| Strider | |
|---|---|
 Arcade flyer | |
| Developer |
|
| Publisher | Capcom
|
| Director | Kouichi Yotsui |
| Designers | Kouichi Yotsui Tokuro Fujiwara Shinichi Yoshimoto |
| Composer | Junko Tamiya[11] |
| Platform | |
| Release | January 1989
|
| Genres | Hack and slash,platform[12][13] |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
| Arcade system | CP System |
Strider, released in Japan asStrider Hiryū,[b] is a 1989hack and slashplatform game developed and published byCapcom forarcades. Set in adystopian future where Earth is ruled by the tyrannical Grandmaster Meio, it follows the titular Strider named Hiryu as he attempts to end his tyrannical reign for good. The game resulted from cooperation between Capcom and manga publisherMoto Kikaku. It marked the video game debut of Strider Hiryu, after the character was introduced in the 1988mangaStrider Hiryu.
The game debuted on Capcom'sCP System arcade board. Various home computer ports were developed byTiertex and published byU.S. Gold in 1989. TheNES version has a different plot than the original.Sega releasedStrider for its ownGenesis console in 1990. Of all home versions, the Genesis adaptation is considered the most successful, winning the Game of the Year and Best Graphics in a Video Game awards fromElectronic Gaming Monthly in 1990.
Strider's gameplay is cited as a major influence on the video game franchisesNinja Gaiden,Devil May Cry, andGod of War. It became one of Capcom's early hits, praised for its innovative gameplay, diverse and unique music, and multilingual voice samples.
The controls ofStrider consist of an eight-way joystick and two action buttons for attacking and jumping. The player controls the protagonistStrider Hiryu, aninja whose main weapon is atonfa-like plasma sword known as a "Cypher". He can perform numerous acrobatic feats depending on the joystick/button combination used. Pressing the jump button while Hiryu is standing still will cause him to do a regular vertical jump, while pressing the jump button while pushing the joystick left or right will enable him to do a cartwheel jump. Hiryu can also slide under or through certain obstacles and enemies by first crouching down and then pressing the jump button. As well as his sliding move, both jumps can also be used to destroy weaker opponents. Hiryu is able to latch onto certain platforms, and climb across walls and ceilings using a metallic hook. While running down a sloped surface, Hiryu can gain enough momentum to allow him to do a longer cartwheel jump than usual.
Numerous power-ups can be obtained from item boxes carried by certain enemies. These include an extension to Hiryu's attack range that lasts for one hundred slashes, two types of health aids (represented by thekanji used to write Hiryu's name:飛 and 飛竜), a max health extension (represented by the kanji竜, the second character in Hiryu's name), anextra life, and a power-up that not only makes Hiryu invulnerable to attack but also increases his own attack abilities via shadow images of himself for 15 seconds.[14] Hiryu can also summon robotic companions known collectively as "options" that help him fight enemies. These consist of up to twomushroom-like droids, asaber-toothed robo tiger and a robothawk, known individually as Options A, B and C respectively.[15]
The game has five stages: theKazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (called "St. Petersburg" during the arcade game's attract sequence), theSiberian Wilderness, the Aerial Battleship Balrog, theAmazonian Jungle, and the Grandmaster's lair itself, the Third Moon. Each of the stages is divided into a number of smaller sections, each with their own time limit and checkpoint location. The player has a three-point health gauge (which can be increased to five points with the health extensions). Hiryu will lose a life when either his health gauge is fully depleted, by moving him off the screen entirely (like falling into a bottomless pit) or when the game's timer reaches zero. It isGame Over when all of Hiryu's lives are lost, but the player can be given the opportunity to continue.
