It has been about fourteen years since the last time Strider Hiryu appeared in a proper Strider game. But 2014 is a year of new beginnings, and so the long-awaited and much-anticipated new title in the Strider series has revealed itself. The new game, simply titled Strider, is a platforming action-adventure game in the vein of such titles as Metroid and Castlevania. The more you progress through the more you’ll need to acquire additional abilities to continue further on.
Strider is not a remake of the classic arcade game by the same name, it’s more like a reimagining of the arcade classic. The story is based off the original but the game play has been updated to that of a non-linear experience. As mentioned above, in order to progress through the game you must acquire upgrades to bolster Strider Hiryu’s abilities and fight off hordes of mechanized soldiers. Surprisingly, Strider was developed by Double Helix, the guys behind the latest Killer Instinct game. This is also the same studio that was recently purchased by internet retail giant Amazon.com.
Hiryu is tasked with finding and assassinating Grandmaster Meio, the ruler of Kazakh city, which is really just a thinly veiled stand-in for a Soviet-era Russia, located in Eurasia. Along the way, you encounter classic Strider enemies: the Pooh sisters, Solo the bounty hunter and General Mikiel to name a few. As the best agent of the Striders, Hiryu enters the city alone to complete his mission.
The game adopts a very stylized aesthetic that includes highly reflective surfaces and sparks everywhere. The 2.5D rendering of Hiryu and the city of Kazakh look beautiful when you take the time to just stand around and admire the view. However, things can get a bit confusing as you traverse the city, with some obstacles appearing to be in the background when they are really in the foreground with you and vice-versa. Traversing the city of Kazakh feels quick and easy. Even at the beginning of the game Hiryu has the ability to climb up any normal wall, or even travel along the ceiling should you choose to. Granted, some walls and ceilings have booby traps on them to prevent you from proceeding further until you acquire an upgrade that allows you to bypass such obstacles.
The best part, however, is how the game feels as a whole. The game play is fast and frenetic, and just makes you feel like a badass assassin. Strider Hiryu wields his trusty Cypher, which essentially a bladed tonfa. Each press of the attack button equals one swing of Hiryu’s Cypher, so mashing the attack button causes Hiryu to swing repeatedly, allowing him to slice and dice any enemy that is foolish enough to stand in front of him. Throughout the game, Hiryu’s Cypher receives various upgrades, one of which gives you the ability to reflect enemy projectiles. So initially, if you are not careful you will be shot down by hordes of respawning enemies. Although, the good news is that there is a ton of health pick-ups scattered around the maps.
As you travel through the city, you’ll encounter hordes upon hordes of respawning enemies and you’ll quickily start to notice the lack of variety in enemy types. Generally, there are a handful of enemy types: soldiers, turrets, flying turrets, and behemoths are the most common types you’ll be dealing with throughout the game. As you progress further, however, the enemies begin to grow stronger as Hiryu becomes stronger himself. And the only way to tell if you’re up against stronger enemies is by paying attention to what color they are.
Strider is an action-packed downloadable title that is sure to give anyone hours of fun. The large maps are fun to explore as you unlock more and more of Strider Hiryu’s abilities, and the fast-paced combat is loads of fun. It’s remakes like these that are truly exciting; seeing a classic character come to life on modern consoles is a sight to behold. Granted, as wonderful as the game is, there are still a few flaws. But none of them are big enough to really detract from the game as a whole. If you’re the kind of person that really enjoys games like Metroid or Castlevania then this is definitely the game for you. Although Strider can be beaten in around six hours, there’s a lot to do in the game. Collectibles are hidden all over Kazakh city that range from concept art to palette swap costumes for Hiryu. For the price, Strider is worth the cost.
Strider is out now for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Unleash your inner ninja badass today!