HOLY STRIKER
( Firestriker )
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ホーリーストライカー
1993©Hect
©Axes Art Amuse Japan
Release: 1993-12-17 (¥8800)
Cartridge SHVC-AI
Breackout game
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Released in America as
FIRESTRIKER
( SNS-3S-USA )
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Holy Striker is an unusual mix of breakout and adventure game
published by hector in 1993. The evil arch mage Wylde is
taking over the world and must be stopped. The future of the four kingdoms
is at stake and the king summons his last warrior to his court to save the
world. But standard weapons are ineffective against the countless creatures
that haunt the darkest corners of the world - our hero is not any kind of warrior,
he is the last Firestriker ! This skilled fighter uses his sword and a
magical orb called the Trialight to strike his enemies. Various dungeons
are scattered across the kingdom and an overhead map shows our hero's position
and available locations to explore. However, only a few need to be completed
in a specific order and the player soon decides what stage to go on next. Each
dungeons is made of vertical rooms and the goal of the game is for our
Firetrisker to fight his way up to the exit. Our hero must hit the
magical orb to send it at the four corners of each room, killing monsters or
destroying obstacles on its path. The orb gets however pulls down towards the
bottom of the screen and letting it fall eats up a precious life. To help our
hero in his quest, a mage is positioned at the bottom of the screen and can catch
the orb before it falls off (shoulder buttons control his position). Power shots
come in limited quantities and can trigger powerful blows. As expected, the
game features power-ups usually hidden inside chests or dropped by defeated
enemies - they come in different flavors but more commonly refill health, give an
extra Power-Shot, an extra life and so forth. In a way similar to Zelda,
heart containers scattered throughout the game can be collected to increase the
player's maximum health. Finally, more Firestrikers can be recruited and
can be played instead of the main character. A multi-player mode is also available
where up to four players can play simultaneously.
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Teaser text from the American version:
Long ago, on a distant world, there were four kingdoms
governed by four constantly fighting tribes. One day the
Arch-Mage Wylde proposed a solution to the constant
battling. He offered to bestow the title of FireStriker and
ruler of the four tribes, upon the one who could control
the elemental orb of fire known as the Trialight.
However, the Arch-Mage Wylde had a hidden purpose.
His true reason for bringing peace to the world was so he
could destroy all four kingdoms at once.
Now, Salder, the last FireStriker, has offered to risk his life
in the battle against Wylde and his monsters. The time
has come to release the Trialight. The world's future
hangs in the balance.
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Click on picture to enlarge |
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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Holy Striker was a nice surprise. There is nothing groundbreaking here,
but the gameplay is inventive enough to be genuinely surprising. You'll find
influences from all over the gaming spectrum - the top-down world map, the slime
monsters, the mythology theme, the pinball/breakout favored gameplay and so forth.
Controlling the game can be clumsy and imprecise at first but you'll be surprised how
quickly you can get the hang of it. Only boss encounters are long and frustrating moments
and aiming at their weak spots can be annoyingly tricky. While Holy Striker's
influences are obvious, it can't be accused to introduce its own ideas to the formula.
An fun and original game.
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