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In a dystopian future in the year 2048, a mysterious dictator known as the "Grandmaster" rules the world.Hiryu, the youngest ever Super A Ranked[16] member of an organization of high-tech ninja agents known as the "Striders", is alone tasked with the Grandmaster's assassination. Hiryu begins his mission by infiltrating the Grandmaster's capital at theKazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, aFederation referred to as Eastern European which became the Imperial Capital of theRussian Empire by the year 2048.[17]
The arcade version ofStrider was part of a three-way project conceived in a collaboration betweenCapcom and Hiroshi Motomiya's manga studioMoto Kikaku, which also included theStrider Hiryumanga by Moto Kikaku's Tatsumi Wada that was published inKodansha'sComic Computique anthology in Japan, as well as theNES version ofStrider. Kouichi Yotsui, director of the coin-opStrider (who is credited as Isuke in the game), was chosen for his experience with theCP System hardware while working as a background designer onGhouls 'n Ghosts. The three projects were developed independently of each other.[18]
According to Yotsui the franchise was conceived as amultimedia collaboration between video game companyCapcom andmanga collectiveMoto Kikaku, the two companies having previously collaborated on the video game versions of the mangaTenchi wo Kurau. Moto Kikaku produced the manga version, while Capcom developed two separate video game versions, a coin-operated video game and a console version for theNES. All three works share common plot elements, while featuring their differences as well.[18] He further said it was he who "pushed for a ninja concept" as they were leaning towards an action game, a ninja setting would've been convenient. "The hero would be derived from a ninja. We loosely decided on that."[19] Regarding Hiryu's three robot helpers, he said that he was inspired by the 1960s ninja comics (the one that most influenced him wasShirato Sanpei'sKamui Gaiden), in which the ninja often had various animals to support them or attack their enemies.[19] Speaking withRetro Gamer, Yotsui said that Strider Hiryu's climbing abilities were inspired by his personal experience when he got himself stranded on the roof of Capcom’s building; fearing freezing to death and with no way to call for help, he climbed down the side of the building to reach a nearbyfire escape stairway.[20]
The original arcade game soundtrack was composed entirely by video game music composer Junko Tamiya, who was not credited for her work in the arcade version but was mentioned as part of the original arcade staff in some console adaptations. Early revisions of the arcade game were missing the unique music for the Aerial Battleship and Third Moon stages. In this version the music from the first stage of the game was repeated here instead.[11]
Strider contains many different styles of themes that change dynamically throughout the game according to the stages and the situations on screen. These range fromexperimental andprogressive futuristicsci-fi action themes tobaroque,tribal andclassical music pieces. Elements from the soundtrack have also been used in other Capcom games where Hiryu has appeared. These include theMarvel vs. Capcom series as well as otherStrider related games.[11]
Ports ofStrider for theAtari ST,Amstrad CPC,Amiga,Commodore 64,IBM PC compatibles, andZX Spectrum were published byU.S. Gold and developed byTiertex in 1989. The U.S. Gold versions have the order of the third and fourth stages swapped (the order of thecut-scenes were kept the same, causing a continuity error), and the final battle with the Grandmaster missing (the last stages end with the battle against the giant robot gorilla Mecha Pong). As a result, the ending was changed to reveal that the events of the game were a simulation that the player was going through. All five versions featured downgraded graphics, less music and missing enemies compared to the arcade version. Additionally, the controls were modified so that the game would be compatible with one-button joystick controllers. The Atari ST version was used a base for the Amiga version, not utilising the Amiga'sgraphics processors for improved performance and graphics. Despite these changes, all of the U.S. Gold releases received high review scores by computer game magazines of the time. Later, in 1992, the assets of the Atari ST version were used for the conversion on theMaster System, also made by Tiertex. A final fight with the Grandmaster was added in this version, but the ending credits continue to say that all was just a simulation.
