Soldier Blade
ソルジャーブレイド1992Soldier Blade
ソルジャーブレイドHudson's speedy shooter sends one ship against the Zeograd Army.
Soldier Blade is a vertical shooter in which your starship must clear seven stages. The game puts more weight on speed than earlier games in the line. Its enemy is the Zeograd Army, an alien invasion force.
| RELEASED IN JAPAN | 10 July 1992 |
|---|---|
| RELEASED IN NORTH AMERICA | September 1992 |
| DEVELOPED AND PUBLISHED BY | Hudson Soft |
| CARTRIDGE | Planned at 6 megabits, then cut to 4 |
The ship starts with a standard shot. Coloured power capsules add weapons such as a wave gun and a laser. A pod adds extra firepower.
Collecting up to three capsules lets the ship take up to three hits.
Power-ups can be stored in a box at the bottom of the screen and used at any time. Destroying the weapons gives a screen-clearing super weapon.
Each stage has a mid-boss and a boss, with weak points to shoot. Two Caravan time-attack modes, of two and five minutes, sit beside the main game. Finishing the main game unlocks a stage select.
The idea came from designer Uribo while staff discussed which game to make for Hudson's Caravan tournament. The tournament was six months away.
Miscommunication in the planning documents left some enemies far too easy to kill.
Hudson made a Soldier Blade Special Version for the Caravan tournament, with only the two time-attack modes, in very small numbers.
Critics were mixed at launch. Some praised the gameplay and power-ups, while others felt it lacked originality.
Later retrospectives were more positive, and several called it one of the definitive shooters on the console. The game came to the Wii Virtual Console worldwide in January 2007.
The Software Bible calls it a vertical shooter that keeps Hudson's formula and adds a pod-based power system.
Its two Caravan time-attack modes follow the tournament format used across Hudson's shooters.
- The early name, Sonic Blaster F-92, was dropped over trademark issues.
- The Japanese article calls it the 50th HuCard title.
- The Japanese article says it was the eighth official Caravan tournament game.
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