Title: Strider
Format: Digital Distribution, Blu-Ray
disc, DVD
Release Date: February 18th,
2014
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Double Helix Games, Capcom
Osaka group
Original MSRP: $14.99
MSRB Rating: E10+
Story: Strider opens up with our main
hero, Strider Hiryu, gliding in on a cyberpunk-like glider through the
mountains, while being attacked by the Kazakh army’s evil laser guns. This
moment cleanly defines what the game is going to be about: a high-action,
badass run through a country that really doesn’t want your presence anywhere
near their base of operations.
Players that
are familiar with the Strider history will feel right at home. However, newer
players to the Strider series may find it difficult to keep up with what is
going on. To summarize: the Kazakh army is killing Striders, as well as trying
to take over the world. You, as Strider Hiryu, are to infiltrate the city, take
out the chain of command, and stop evil from triumphing.
Gameplay: Strider, at its core, is a
2-D action platformer that plays similarly to Super Metroid for the SNES. In
order to gain the upper hand on enemies, you’ll travel around Kazakh collecting
health upgrades, weapon upgrades, passive abilities, energy upgrades, etc. It
also follows the method of, once you get a new upgrade, you’ll meet a sub-boss
who is designed to be weak to the new upgrade you just acquired.
What
separates this game from your typical action platformer is that it’s fast.
Hiryu controls pretty well, especially for a ninja. Your cipher, or sword,
however, does feel like it’s lacking in power. That doesn’t mean it’s not
effective. Once your cipher is infused with elemental powers, enemies who are
of the same elemental color go down like melted butter. By the time I was
nearing the end of the game, I backtracked through to pick up some
collectables, and even though I was upgraded almost fully, it didn’t quite feel
as it should when I was tearing through the fodder enemies that appear early on
in the game.
As for the
core element of platforming, the controls are tight. Jumping feels smooth,
especially after receiving the double-jump upgrade. Maneuvering behind enemies
and striking feels like it should, and the ability to grapple onto almost any
wall is a great touch. On some of the smaller platforms, the controls start to
falter. I was yelling at my TV more than once, trying to position myself at
just the right spot to make a difficult jump onto a small ledge. Don’t worry
too much though, as it was only to get an out-of-the-way collectable.
Speaking of
collectables, there’s a ton. You can unlock things like character concept art
and alternate costumes, but cooler still are the speedruns and Gears of
War-style “horde mode” which is a ton of fun. Finding these and S-ranking the
challenges add a high level of replay value to the game.
The one major gripe I have about this game is
that it’s too short. I collected about 2/3 of the hidden items, and the main game
only took me around 6 hours. It was a fun 6 hours, but I would have loved to
have seen more. I’d easily pay $15 more for a revamp of the original Strider
for the NES as a DLC add-on. The extra modes to add some more substance to the
game, but I was left wanting more.
Visuals: The graphics are great.
Everything has a crisp look to it. Cyborg enemies have a human-like quality to
them, even when sliced open and sparks start shooting out from their abdomen.
Classic enemies have had a touch-up as well. Those that are familiar to the
series will recognize characters like the Tong sisters and Grandmaster Meio.
The
background art is nothing to laugh at either. Everything from underground
prisons, towering temples, slums, and palaces all have a good look and feel to
them. No background repeats, so each area is its own separate experience, and
the art directors make you respect that.
The most
interesting visual characteristic would have to be Hiryu’s scarf. As you
progress, his scarf becomes longer and starts to get a mind of its own. It’s
constantly dancing around, similar to the inflatable arm guys that you would see
in a used car lot. When you change elements, one color bleeds into the next
with a clear defining line that’s just damn pretty to look at. Later on, you
can find collectable items that change the color of Hiryu’s costume. Although
they don’t have any perks, they are pretty cool to look at.
Audio: The soundtrack to this game is
mostly homage to the soundtracks to the older Strider games, but with a
modernized orchestrated sound. Although I’m not too familiar with any Strider
games other than Strider 2, I found myself humming along to the catchier bits,
as well as clenching the controller that much harder when the climactic boss
fight music was queued up.
Voice acting
is also implemented into the game, but it’s nothing like the narratives you
would find in a Tell Tale game. All together, there’s about 150 lines of
dialogue for the main plot, and the occasional “There he is!” from the cyborg
grunt you need to slice. Personally, I think it’s great. Strider was never
about the lore or voice acting. It was about kicking ass and taking names. The
story does help the player figure out why Meio is trying to take over the
world, and does it well enough that you‘re almost looking forward to the next
back and forth between characters.
Online/Multiplayer: There’s no online
multiplayer but, in the time trial and horde levels, there are leaderboards in
which you can compete with your friends over who has the best time.
Pros: Good level layouts, strong
soundtrack, fact ninja-action, feelings of being badass, a great homage to the
original Strider games, high replayability.
Cons: tedious backtracking is required
for 100% completion, the cipher doesn’t feel as strong as it should, controls
are not always spot-on, too short of a game
Final Score: 8.5/10
Next Week: Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA f
for PSVita
Don’t agree
with the review? Have a game you want me to look at? Questions about the
review/scoring system? Let me know on Twitter @AdHocMan. I’m also on Google+ at
+Zac Hockin
Review
written by Zachary Hockin
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