Sega produced their home version ofStrider for theMega Drive/Genesis, which was released in Japan on September 29, 1990, with subsequent releases in North America and thePAL region. It was advertised as one of the first 8-Megabit cartridges for the system, and went on to be a bestseller.[21] This version was also re-released for theWiiVirtual Console in Japan on November 15, 2011 and in North America on February 16, 2012. It was re-released again on theNintendo Classics service on October 25, 2021.[22] The Genesis/Mega Drive version contains a different ending from the arcade game. This ending shows the destruction of the final stage as the game's protagonist makes his escape. This is then followed by the main credit sequence that sees Hiryu flying his glider in space and reminiscing about the various encounters he had during his mission as he heads back to earth. The ending theme was an edited combination of two separate pieces of music planned for the arcade game, but replaced with a repeat of the first level music.[23] Computer magazineACE considered the previous Amiga conversion to be "as good as this one".[24]
Capcom separately produced a version for theX68000 computer in 1991, releasing it exclusively in Japan. It is a very close reproduction of the arcade original, with minimal changes.
A version for theCapcom Power System Changer was planned and previewed but never released.[25]
NEC Avenue produced aPC Engine CD version ofStrider Hiryu, which was released exclusively in Japan on September 22, 1994 as aCD-ROM² title which requires the Arcade Card expansion. It features an all-new desert stage that was not in the arcade version, as well as newly recorded cut-scenes, music and dialogue, with Japanese voice actorKaneto Shiozawa as the voice of Hiryu andKōji Totani as the Grand Master. The PC Engine CD version had a long development process, having been planned in various formats, including theSuperGrafx at one point.[26]
ThePlayStation version ofStrider was first released by Capcom in 2000 as a second disc which came packaged with the PlayStation version ofStrider 2. The North American release has theStrider andStrider 2 game code pressed onto the wrong disc. This version was reissued separately in Japan on October 24, 2006 as part of theCapcom Game Books series, which included an extended manual and strategy guide for the game.[27] This makes this standalone version technically the last original PlayStation game ever made, released after the system's discontinuation in March 2006.
The original arcade version was included in the 2006 video game compilationsCapcom Classics Collection: Remixed for thePlayStation Portable andCapcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 for thePlayStation 2 andXbox. A Japanesemobile phone version was released in 2010.[28]
| Publication | Score | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amiga | Arcade | Atari ST | Master System | PC | Sega Genesis | TurboGrafx-16 | Wii | |
| ACE | 910[6] | 910[6] | 876(CPC)[6] | 919[24] | ||||
| AllGame | 4/5[29] | 3/5[31] | 4.5/5[30] | 4/5[32] | ||||
| Computer and Video Games | 92%[34] | 88%(CPC)[34] | 95%[33] | |||||
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9/10, 9/10, 9/10, 9/10[35] | |||||||
| Famitsu | 30/40[36] | 20/40[10] | ||||||
| GamePro | 22/25[37] | |||||||
| GameSpy | 9/10[38] | |||||||
| Joystick | 80%[40] | 96%[39] | ||||||
| Nintendo Life | 9/10[41] | |||||||
| ST Format | 92%[42] | |||||||
| The Games Machine (UK) | 94%[43] | Positive[2] | 93%[43] | 93%(CPC)[43] | ||||
| Your Sinclair | 89%[44] | |||||||
| Zero | 81%[46] | 84%[46] | ||||||
| Atari ST User | 8/10[47] | |||||||
| Commodore User | 8/10[48] | |||||||
| Mean Machines | 67%[50] | 92%[49] | ||||||
| Mega | 89%[51] | |||||||
| MegaTech | 91%[52] | |||||||
| Sega Power | 74%[54] | 10/10[53] | ||||||
| The One | 80%[5] | 80%[5] | ||||||
| Publication | Award |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | Best Game of the Year, Best Graphics in a Video Game[55] |
| Gamest | Best Production,Best Action Game[56] |
| Sinclair User | SU Classic[57] |
| Your Sinclair | YS Megagame[58] |
In the United Kingdom,Strider was the best-selling arcade game for three months during early 1989 (between February and April).[59] In Japan,Game Machine listedStrider on their April 1, 1989 issue as being the third most-successful table arcade unit of the month, outperforming titles likeNinja Gaiden.[60]
