Super Star Soldier

Before Soldier Blade came, there was Super Star Soldier — and it was precisely this one that laid the foundations for why the Soldier series became a household name on the PC Engine. This vertical shooter continued the tradition of Hudson's shmups and demonstrated what snappy, readable and addictive action on a 16-bit console, adored by fans of the genre, should look like.

In gameplay Super Star Soldier sticks to the proven recipe but perfects it. You advance up the screen, collect power-ups and gradually build your ship into a flying fortress. The weapons system offers several types of fire that you switch between depending on the situation, and it is all held together by a smooth pace that gives no chance to catch your breath. Enemies arrive in well-designed waves and the bosses at the end of levels present just the right dose of challenge.

Technically it was a showcase of what the PC Engine could do — a large number of objects on screen, varied cosmic backgrounds and spectacular explosions. The console felt right at home in the shmup genre and Super Star Soldier was one of the titles that built this reputation.

Just as with the other games in the series, here too the spirit of the Japanese caravan competitions is present — time-limited challenges for the highest score that turn playing into almost a sporting discipline. It was precisely this philosophy of „one more try, this time it will be better“ that defined the whole genre, and Super Star Soldier embodies it in its pure form.

Today this game is more for connoisseurs and collectors than for a mass audience, but among shooter fans it holds a firm place. It is one of those titles that earned the platform its cult status — a fast, honest and endlessly replayable piece of classic.

Why play: A classic Hudson shooter with a smooth pace and the spirit of the caravan competitions — ideal for anyone who loves the chase for a high score.