Stargate (1995 video game)
Encyclopedia
Stargate is a Super Nintendo Entertainment System
platform videogame developed and published by Acclaim Entertainment
, following the adventures of Colonel Jack O'Neil
as he struggles to free the slaves of Abydos, defeat Ra, and get his mission team back home using the stargate
. The game is based on the 1994 film of the same name
.
. The game begins in the deserts
of Abydos shortly after the mission team has landed using the stargate. The mission is to collect samples and then return to Earth, but Colonel Jack O’Neil has also secretly brought along a nuclear bomb
to seal the stargate in case the mission team discovers a threat. A sandstorm has separated Colonel O’Neil from his mission team, and the bomb he has brought along is missing. Daniel Jackson, the Egyptology specialist of the mission team, informs him that the team's basecamp was attacked by Ra. The local inhabitants of Abydos, the Nagadans, have helped the team escape the attack, but the supplies were left behind in caves. O’Neil will have to find the supplies, the bomb, and seven hieroglyphs
scattered throughout the area, the last needed in order to work the stargate and get his men home.
O’Neil begins by searching for the supplies in the various caves found in the desert and once found, enters the village of Nagada. O’Neil learns that the four village elders can help him find his team. Once he has located the elder
s, they inform him that his men can be found in the catacombs outside the village. O’Neil finds his men, who tell him that Ra’s general, Anubis, is after the Nagadan rebel leader
named Sha’uri. Realizing that he’ll need the Nagadan’s help to complete his mission, O’Neil must find and destroy Anubis in the village before he can get to Sha’uri and stop the rebellion
. This leads to a one-on-one fight between O’Neil and Anubis.
After temporarily defeating Anubis, O’Neil meets up with Sha’uri, and is asked to find a local boy, Skaara, who is crucial to the rebellion. O’Neil finds Skaara outside the village and is told the bomb has been separated into seven pieces that must be found. Jackson contacts O’Neil, asking him to search for Sha’uri, who has disguised herself as an elder, somewhere in the village to avoid Anubis. Once found, O’Neil is off again in search of Jackson and Skaara in the desert. When O’Neil finds Skaara, he is told that Jackson has been taken prisoner by Ra and is being held inside Ra’s hidden spaceship. Once rescued, Jackson tells O’Neil that the rebellion is in trouble because of traitors within it. O’Neil flies one of Ra’s downed yet serviceable gliders back the village to find and destroy the traitors.
Once the traitors are destroyed, a thankful elder gives O’Neil some herb
s to help Jackson, who was injured while leaving Ra’s hidden spaceship. Once found and healed, Jackson informs O’Neil that Sha’uri has been captured by Anubis. This leads to a second one-on-one fight between O’Neil and Anubis. After Anubis is defeated for good, O’Neil raids the armory of Ra’s spaceship and creates a plan. Jackson will cripple the guidance system
of Ra’s glider force inside Ra’s spaceship while O’Neil will arm the rebellion with weapons stolen from the spaceship. Realizing that the rebellion is still outnumbered, O’Neil takes to the air to destroy several of Ra’s gliders. After landing, O’Neil searches for a village elder who can show him a secret route into Ra’s pyramid. Once inside, O’Neil joins Jackson in crippling the guidance systems of Ra’s gliders and disabling the glider bay doors to prevent any gliders from landing or taking off. Now the Nagadan forces are ready to assault Ra’s spaceship. Just before the rebellion’s assault begins, Jackson and Sha’uri are taken prisoner onboard the spaceship. O’Neil goes to face Ra, one-on-one.
Once Ra has been nearly defeated, he attempts to trap O’Neil inside his spaceship and takeoff
. Jackson radios O’Neil, warning him to escape. O’Neil sets the bomb and escapes the spaceship as it explodes, destroying Ra.
. Most missions consist of finding people or items in one of several different locations. There are two missions that involve flying one of Ra’s gliders and partaking in dogfight
style combat. The radio screen displays the player’s current mission, as well as other information such as the number of lives, continues, hieroglyphs, bomb pieces, and current password.
s to the difficult Horus guards. There are three boss encounters; Anubis twice, and the final confrontation with Ra. If the player has not collected all seven bomb pieces and all seven hieroglyphs by end of the game, they will lose the game, even if they defeat Ra.
s, and the more powerful alien grenades.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
platform videogame developed and published by Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim
Acclaim may refer to:positive recognition*Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher*Acclaim Games, an online video game company based in California, USACars:*Plymouth Acclaim, a mid-size sedan...
, following the adventures of Colonel Jack O'Neil
Jack O'Neill
Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neill is a fictional character in the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe, three science fiction shows about military teams exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices...
as he struggles to free the slaves of Abydos, defeat Ra, and get his mission team back home using the stargate
Stargate (device)
A Stargate is a portal device within the Stargate fictional universe that allows practical, rapid travel between two distant locations. The devices first appear in the 1994 Roland Emmerich film Stargate, and thereafter in the television series Stargate SG-1 and its spin-offs...
. The game is based on the 1994 film of the same name
Stargate (film)
Stargate is a 1994 American adventure-military science fiction film released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco Pictures. Created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, the film is the first release in the Stargate franchise...
.
Story
The story follows some of the major plot points of the Stargate film, but also creates many new side storiesSide story
A side story is a story that occurs alongside established stories set within a fictional universe. As opposed to a prequel, sequel, or interquel, a side story takes place within the same time frame as an existing work....