Strider opened to critical acclaim, particularly for its gameplay, graphics, diverse music, and voice samples. The original arcade game received positive reviews from critics upon release.The Games Machine called it "THEplatform and ladders game to be seen playing at the moment."[59]Your Sinclair called it "brilliant" and "a real epic" with "some imaginative stuff" in the game.[44]Commodore User praised the "high definition graphics, brilliant movements and good old-fashioned blasting action" along with a "bit of tongue-in-cheek political" content.[48]
The Genesis version was praised for its accurate and detailed faithfulness to the original. Upon release,GamePro called the Genesis port "a faithful translation of the arcade hit", and praised its "gorgeous graphics, non-stop arcade-style action, and ... captivating and unusual sound track."[37]EGM awarded the Genesis port bestvideo game of the year in 1990 and winner of their best graphics category.[55]
Strider has spawned numerous fansites and retrospectives.[61][62][63]
According toRetro Gamer's Darran Jones, "everything about Strider was epic. Its backgrounds were brilliantly designed and featured an array of exotic locations, while its sprite design was superb. There was a uniqueness toStrider art design that gave it a distinctive look back in 1989 and still makes it stand out brilliantly today. It's a mysterious mish-mash of different cultures that ensured it stood out from its arcade peers." Jones also praised the game's "stunning animation", gameplay, and controls, as well as its "superbly atmospheric" soundtrack.[64]
Mark Caswell ofCrash magazine referred to the game's graphics as detailed and incredible, the scrolling and action as smooth and called the gameplay "some of the most demanding gameplay ever invented".[65]
At Japan's 3rdGamest Awards in 1989, the arcade version ofStrider received the awards for Best Production andBest Action Game.[56]Strider ranked in 5 different categories inGamest's annual video game awards, theGamest Grand Prix: 4th in the overall "Gamest Grand Prix", 5th in "Best Graphics", 3rd in "Best VGM" and 1st in "Best Action" and "Best Direction".[66] The game also ranked 22nd in "Best 100 games of the Year", and several characters from the game also placed well in the "Best Characters" category: Hiryu at the lead in 3rd place, followed by Tong Pooh (13th), the Option A robot (21st), Grandmaster Meio (25th), Ouroboros (30th) and Strobaya (39th)[66] In a 1991Gamest reader poll,Strider was voted the ninth best arcade game of all time;[67] they rankedStrider 9th in the "Top 30 Readers' Choice" from their special issue "The Best Game".[68]
In 1990,Your Sinclair included the arcade game in its "Top of the Slots '89" list at third place.[69]
In the 1990Electronic Gaming Monthly awards, the Sega Genesis version ofStrider received the awards forBest Game of the Year and Best Graphics in a Video Game.[55] In 1992,Mega placedStrider at 31st spot in their list of top Mega Drive games of all time.[70]
In 1997EGM ranked the Genesis version the 42nd best console video game of all time, remarking that "any game where you can crawl on walls and do all kinds of cool flips is pretty awesome."[71] In 2010,UGO.com includedStrider in their list of the 25 video games that need sequels,[72] andGame Informer included it on the list of ten gaming franchises that should be revived: "Imagine the sidescrolling insanity of theMetal Slug series, but replace grizzled soldiers with a badass ninja. That'sStrider, and it's awesome."[73] That same year, the game was also included as one of the titles in the book1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.[74]ScrewAttack named it as thebest Genesis game ever made,[75][76] andRetro Gamer included it among the top ten Mega Drive games.[77] In 2017,Gamesradar ranked Strider 33rd on its "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time."[78]
Strider was released for theNES exclusively in North America a few months after the arcade version's release. This version was produced alongside the arcade game but follows the plot ofMoto Kikaku's tie-in manga. AFamicom version of the same game was planned for release in Japan, but never made it to the shelves.
Under license from Capcom U.S.A.,U.S. Gold andTiertex produced aStrider sequel in Europe titledStrider II (released in North America asJourney From Darkness: Strider Returns) for various computer platforms, as well as theSega Genesis/Mega Drive,Game Gear, andMaster System home consoles. This European-produced sequel was not released in Japan. Like the previous conversions of the original game, the quality of this one was very low. Capcom later produced another sequel, unrelated to the Tiertex-producedStrider Returns, titledStrider 2, which was released for the arcades and thePlayStation in 2000.
