, such as the battleship YAMATO and the airborne carrier AKAGI!
3,775 Units Shipped Worldwide
ALL ORDERS DELIVERED AUGUST 2025
May 1988
Developed by NMK, later to be known for developing Zed Blade, would develop and release P-47: The Freedom Fighter (P-47: ザ・フリーダム・ファイター), published by Jaleco. The game focused on defeating the Nazis all over the world using a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. In August, the arcade cabinet would also launch in North America and Europe under the title P-47: The Phantom Fighter. It proved to be a hit at the arcade and was praised as being Jaleco's best game to date.
March 1989
P-47 The Freedom Fighter launched on the Japanese PC Engine the following year. This version was a faithful port and was praised by reviewers for its graphics and music.
1990
Additional ports were made by Source the Software House and Firebird Software in Europe. These included the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS all under the title of P47 Thunderbolt.
1990?
A group of developers within Jaleco began working on a conversion of the arcade for the Japanese Mega Drive. The game initially began as a faithful port but it began to change enough that it went under the working title of P-47: The Freedom Star. The game would never be released but even after Jaleco's licenses moved to City Connection, the game was not forgotten. As such, Clarice Disc, City Connection's music label, would release the soundtrack of the unreleased game in 2015 as part of SUPER Rom Cassette Disc in Jaleco. Additionally, the game was playable at an event in Japan.
March 1995
P-47 Aces was developed by NMK and Jaleco for Japanese arcades. As the sequel, it takes up after the events of the first game, where the player chooses between four pilots as part of a squadron under the command of the United World Armies in order to take different enemies across eight stages.
2020
In 2020, Hamster added the arcade version of P-47: The Freedom Fighter to their Arcade Archives which began adding arcade games to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch starting in 2014, initially starting with Neo-Geo games before adding dozens more.
September 2022
P-47 Aces Mark II is an upgraded version of Aces done by eXA-Arcadia. It has three play modes: original, wide, and mark II. Wide mode is a rebalanced version of the game while Mark II is a "director's cut" which adds four additional pilots (two of which are from Plus Alpha, another Jaleco title), the original Hyper system, along with new stages and enemies.
March 2025
The complete version of P-47: The Freedom Star was finally released by City Connection in 2025 under the name of P-47 II MD, for the Japanese Mega Drive and was released alongside a mini CD of the game's soundtrack. Retro-Bit Publishing would open pre-orders in January and release the game in August 2025. This version comes with a new slipcase, updated instruction manual, and the same mini CD soundtrack all with a cartridge that is compatible with NTSC-U and PAL consoles.
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