Soldier Blade
Encyclopedia
Soldier Blade is a scrolling shooter video game released for the TurboGrafx-16
system (known as the PC Engine in Japan). It is the fourth game in the Star Soldier
series and the last one for TurboGrafx-16. In it, players must fight back the Zeograd Army, aliens bent on conquering Earth, using the Soldier Blade fighter ship.
It is one of the games in the Star Soldier
series that are available for the Nintendo
Wii
's Virtual Console
, along with Star Soldier
, Super Star Soldier
, Final Soldier
and Star Parodier
. This particular game has also been re-released on the PlayStation Network and on the iPhone.
This game features 7 operations (stages) to play as well as a 2 minute and 5 minute challenge mode.
However, four months later, communication suddenly ceases between the investigation team and Earth. Three nights followed... and suddenly, the resource investigation team returns. However, their ships were severely damaged by an alien space military called the Zeograd Army. Earth’s armies retaliate, but fail with every attempt and the Zeograd take control of Earth's Warp-Gate. Soon a lone scientist named John Howard develops a space fighter called the Soldier Blade V.92 based on his research on the Zeograd. The ship was bought out by the SIA (Special Interception Airforce) and was readied to combat the Zeograd Army.
and Blazing Lazers
, the Soldier Blade could take multiple enemy hits only depending on how many power-ups the player collected. Before every power-up collection the ship was vulnerable to one hit, but after collecting three power-ups, the ship could take three hits, each hit degrading the ship's weapon power by one level. The ship has three weapons to choose from as well as a single Option, a robot that provided additional firepower.
Soldier Blade's weapon system was unique in that every weapon the player would pick-up, the previous weapon would be stocked as a Special Weapon. The Special Weapon attack was different depending on the particular weapon. The Red Weapon Special would make the ship's robot temporarily invulnerable, the Green Weapon Special would send out a homing energy blast while the Blue Weapon Special unleashed an enormous laser beam. Collecting a Weapon pick-up of the same color once the weapon in-use was fully upgraded results in a large explosion that clears the screen of smaller enemies and attacks.
Players could obtain extra lives by amassing points but once the player loses all their lives the game is over. An option to start the stage in the beginning is available. In addition, Soldier Blade also offers a Score Attack Mode where players can select a two to five minute long game based entirely on earning a high score.
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
system (known as the PC Engine in Japan). It is the fourth game in the Star Soldier
Star Soldier (Series)
is a series of shoot 'em up video games mainly developed by Hudson Soft.The first game, named Star Soldier, appeared on the MSX and NES in 1986, and the series has continued on various gaming systems...
series and the last one for TurboGrafx-16. In it, players must fight back the Zeograd Army, aliens bent on conquering Earth, using the Soldier Blade fighter ship.
It is one of the games in the Star Soldier
Star Soldier (Series)
is a series of shoot 'em up video games mainly developed by Hudson Soft.The first game, named Star Soldier, appeared on the MSX and NES in 1986, and the series has continued on various gaming systems...
series that are available for the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
, along with Star Soldier
Star Soldier (video game)
is a shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo Entertainment System and MSX computers. It was ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2004 in Japan as part of the Famicom Mini series, and to the Wii's Virtual Console in the North American and Japanese regions in July...
, Super Star Soldier
Super Star Soldier
Super Star Soldier is a scrolling shooter video game released in 1990 for the TurboGrafx-16 system. It is the sequel to Star Soldier, and part of a vertical-scrolling shooter series by Hudson Soft. According to the company, many people believed Super Star Soldiers graphics were the best of any...
, Final Soldier
Final Soldier
Final Soldier is a scrolling shooter video game released for the Japanese PC Engine system on July 5 of 1991 and the third game in the main Star Soldier series...
and Star Parodier
Star Parodier
Star Parodier is a shoot 'em up developed by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine CD-ROM. It is a parody of the Star Soldier series, similar to Konami's Parodius series, and was originally only released in Japan, though it was also intended to be released in North America under the name Fantasy Star...
. This particular game has also been re-released on the PlayStation Network and on the iPhone.
This game features 7 operations (stages) to play as well as a 2 minute and 5 minute challenge mode.
Story
It is the 21st century. The progress of science and civilization progress remarkably. However, the resources of Earth require more supplements as the global environment is slowly dying. The nations of Earth initiate the Star Light Plan which will search space for additional resources; a large Warp-Drive gate capable of sending multiple spaceships into other solar systems is developed for the project. The resource investigation fleet was equipped with six Security Corps and 5000 military and research personnel.However, four months later, communication suddenly ceases between the investigation team and Earth. Three nights followed... and suddenly, the resource investigation team returns. However, their ships were severely damaged by an alien space military called the Zeograd Army. Earth’s armies retaliate, but fail with every attempt and the Zeograd take control of Earth's Warp-Gate. Soon a lone scientist named John Howard develops a space fighter called the Soldier Blade V.92 based on his research on the Zeograd. The ship was bought out by the SIA (Special Interception Airforce) and was readied to combat the Zeograd Army.
Gameplay
Soldier Blade plays similarly to many Hudson Soft vertical scrolling Shooters: players control the title ship through seven stages, each one having a mid and end-level boss collecting power-ups as they progress. Like Super Star SoldierSuper Star Soldier
Super Star Soldier is a scrolling shooter video game released in 1990 for the TurboGrafx-16 system. It is the sequel to Star Soldier, and part of a vertical-scrolling shooter series by Hudson Soft. According to the company, many people believed Super Star Soldiers graphics were the best of any...
and Blazing Lazers
Blazing Lazers
Blazing Lazers, known in Japan as , is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Hudson Soft and Compile. It was released in Japan on for the PC Engine, and it was released in North America in November 1989 for the TurboGrafx-16. It was later released on the Wii's Virtual Console in North America on...
, the Soldier Blade could take multiple enemy hits only depending on how many power-ups the player collected. Before every power-up collection the ship was vulnerable to one hit, but after collecting three power-ups, the ship could take three hits, each hit degrading the ship's weapon power by one level. The ship has three weapons to choose from as well as a single Option, a robot that provided additional firepower.
Soldier Blade's weapon system was unique in that every weapon the player would pick-up, the previous weapon would be stocked as a Special Weapon. The Special Weapon attack was different depending on the particular weapon. The Red Weapon Special would make the ship's robot temporarily invulnerable, the Green Weapon Special would send out a homing energy blast while the Blue Weapon Special unleashed an enormous laser beam. Collecting a Weapon pick-up of the same color once the weapon in-use was fully upgraded results in a large explosion that clears the screen of smaller enemies and attacks.
Players could obtain extra lives by amassing points but once the player loses all their lives the game is over. An option to start the stage in the beginning is available. In addition, Soldier Blade also offers a Score Attack Mode where players can select a two to five minute long game based entirely on earning a high score.
External links
- Soldier Blade on Nintendolife.com Virtual Console