Strider (2014) Review

Oh sweet jumping sanity this is a fun game.

Okay. First the facts. Strider is a 2014 release from Double Helix studios under Capcom. Released on all modern (non-portable) platforms the game is a reboot of the 1989 arcade release of the same name.

In Strider you play as Strider Hiryu a special assassin operative sent to kill Grandmaster Meio, a brutal, insane dictator and the leader of the entire planet.

The game begins with Hiryu gilding into Meio’s capital city of Kazakh.

This is already too awesome!

And that’s it! You’re dropped in face first into the game with just your mission objective. In truth if you don’t bother to look it up you can actually go through the game not knowing Strider Hiryu’s name.

So how is the game? It’s awesome!

Strider is part of a breed of platforming adventure games lovingly dubbed Metriodvania games. These are games that are noted for encouraging the player to explore a (typically) 2D environment while collecting weapons and upgrades. The idea is that rather than traversing in a linear path the player must explore and master the terrain to get the most of it.

And I loves my Metroidvania I do.

While the game doesn’t provide a great deal of info (even then not much unless you unlock it or make your own conclusions from in-game dialogue) fans of the Strider franchise can easily fill you in on the background info. Which I am so let’s hit it!

Strider Hiryu is the one of the Special-A ranked Striders. The Striders are an organization of cyber ninja assassins and the Special-A rank is the highest possible rank attainable and Hiryu was the youngest to obtain it. Hiryu was retired as a Strider after a mission where he was forced to kill his sister, however; the Striders appealed to Hiryu for one last mission after several members of the organization died trying to kill Meio.

Strider is a neat as hell protagonist. First of all, he’s a ninja so that’s already pretty awesome. In addition he’s a ninja in the future which means special gadgets and a heat blade known as a Cypher that emits hot plasma whenever you swing it. Strider attacks in eight directions and you can mash that button to watch the cypher fill the air between you and the enemy’s vital organs. In addition at the start of the game you have the ability to stick to and climb all walls, at least those without a buzz saw blade or horrible blue lightning going through them. Because Hiryu is so well trained projectiles appear quite slow to him. As such it’s a simple matter for him to avoid and then eventually deflect common enemy fire.

As the game progresses you gain access to more mid-air maneuvering abilities such as the double jump and the plasma catapult which allows Hiryu to dash in the air. In addition Hiryu gets three additional settings for his cypher, kunai and plasma catapult. Each setting influences all three and changes inherently how they behave in combat.

On top of that Hiryu gets a series of drone machines called options. Option D is the only one you start with and it just gives you game objectives. Option A throws projectiles and gives Hiryu a shield, Option C is a flaming red falcon that arcs through the air and Option B is a blue neon panther that you can use to fight enemies or ride.

SO FREAKING AWESOME!

The gameplay of Strider is incredibly fast paced, so much so that when timing puzzles occur they often hit like a brick wall to the face of the player who, up until this point, has cruised through the game slashing Meio’s guards like ants.

Occasionally mini-bosses will appear that become part of the game’s conventional enemy roster once you defeat them. This gives a great sense of progression for the player as once formidable challenges become easily conquerable obstacles and then simple things to dispatch.

Most of the in-game collectables are displayed on the map save for out of game artwork, background story elements and bonus challenge maps. As such players will often find themselves backtracking at the very end (as is common for these kinds of games) looking for the last secrets hidden away in the most challenging places.

The bosses themselves are all theatrical and frankly insane in stark contrast to Hiryu’s simple solemn style. Meio himself caps off everything at the end as a deranged man seeking godhood.

Nothing subtle here at all.

I would have loved to see a Strider as a boss but regrettably, despite in-game cutscenes and dialogue hinting at a battle with a Strider clone (even one of Hiryu himself) nothing happens.

The overall gameplay is tight and Hiryu controls quickly and responds to player inputs with lightning precision. Players will quickly learn to control Hiryu’s fast response times or die really fast from running into something deadly.

Overall the game’s score is forgettable. Music plays softly in the background, even on maximum volume and I could scarcely hear a few notes every so often. Often while playing I’d mute the background music in favour of something more dynamic and matching to what was on screen.

That said the game’s entire visual dynamic is just gorgeous with strong CG work in both the foreground and background. Each area feels distinct enough to not bleed together though certain spots within the same area will look as though it’s repeating from time to time. Despite that it is still gorgeous to go through… especially while riding your neon red hawk.

SO BLOODY AWESOME!

Whatever flaws Strider has is overcome by just the strong action pace. Backtracking is kept fresh by returning to old areas with new weaponry to try out on formerly tedious enemies. Eventually the screen will be filled with numerous glowing projectiles supplied by you as you evade and cartwheel through the air attacking all enemies at the same time.

If you like high speed games, platforming or just classic ninja video game action you owe it to yourself to get this game. It’s under twenty dollars on every non-portable system out there (except the WiiU but what ya gonna do) and it’s a decent price for an eight hour game. So go give it a try.