Star Soldier
System: NES
Release Date: January 1989
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Taxan
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
I was thinking Star Soldier felt very similar to something I played before and I see it was made by Hudson Soft, just as Star Force was back in 1987. Here, the fearsome Starbrain is threatening the Galactic Empire and it’s up to you to stop it! You pilot the Caesar spaceship and must destroy enemy ships and robot creatures.
This is a vertical scroller that also inches left and right. Enemies come on screen from the top or bottom and you shoot them with lasers with either the A or B Buttons. You start off weak and have to tap the button quickly to get any level of fire power. Throughout the stages, you may find P icons, which should immediately be shot so you can reveal an S powerup, which allows you to shoot more bullets. A second powerup transforms the ship into a more powerful version which shoots backward, as well. A third powerup allows you to shoot in five directions and grants you a shield that protects from five bullets. Any powerups collected from this point will clear the screen of enemies.
At the end of each level is Starbrain. You must destroy this enemy as quickly as you can, because it will fly away if you take too long. Then you have to start the level all over again, which you won’t be happy about. Sometimes I would find myself trying to blast away at a wave of enemies and end up under the terrain of the level. This would stop me from being able to shoot and typically lead to me coming out in a dangerous position. I made it to the first larger Starbrain and died several times from crashing into enemy sprites before giving up.
Graphics: 1.5
The graphics are nothing special. There isn’t any slowdown or flickering that I remember. Going under the terrain is a novel graphical touch.
Sound: 1.0
The sound is forgettable. I finished playing twenty minutes prior to writing this and have no memory of it.
Gameplay: 1.5
At least there are powerups, but they aren’t very powerful.
Difficulty: 1.5
Die and you’re going to start with no firepower and a lack of powerup blocks, so you might as well start over.
Fun Factor: 0.5
This wasn’t a fun shoot ‘em up, I was frustrated and disappointed by it within five minutes.
Overall Grade: 1.2
Star Soldier earns a D+. This is a generic shoot ‘em up that doesn’t bring anything new to the genre. You can pass on it.