My history with vertical shmups on the PC Engine is really inconsistent in ratings for me. First was Super Star Soldier which I was never really that big on, I just found it very underwhelming, like even the Famicom Star Soldier was more fun to me. Second was Gunhed/Blazing Lazers where it was very good but had some flawed levels and I remember it having an annoying boss rush. Third was Star Parodier which was a nice Parodius like take on Star Soldier with its awesome level themes but I felt like it was too easy leaving me to go on autopilot near the end though it’s still really good despite its baby difficulty. Fourth was Nexzr where I felt like one of the only people who wasn’t too impressed with it. Fifth was Spriggan which was great though I wish 1 or 2 of the stages were designed better but the gameplay like the weapons are 10/10. Lastly there was Detana!! Twinbee which was a pretty good shmup, not my favorite from the vertical shmups but I like it a lot. Now we have Soldier Blade which was the last of the Star Soldier PC Engine games and I was a little worried it wouldn’t impress me but oh boy Hudson knew how to make one of the best shmups for the console.
Soldier Blade is a vertical shmup that will take you through 7 operations (which are basically just stages but with a different name) and will fight a variety of enemies and bosses that will try to stop you. This game’s weapon system is very similar to something like Musha Aleste and Spriggan where you collect these items that are 3 different colors representing a different weapon. You can hold up to three and your weapon is the one that is used on the very right. If you grab a 4th one then the one on the left is removed. If you collect a color that is the same one you use, you get an extra hit point and your firepower is upgraded. You can press a button to get rid of one of the weapons and it’ll do a special attack. Red homes in on enemies, green will send a big projectile onto the enemies, and blue will shoot a short lasting but massive laser. When it comes to the actual shots though, they got uses. Red is a shot that is the weakest of the three but the more it’s upgraded, the more directions it shoots at once. Green uses these arrow-like projectiles that hit in multiple directions going in an upright and upleft motion. Blue will shoot lasers that are pretty powerful though they give the least coverage so make sure your dodging skills are up for the task. Your ship also has an option that follows you and shoots along with you. You can even change your speed from low to high with the select button.
The levels in this game are really solid, there’s not really any big gimmicks in this one compared to others but it didn’t bother me personally. The enemies patterns and bullets are done perfectly with what you’re offered on offense and defense. I always appreciate shmups that use the speed mechanic well, I felt like it had a good balance for using the low and high speeds. You’re given lots of weapon pickups meaning you’re always switching them up and using your specials many times and they are a big help for the stages and bosses. Everything is just so engaging and there’s never a dull moment with this game. While I did play on the normal difficulty, it still felt somewhat challenging near the end especially with the bosses. I wanna point out how good the last stage is at getting you ready where it gives a big alert and then murders your team as you head off for the final level, now that’s how you get someone ready to finish a game. I do think some levels can feel like they go on for a little too long but I think I only felt that way on one stage early on, I started to not really think that but I’m sure some think differently of that. Really there’s just no complaints from me here.
The bosses are pretty good too even if their designs aren’t the most fascinating. I love how the first boss is where you meet the main villain who once you beat, he retreats and tells you he’ll be back which is so chilling. It made me go “Oh god, he must be the final boss, scary…” which is always a good sign. I like how you do have to try on these and can’t just spam those three weapons you have and say GG. No you actually gotta do some effort for yourself so learn those patterns or they’ll make easy work of you. Some of them can be pretty tough but with enough practice it can be done with ease and I like how none of them feel unfair and go through a wonderful difficulty curve. I can’t think of a single bad boss in this game. I also like when the game has to give an ALERT for when a boss shows up to get you prepared!
There’s also a caravan stage where you play for 2 or 5 minutes to get the best score possible. You can’t use those special moves in this one so try your best to kill as many enemies as you can. I’m guessing this originally had a contest back in the day but I wouldn’t know and I’m not really one to get into this kind of stuff, I’m all about going through a journey to see an end. Still if you like that kind of stuff then this game has you covered and plus it’s nice they made a stage just for it.