. The game begins in the deserts
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
of Abydos shortly after the mission team has landed using the stargate. The mission is to collect samples and then return to Earth, but Colonel Jack O’Neil has also secretly brought along a nuclear bomb
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
to seal the stargate in case the mission team discovers a threat. A sandstorm has separated Colonel O’Neil from his mission team, and the bomb he has brought along is missing. Daniel Jackson, the Egyptology specialist of the mission team, informs him that the team's basecamp was attacked by Ra. The local inhabitants of Abydos, the Nagadans, have helped the team escape the attack, but the supplies were left behind in caves. O’Neil will have to find the supplies, the bomb, and seven hieroglyphs
Egyptian hieroglyphs
Egyptian hieroglyphs were a formal writing system used by the ancient Egyptians that combined logographic and alphabetic elements. Egyptians used cursive hieroglyphs for religious literature on papyrus and wood...
scattered throughout the area, the last needed in order to work the stargate and get his men home.
O’Neil begins by searching for the supplies in the various caves found in the desert and once found, enters the village of Nagada. O’Neil learns that the four village elders can help him find his team. Once he has located the elder
Elder
Elder is a surname that means "older than you".* American Indian elder-In religion:* Elder , person valued for his wisdom who accordingly holds a particular position of responsibility in a Christian group** Elder...
s, they inform him that his men can be found in the catacombs outside the village. O’Neil finds his men, who tell him that Ra’s general, Anubis, is after the Nagadan rebel leader
Leader
A leader is one who influences or leads others.Leader may also refer to:- Newspapers :* Leading article, a piece of writing intended to promote an opinion, also called an editorial* The Leader , published 1909–1967...
named Sha’uri. Realizing that he’ll need the Nagadan’s help to complete his mission, O’Neil must find and destroy Anubis in the village before he can get to Sha’uri and stop the rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
. This leads to a one-on-one fight between O’Neil and Anubis.
After temporarily defeating Anubis, O’Neil meets up with Sha’uri, and is asked to find a local boy, Skaara, who is crucial to the rebellion. O’Neil finds Skaara outside the village and is told the bomb has been separated into seven pieces that must be found. Jackson contacts O’Neil, asking him to search for Sha’uri, who has disguised herself as an elder, somewhere in the village to avoid Anubis. Once found, O’Neil is off again in search of Jackson and Skaara in the desert. When O’Neil finds Skaara, he is told that Jackson has been taken prisoner by Ra and is being held inside Ra’s hidden spaceship. Once rescued, Jackson tells O’Neil that the rebellion is in trouble because of traitors within it. O’Neil flies one of Ra’s downed yet serviceable gliders back the village to find and destroy the traitors.
Once the traitors are destroyed, a thankful elder gives O’Neil some herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s to help Jackson, who was injured while leaving Ra’s hidden spaceship. Once found and healed, Jackson informs O’Neil that Sha’uri has been captured by Anubis. This leads to a second one-on-one fight between O’Neil and Anubis. After Anubis is defeated for good, O’Neil raids the armory of Ra’s spaceship and creates a plan. Jackson will cripple the guidance system
Guidance system
A guidance system is a device or group of devices used to navigate a ship, aircraft, missile, rocket, satellite, or other craft. Typically, this refers to a system that navigates without direct or continuous human control...
of Ra’s glider force inside Ra’s spaceship while O’Neil will arm the rebellion with weapons stolen from the spaceship. Realizing that the rebellion is still outnumbered, O’Neil takes to the air to destroy several of Ra’s gliders. After landing, O’Neil searches for a village elder who can show him a secret route into Ra’s pyramid. Once inside, O’Neil joins Jackson in crippling the guidance systems of Ra’s gliders and disabling the glider bay doors to prevent any gliders from landing or taking off. Now the Nagadan forces are ready to assault Ra’s spaceship. Just before the rebellion’s assault begins, Jackson and Sha’uri are taken prisoner onboard the spaceship. O’Neil goes to face Ra, one-on-one.
Once Ra has been nearly defeated, he attempts to trap O’Neil inside his spaceship and takeoff
Takeoff
Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle goes from the ground to flying in the air.For horizontal takeoff aircraft this usually involves starting with a transition from moving along the ground on a runway. For balloons, helicopters and some specialized fixed-wing aircraft , no...
. Jackson radios O’Neil, warning him to escape. O’Neil sets the bomb and escapes the spaceship as it explodes, destroying Ra.
Gameplay
The gameplay is typical of the sidescrolling, platform games of the era. The player controls Colonel Jack O’Neil and navigates him through the various locations by walking/running, jumping and climbing. O’Neil’s health is indicated by an energy bar found alongside information such as weapon status and grenade count on the heads-up displayHead-Up Display
A head-up display or heads-up display is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints...
. Most missions consist of finding people or items in one of several different locations. There are two missions that involve flying one of Ra’s gliders and partaking in dogfight
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
style combat. The radio screen displays the player’s current mission, as well as other information such as the number of lives, continues, hieroglyphs, bomb pieces, and current password.
Enemies
There are many different enemies through the game, ranging from minor inconveniences like the fleeting scarab beetleScarabaeus sacer
Scarabaeus sacer is a species of dung beetle, found in coastal dunes and marshes around the Mediterranean Basin. It collects balls of dung which it rolls to an underground chamber to feed its offspring. This behaviour inspired the Ancient Egyptians to compare it to the sun god Khepri, and they...
s to the difficult Horus guards. There are three boss encounters; Anubis twice, and the final confrontation with Ra. If the player has not collected all seven bomb pieces and all seven hieroglyphs by end of the game, they will lose the game, even if they defeat Ra.
Weapons
The player is equipped with a single machine gun with infinite ammunition that can be temporarily upgraded with pickup items such as rapid fire, wide fire, ammo strength, and gun coolant. The player can also pickup and hold up to 99 standard grenadeGrenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s, and the more powerful alien grenades.
See also
- Stargate gamesStargate gamesStargate games are inspired by the Stargate franchise which has its roots from the 1994 film, Stargate directed by Roland Emmerich.- Stargate-3000 :...
- List of SNES games