Master System Month: Strider

Game: Strider
Console: Sega Master System
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: 1991

Strider is set in 2048, with a dystopian future as the backdrop for the player character, Hiryu's mission to assassinate the Grandmaster, ruler of an Eastern European Federation. With 8 way movement and looping jumps, players can explore the 5 levels of the game in a style similar to Metroid, though the levels aren't nearly as big. Attacks are carried out with Cypher, a plasma sword which can be swung either side of Hiryu.

While movement is fairly slow, and there's some sprite flicker in busier moments, gameplay is fun and intuitive. There are various types of power-ups which help players to progress through the levels, and health items are especially useful in moments which require Hiryu to take damage in order to progress.

Enemies vary between run and gun style targets, mini bosses and other unique ideas, which pair well with the jumping and exploration elements of the game. There's a good variety across the game's five levels, representing Eastern European terrain mostly. A skilled player should be able to complete the entire game within 15 minutes or so, with good knowledge of the levels.

Strider features one of my favourite 8-bit bosses, an image of the Grandmaster which translates very well from the more powerful consoles of the era. It's interesting that the Master System version used assets from the Amiga home computer version which came before it.

Graphically the game is impressive for the Master System and competes well with other 8-bit versions. It's a shame that the pace of the game is slow and there's sprite flicker, but this is to be expected of ambitious titles. The music can become annoying after a while, as there's only one track to accompany gameplay, though the game features a few other jingles here and there.

Overall Strider is an enjoyable and competent Master System game which suffers a little from the limitations of the console. Given a little more speed, and a tune-up this could have been one of the console's best titles.

Rating: 61/100
Grade: D