Transformers: Mystery of Convoy

The Transformers: Mystery of Convoy is a 1986 video game developed by ISCO and published by Takara in Japan for the Famicom. It is based on the popular toyline Transformers. The game was made available on the Wii's Virtual Console service on June 10, 2008.

The game stars Autobot protagonist Ultra Magnus. The titular Mystery is the identity of Optimus Prime's (referred to in the title as 'Convoy') killer, as the 1986 film did not see a Japanese release for another four years. Thus, Optimus Prime's death was not adequately explained to the Japanese audience; this game was intended to capitalize on that gap.

Although the game title is The Transformers: Mystery of Convoy, 'Convoy' is misspelled as 'Comvoy' on both the game box and the cartridge (see above).

It was also highly requested by many people to be featured in a DVD Special episode of the hit Japanese television show GameCenter CX (known outside Japan as Retro Game Master), which was seriously accepted by the show's staff. Tele Tele TV Magazine ran a contest in their December 1986 issue to win an exclusive limited edition silver-plated cart of the game. Only 50 were made and given to the first of those 50 who sent in a postcard with their name, address and favorite Transformer. The only change to the game itself was an extra ® Registration to Takara 1987 over of the 1986 one.

The Transformers: The Movie was initially released only in the Western market. The movie details the final epic battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron, during which Optimus sustained fatal injuries. As a result, he passes the Autobot Matrix of Leadership on to Ultra Magnus before dying. The third season of the animated series picked up where the movie left off, and was aired in both the United States and Japan (where it was retitled Transformers 2010). However, since the movie was not yet released in Japan, the Japanese audience was left to wonder about the fate of Optimus Prime. This is the premise of the game, in which Ultra Magnus goes on a solo mission through various Decepticon strongholds to find out exactly what happened to Optimus.

The player controls Ultra Magnus, who must shoot his way through 10 horizontally and vertically scrolling levels consisting of various Decepticon enemies, with a boss fight at the end of each level. He can transform into a car carrier, which makes it easier for him to avoid enemy attacks, drive through narrow entrances and shoot enemies that are flying above him. Along the way, he can also pick up various power-ups which can give him wider ranging firepower or even the ability to fly. There are two Warp Zones within the game; they can be found by rescuing Bumblebee from the Decepticons.

The bosses for each level consist of mostly large Decepticon symbols in different color palettes. The only Deceptions Ultra Magnus actually fights are Megatron, who for unexplained reasons is the penultimate boss, and Trypticon (known in Japan as Dinosaurer), the final boss.

Another playable character in the game is Rodimus Prime, who can be unlocked by collecting the letters that spell Rodimus. One is hidden, sequentially, in levels 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9. However, though his vehicle mode has its own graphics, his robot-mode sprite is Ultra Magnus in Rodimus's palette.