Power Strike (SMS)

Power Strike Box Art

Power Strike

System: SMS

Release Date: December 1988

Developer: Compile

Publisher: Sega

Genre: Shoot ‘em Up

So I’m playing Power Strike and I just get this feeling like I’ve played this game before, despite never having a Master System growing up. The game is moving quickly, there are numbered powerups. I’m feeling I’ve definitely played this recently. Then I start looking back at old videos, because I know I have and I come across Zanac. I take a look at the video and realize the two games are basically the same thing. Yup, Compile developed both games.

Super intelligent monster plants have been set loose on an unsuspecting population and it’s up to YOU to wipe out the invaders with the world’s fastest and most powerful jet fighter. Rack up millions of points destroying everything you possibly can, because you can bet they’ll be gunning for you. Your jet fighter is armed with two weapons. First, you have your trusty pulse guns that are fired with Button 1. You can power these bad boys up by collecting Power Chips from enemies. Speed, distance, and attack power are all upgraded, then dual shots, then a tri-shot to top things off.

There are eight different secondary weapons available, too, activated with Button 2. Each powers up as you collect more of the same number, but good luck doing that outside of predetermined areas. #1, the directional shot shoots a ball of energy in the direction you’re facing. #2 is the web gun, which you charge by holding the button before releasing. #3 the laser cannon is particularly adept at shooting through enemy projectiles that otherwise keep them alive. #4 is the rolling fire, which circles around the jet, acting as a shield.

#5 was my weapon of choice, the homing flame. These follow enemies around the screen and I felt like they took care of projectiles coming my way. #6 is the swing web, which will cheat left or right, depending on the direction you’re moving. #7, the plasma ball, sits in front of the ship and vaporizes anything that gets in its way. Finally, #8 is the wipe laser, which is similar to #3, but it covers a wider area.

There are six levels with all sorts of mid-bosses and mini-bosses, and a final battle. If you die, you’ll lose all your powerups and be ripe for another immediate death. I don’t know if I would be able to get through this one legit, even with the ample slowdown, I was having a difficult time if I were to die once. I can’t say the ending was really worth it, you get 2 million points and 20 free guys, but then the game is over. If you hit continue, you start on Round 0 which seems like a super fast reskin of Round 1, and then it’s straight to Round 6, where I died and decided to move on.

Graphics: 2.5

The sprite and background graphics are kind of nice. There isn’t a lot of flickering, which is a plus in a shoot ‘em up.

Sound: 3.5

The music and sound effects are really good.

Gameplay: 2.0

There are a lot of different weapons to play with, but they needed to be more available to powerup.

Difficulty: 3.0

This is a bullet hell game and is hard. I’m not sure how long it would take to get good, but I’m sure someone out there has pulled it off.

Fun Factor: 2.0

When I get in the zone and played well, I was enjoying myself. The second I died, it might as well have been game over, because there’s no coming back from losing your fully powered up ship in the middle of a level.

Overall Grade: 2.6

Power Strike earns a B-. If you’re into bullet hell games, you’ll probably like Power Strike. If you’re into the genre, you know this as Aleste and know Compile has produced a ton of similar games.

Power Strike Video Review on YouTube