An untitledStrider reboot game was being developed byGrin in 2009, before being canceled byCapcom, soon afterBionic Commando was released.[79] An all-newStrider reboot was developed byDouble Helix Games and released onPlayStation Network for thePlayStation 3 andPlayStation 4,Xbox Live Arcade for theXbox 360 andXbox One, andSteam in 2014.[80][81]
Strider Hiryu also appears as a playable character in the 1998 fighting gameMarvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, which was followed byMarvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes in 2000. Hiryu has also made minor appearances in other Capcom-related games such asSNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters' Clash,Namco × Capcom,Project X Zone 2 andAdventure Quiz: Capcom World 2, including a small cameo appearance inKen's stage inStreet Fighter Alpha 2. Hiryu was one of the characters intended to appear in the unreleased 3D fighting gameCapcom Fighting All-Stars.[82] Hiryu's next guest appearance was in the 2011 fighting gameUltimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 which marked his character's official 3D debut; this game is also notable as being the first where he is voiced in English. He returned in the sequel,Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.
The character has received positive reception both from critics and the general public. In the JapaneseGamest magazine's "Best 100 games of the Year" in 1989, Hiryu ranked 3rd in the "Best Characters" category.[66] In 2000,Edge opined that "in terms of visual appeal and agility, Strider Hiryu ranks as one of the best characters ever designed."[83] That same year,IGN's Travis Fahs noted him "one of Capcom's best loved characters", commenting that "there's no denying the iconic appeal, but for all of his flashy moves and fashion sense, Capcom has never really known what to do with him."[84] In 2012,GamesRadar ranked this "somewhat of an enduring classic" as the 59th "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games, commenting that his "sheer levels of badass cool have seen him endure long past hisclichés sell-by date, making him now anarchetype rather than astereotype."[85]
Strider director Kouichi Yotsui left Capcom soon after its release. He later designedan unofficial, coin-operated sequel forMitchell Corporation in 1996. Yotsui considers that game, titledCannon-Dancer in Japan andOsman in the West, a "self-parody" of his work onStrider.[18]Moon Diver is a 2011Square Enix game that shares some of the same gameplay elements and was also created by Yotsui.[86] The gameRun Saber, released byAtlus in 1993 for theSuper NES, is often compared to Strider due to them being similar in play mechanics.
According toEurogamer,Strider was a vital influence on video game franchises such asDevil May Cry,Ninja Gaiden andGod of War.[87] According toRetro Gamer, the over-the-top action of future Capcom franchises, such asDevil May Cry andViewtiful Joe, draws fromStrider, particularly in their inclusion of the "boss rush".[88]
British rapperTinchy Stryder named himself partially afterStrider, which he often played as a boy.[89] In October 2012, Brazilian guitarist Pedro Pimentel released a tribute theme to this game series - also named "Strider" and included in his debut solo album (self-titled). As published in the Brazilian edition of Guitar Player magazine (March 2013), "'Strider' is a composition with a very modern theme and great guitar solos. Good quality recording and very tasteful tones."[90]
Strider was also influential among European developers: platform games includingAssassin,Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension[91] andWolfchild[92] were influenced in either gameplay or aesthetics from the original arcade coin-op game.
In later years, various indie developers have published platform games featuring the gameplay style ofStrider, with titles such asOniken,[93]Cataegis: The White Wind,[94]Tänzer,[95]Blazing Chrome[96] andBushiden.[97]
The game and its world has also served as a point of inspiration forKeiji Inafune, the co-creator ofMega Man. Inafune has stated that he has always liked the "world view" ofStrider and modeled the name ofMega Man X co-protagonistZero after one of its characters (reportedly, Solo).[98] Capcom has also stated that one of the game's villains, Tong Pooh, served as inspiration forStreet Fighter character,Chun-Li.[99]
