Developer: Hudson Soft Publisher: Taxan Released: 1989 Genre: Shooter
The Star Soldier series was once an institution in Japan, with yearly installments to complement their shooting caravan competition. The fact that most of the games were good/bordering on fantastic also helped. But in the West it went largely unnoticed. It is kind of hard to stand out when your competition is Gradius and R-Type. That being said it is a damn sight better than crap like 1942 and Tiger Heli. While the series would truly come into its own on the Turbo Grafx-16 it had its start on the NES. Star Soldier is a decent game, only let down by its repetition and high difficulty.
The first thing you will notice in Star Soldier is its speed. For an early NES game it is fast. Enemies spawn relentlessly and the game throws around a lot of sprites with no slowdown. It is an impressive feat for such an understated game. Star Soldier was born from Tecmo’s Star Force and as such shares many of the same enemies and level elements. However even though the games are similar on the surface Star Soldier introduces features missing from that game that are common in other shooters.
Weapons are a bit light in Star Soldier. Power-ups increase your default shot twice. The first produces a triple shot, two in the front and one in the back. The next is multi-directional cannon which will go on to become a staple of the series. In addition you can find a shield that protects from multiple hits. The differences between weapons are slight but significant in gameplay terms the double shot has rapid fire and is ideal for destroying the end level star brains. The multi shot is better served during the levels as enemies spawn everywhere. It is a shame there aren’t more options as the game could have used them.
One of the most unique features in Star Soldier is diving underneath parts of the background. By ducking under the environment you can avoid all enemy attacks but cannot return fire. It is perfect for the more difficult sections of the game (which is most) but is finicky to invoke in practice. You can initiate it by the direction you approach an opening in the background. Most of the time it will happen by accident; a happy accident mind you, but still involuntary. It is an interesting mechanic and one that would have better served the game if its implementation were better.
As with most old school shooters the difficulty in Star Soldier is brutal. Right from the start the game is throwing enemy waves in rapid succession at a pace you would expect from the end game. It doesn’t let up either; in fact it only gets worse. Your weapon selection is poor in comparison which makes an already challenging game that much more difficult. Death sends you back to the beginning of the level which is a bitter pill to swallow but there is something even worse. If you do not defeat the end level boss in a set amount of time it gets away. Unfortunately you will have to replay the level and try again. With your meager weapon choices it is possible to repeat this process multiple times, especially toward the end. Most will give up, not just because it is tedious but due to the game’s structure.
What ruins Star Soldier is its repetition. Although the game is sixteen levels long by stage seven you have seen almost all it has to offer. The stages may shuffle their elements but they are still the same, merely palette swapped. Even the end level star brains are the same. Every fourth level they become bigger but that ends after stage eight. That means you still spend the back half of the game going through the motions, only it is more difficult. To an extent you can lobby the same criticism at Gradius and its Mothership but that game isn’t nearly as long as this. Sometimes less is more and that applies in this case.
In Closing
Star Soldier has a solid base but is only average overall due to its flaws. Star Soldier’s action is intense yet the repetitive gameplay means it is not compelling in the end. Play its far superior sequels and admire this from afar.
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