Review: Strider

I wrote before about being impressed with the quality of SMS arcade conversions when I first discovered the system, having been accustomed to some truly lousy arcade conversions on the C64. I should, perhaps, have added that SMS owners had a right to expect better quality conversions than were found on home computer versions, as they were paying considerably more for their games than a C64 or Spectrum owner were paying for even full price games (Often over £20 more). This explains why I have a particular bone to pick with this game …

The title screen of this game states that it was reprogrammed for the system by Sega themselves, though curiously it bears little resemblance to the great Genesis version, even though other Capcom ports (Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts, MERCS, Forgotten Worlds) seemed to be scaled-down from the Genesis version rather than copied directly from the arcade. Would that Sega had taken the same approach with Strider. If you want to know where the true inspiration for SMS Strider came from, load up any home computer version from C64 to Amiga, and prepare to be less than impressed …

The infamous Tiertex home computer versions of Strider drastically altered the game for the worse, focusing their efforts on copying the arcade’s graphics, but giving up when it came to gameplay, removing all of the best moments (such as the snow hill, shuttle ride, gravity switching, and – shockingly – the final guardian), and cutting down the many musical themes to one tune that played throughout, completely ruining what atmosphere or tension even such a hacked-down version might have had.

The worst offender was the laughably poor C64 version, and the SMS version is at least nowhere near that wretched. It does, at least, retain the huge arcade guardians, although they are rendered as animated backdrops rather than sprites. This technique works well in many SMS games, but not so well here, as they are not shown against a plain screen (as in Fantasy World, MERCS, Shinobi, etc) and thus they have very limited movement: in some cases, none at all. On the other hand, the SMS does at least throw in the final boss (the Master), making it the only Tiertex-style version of Strider to actually include the arcade’s main villain. Even the Amiga version skimps on that …

Unfortunately, it also includes the cheating Tiertex end sequence, which tells you the whole game was a “training simulator” and sends you back to level 1 (and don’t bother playing through again, as you’ll get the same “reward” for your pains).

The sound is dreadful: the same constant, repetitive tune as in all of the home computer versions (minus the Spectrum, which is mercifully silent), but rendered even more vile by the limited instrumentation of the Z80 chip. The sound effects are sparse, and nothing to write home about.

The gameplay is nothing like the arcade or Genesis versions: the collision detection is merciless, the control sluggish, and the harsh time limit literally forces you, on occasion, to march right into harm’s way in order to get through an area. Enemies are pared down to the minimum: the standard soldier is all you will be seeing for much of the game. The final level, absurdly, is the easiest, having been simplified to the extent that it roughly mirrors the arcade map, but with vast empty sections you can walk through without encountering any opposition.

Finally, I should address the obvious objection: could an 8-bit machine have handled a better version of Strider? For the answer, I would point to the 8-bit wonder that is the Game Gear version of Shinobi: on a system almost equivalent to the SMS, there is a ninja game that includes huge (and mobile) guardians, multi-stage levels with interactive music, smooth and fast action (including spinning jumps and climbing), and dramatic set-pieces around every corner. It is a shame that game never actually made it to SMS, but at least it gives some idea of what might have been achieved with the hardware, had Sega’s programmers bothered to design their own 8-bit Strider rather than drawing inspiration from the dismal Tiertex version.

I would also point to the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, which blatantly, amusingly, and very adeptly rips off levels 2 and 3 of Strider in the Sky Base Zone: the sparking electrodes, shuttle rides, and Robotnik’s airship are all inspired by / stolen from Capcom’s game. 8-bit Sonic also shows the Sega 8-bit to be perfectly capable of a fast, smooth, detailed, and atmospheric platform game, as 8-bit Strider ought to have been, but that matter is best left for another, happier review.

50% (Marginally better than the home computer versions that inspired it, nowhere near as good as it ought to have been.)