Strider

Release Date: February 18, 2014

Action, science fiction, platformers, ninja, metroidvania, 2.5D, PS Plus Premium, PS Plus Extra, singleplayer

7.7

OpenCritic

84%

Steam

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A metroidvania game from Capcom's popular series. The game, developed by Double Helix Games, is set in a grim future where Earth is ruled by a cruel dictator – Grandmaster Meio. As Hiryu, a young warrior who achieved "Super A" rank as the youngest member of the titular organization, we must put an end to Meio's rule and kill him. Even though Strider is implemented in fully 3D visuals we observe the game from a side-view perspective.

Plot
Mechanics

Strider is a dynamic platform game that is a part of Capcom's popular series. It was developed by Double Helix Games from USA but the production was supervised by a Japanese team which consisted of many veterans of this series.

Plot

The game is set in a grim future where Earth is ruled by a cruel dictator – Grandmaster Meio. As Hiryu, a young warrior who achieved "Super A" rank as the youngest member of the titular organization, we must put an end to Meio's rule and kill him. The developers didn't focus on plot that much. Instead the story is only an excuse to fight with hordes of enemies.

Mechanics

The developers stayed true to the previous games in this series. The graphics are in full 3D but the mechanisms are 2D-based. The gameplay focuses on exploration levels full of obstacles and fighting with enemies. A special emphasis has been placed on the controls. They allow performing complicated acrobatic maneuvers and attacks in a blink of an eye. We can, e.g. run on walls, fight in mid-air, deflect projectiles with sword, set enemies on fire and use robot allies.

However, the developers didn't forget to implement new mechanics. Instead of having separate levels Strider offers a nonlinear world that consists of maps connected to each other. Players have a lot of freedom in choosing an order in which they want to explore locations. As the game progresses Hiryu learns new abilities that, upon going back to already visited locations, allows him to enter previously unreachable locations.

Last updated on July 23, 2017

Videos and Screens

[1:07] Strider launch trailer

[4:52] Strider retrospective

7.7

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 67% of Critics. There are 62 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

Destructoid: 9.5 / 10 by Chris Carter

Double Helix has really come into its own. Strider reminds me of a Shadow Complex with a much better combat system and a scaled-down exploration element. And that's perfectly okay with me.

Full Review

Fextralife: 8.5 / 10

Well designed and fun gameplay compensate from some less than ideal control choices. An entertaining romp through the world, and at just the right length. A great value for the price and brings a little luster back to the storied game.

Full Review

Game Rant: 4 / 5 by Anthony Taormina

It has its flaws, but they are easy to overlook because the game is just plain, unadulterated fun. In fact, the only thing that would make the game more enjoyable is playing in an actual arcade setting.

Full Review

84%