Power Strike II (SMS, 1993)
Graphics-9 Sound-8 Control-9 Challenge-8.5
Level Design-8 Frustration-8 Fun-8.5 Originality-6
Overall Score-9
+
Frantic and varied action
Good pacing
Great bosses (multiple patterns, locational damage/multiple destructible parts)
6 different weapons with 3 levels each
Difficulty options
Good length (8 stages)
Great enemy variety
Pretty nice cutscenes
Manual speed adjustment (4 levels, can also be set before beginning)
Spinning orb shield power up (2 levels of upgrades and very effective at the 2nd level)
Smart bombs - these trigger when touched though and don't always show up at the best moment, "those poor pirates" - intro cutscene
+/-
Respawn on the spot (dying downgrades the main weapon and sub weapon, the sub weapon is downgraded to 3 if above the third level and then by one with each death but never below 1)
Frequent sub weapon and main weapon power ups - these keep appearing during boss fights
-
Some bullet flicker (the shield and charge beam generally help, as does weapon 6)
Some trial & error
Weapon 4 sucks while weapon 6 is a bit too good (vs bosses)
The charge up weapon should’ve been set to button 2 and the speed toggle set to the pause menu (sometimes you don’t want to shoot, just charge)
Stage 6 is pretty short and stage 8 is basically just an intro before the boss
Comment (old):
Pretty amazing for an obscure 8-bit shooter, and probably my favourite game for the system. You have the trademark Compile weapon system in place here, a sort of charge beam which balances out the difficulty spikes quite well, great bosses, and awesome visuals to top it all off. A bit tough to get into, it's not the easiest shooter out there, but impossible to put down once you do.
Review:
After seeing the great intro cutscene to this game, depicting a wild alternate take on the late 1920s where pilots out of a job have taken to steampunk-aided sky pirating and it's up to one man alone to stop them, I knew I was in for a treat. Compile's last outing for the SMS is a proper swan song for the system and for 8-bit shoot 'em ups in general.
Each level in the game is well paced, varied and with unique set pieces - There's a nice blend of small fry, mini-boss style enemies, ground defenses and the occasional natural hazard such as the erupting volcanoes rising out of the ocean in the first level. As is common in Aleste games there's always at least a few enemies and bullets on screen, and beyond the first one there are several really intense moments to test your shooting skills (or in a couple of cases, that you've equipped and upgraded the right weapon). At the end of each one you of course fight a boss, and the game shines here as well with bosses that have multiple patterns and large, detailed sprites ensuring they'll be intimidating to face.
You have the trademark Compile weapon system in place here meaning there's plenty of variety as well as upgrades for each sub weapon (6 and 6, respectively). Their more forgiving takes on respawning and ship speed control also make a return here along with difficulty options (5 levels in total), making the game a bit easier to get into for newcomers to the genre. You also have the usual screen clearing smart bombs, however they trigger when touched here and don't always show up when you really need them.
New to this game there's a shotgun-like charge beam triggered by letting go of the shot button (it auto-charges while shooting and has a 5 second cooldown period), which is satisfying to use and balances out most of the difficulty spikes quite well as it also takes out enemy bullets for a brief moment. There's also a spinning orb shield power up, which when upgraded to level 2 is very effective at taking out regular enemy bullets.
To top it all off, the visuals are excellent. The sound is also pretty good, as far as SMS games with PSG sound go, but the music is in a more arpeggio-focused, less melodic style that might not be to everyone's taste and is also a bit of a surprise compared to other Aleste games which are well known for their catchy pop tunes. Other than that, really the only flaws here are that there's the occasional bullet sprite flicker (though the charge attack and spinning orb shield combined with certain weapons generally makes it a non-issue), level 6 is pretty short and weapon 4 isn't all that good.
Power Strike II is pretty amazing for an obscure "stuck in PAL land" 8-bit shooter. It's one of the best of its generation, and one of the best games for the system period.
Level Design-8 Frustration-8 Fun-8.5 Originality-6
Overall Score-9
+
Frantic and varied action
Good pacing
Great bosses (multiple patterns, locational damage/multiple destructible parts)
6 different weapons with 3 levels each
Difficulty options
Good length (8 stages)
Great enemy variety
Pretty nice cutscenes
Manual speed adjustment (4 levels, can also be set before beginning)
Spinning orb shield power up (2 levels of upgrades and very effective at the 2nd level)
Smart bombs - these trigger when touched though and don't always show up at the best moment, "those poor pirates" - intro cutscene
+/-
Respawn on the spot (dying downgrades the main weapon and sub weapon, the sub weapon is downgraded to 3 if above the third level and then by one with each death but never below 1)
Frequent sub weapon and main weapon power ups - these keep appearing during boss fights
-
Some bullet flicker (the shield and charge beam generally help, as does weapon 6)
Some trial & error
Weapon 4 sucks while weapon 6 is a bit too good (vs bosses)
The charge up weapon should’ve been set to button 2 and the speed toggle set to the pause menu (sometimes you don’t want to shoot, just charge)
Stage 6 is pretty short and stage 8 is basically just an intro before the boss
Comment (old):
Pretty amazing for an obscure 8-bit shooter, and probably my favourite game for the system. You have the trademark Compile weapon system in place here, a sort of charge beam which balances out the difficulty spikes quite well, great bosses, and awesome visuals to top it all off. A bit tough to get into, it's not the easiest shooter out there, but impossible to put down once you do.
Review:
After seeing the great intro cutscene to this game, depicting a wild alternate take on the late 1920s where pilots out of a job have taken to steampunk-aided sky pirating and it's up to one man alone to stop them, I knew I was in for a treat. Compile's last outing for the SMS is a proper swan song for the system and for 8-bit shoot 'em ups in general.
Each level in the game is well paced, varied and with unique set pieces - There's a nice blend of small fry, mini-boss style enemies, ground defenses and the occasional natural hazard such as the erupting volcanoes rising out of the ocean in the first level. As is common in Aleste games there's always at least a few enemies and bullets on screen, and beyond the first one there are several really intense moments to test your shooting skills (or in a couple of cases, that you've equipped and upgraded the right weapon). At the end of each one you of course fight a boss, and the game shines here as well with bosses that have multiple patterns and large, detailed sprites ensuring they'll be intimidating to face.
You have the trademark Compile weapon system in place here meaning there's plenty of variety as well as upgrades for each sub weapon (6 and 6, respectively). Their more forgiving takes on respawning and ship speed control also make a return here along with difficulty options (5 levels in total), making the game a bit easier to get into for newcomers to the genre. You also have the usual screen clearing smart bombs, however they trigger when touched here and don't always show up when you really need them.
New to this game there's a shotgun-like charge beam triggered by letting go of the shot button (it auto-charges while shooting and has a 5 second cooldown period), which is satisfying to use and balances out most of the difficulty spikes quite well as it also takes out enemy bullets for a brief moment. There's also a spinning orb shield power up, which when upgraded to level 2 is very effective at taking out regular enemy bullets.
To top it all off, the visuals are excellent. The sound is also pretty good, as far as SMS games with PSG sound go, but the music is in a more arpeggio-focused, less melodic style that might not be to everyone's taste and is also a bit of a surprise compared to other Aleste games which are well known for their catchy pop tunes. Other than that, really the only flaws here are that there's the occasional bullet sprite flicker (though the charge attack and spinning orb shield combined with certain weapons generally makes it a non-issue), level 6 is pretty short and weapon 4 isn't all that good.
Power Strike II is pretty amazing for an obscure "stuck in PAL land" 8-bit shooter. It's one of the best of its generation, and one of the best games for the system period.