Soldier Blade looks fantastic for a Hucard game. The backgrounds just look so good for the console and all the sprites are nice and some are even huge. There’s not even technical problems that I could think of which is excellent. Sadly there isn’t really much in terms of the cutscenes so if you were hoping for that then you won’t get it here, that’s usually kept for CD games. Still you can’t really complain with what they did graphically for this game. The music is pretty good too, not my favorite stuff but I like it anyway. It even has voice samples even if there are barely any and I can’t even hear what the final boss is saying. I also really love this cool touch they did where in the 6th operation you fight this boss where you get put in this weird wavy pink land and the music actually gets a little screwed up as the background waves around which is a touch I’d never expect.
The game was a big surprise for me. I would have never imagined something already beating Valkyrie no Densetsu for number 1 spot on my PC Engine list. I just finished that one not too long ago and to see it already beaten out is crazy. Soldier Blade impresses and just never lets go and delivers on a great experience. It may not have cute Anime girl designs and it may not be the most original shmup on the console but it gets that gameplay so great that it’s a big recommendation. Anyone who wants to play games on the PC Engine has to play this title and it shows Hudson knew how to make some amazing stuff for the console later in its life. If you still haven’t played this then give it a go because it’s worth your time for sure!
Soldier Blade is a vertical shmup that will take you through 7 operations (which are basically just stages but with a different name) and will fight a variety of enemies and bosses that will try to stop you. This game’s weapon system is very similar to something like Musha Aleste and Spriggan where you collect these items that are 3 different colors representing a different weapon. You can hold up to three and your weapon is the one that is used on the very right. If you grab a 4th one then the one on the left is removed. If you collect a color that is the same one you use, you get an extra hit point and your firepower is upgraded. You can press a button to get rid of one of the weapons and it’ll do a special attack. Red homes in on enemies, green will send a big projectile onto the enemies, and blue will shoot a short lasting but massive laser. When it comes to the actual shots though, they got uses. Red is a shot that is the weakest of the three but the more it’s upgraded, the more directions it shoots at once. Green uses these arrow-like projectiles that hit in multiple directions going in an upright and upleft motion. Blue will shoot lasers that are pretty powerful though they give the least coverage so make sure your dodging skills are up for the task. Your ship also has an option that follows you and shoots along with you. You can even change your speed from low to high with the select button.
The levels in this game are really solid, there’s not really any big gimmicks in this one compared to others but it didn’t bother me personally. The enemies patterns and bullets are done perfectly with what you’re offered on offense and defense. I always appreciate shmups that use the speed mechanic well, I felt like it had a good balance for using the low and high speeds. You’re given lots of weapon pickups meaning you’re always switching them up and using your specials many times and they are a big help for the stages and bosses. Everything is just so engaging and there’s never a dull moment with this game. While I did play on the normal difficulty, it still felt somewhat challenging near the end especially with the bosses. I wanna point out how good the last stage is at getting you ready where it gives a big alert and then murders your team as you head off for the final level, now that’s how you get someone ready to finish a game. I do think some levels can feel like they go on for a little too long but I think I only felt that way on one stage early on, I started to not really think that but I’m sure some think differently of that. Really there’s just no complaints from me here.
The bosses are pretty good too even if their designs aren’t the most fascinating. I love how the first boss is where you meet the main villain who once you beat, he retreats and tells you he’ll be back which is so chilling. It made me go “Oh god, he must be the final boss, scary…” which is always a good sign. I like how you do have to try on these and can’t just spam those three weapons you have and say GG. No you actually gotta do some effort for yourself so learn those patterns or they’ll make easy work of you. Some of them can be pretty tough but with enough practice it can be done with ease and I like how none of them feel unfair and go through a wonderful difficulty curve. I can’t think of a single bad boss in this game. I also like when the game has to give an ALERT for when a boss shows up to get you prepared!
There’s also a caravan stage where you play for 2 or 5 minutes to get the best score possible. You can’t use those special moves in this one so try your best to kill as many enemies as you can. I’m guessing this originally had a contest back in the day but I wouldn’t know and I’m not really one to get into this kind of stuff, I’m all about going through a journey to see an end. Still if you like that kind of stuff then this game has you covered and plus it’s nice they made a stage just for it.
Soldier Blade looks fantastic for a Hucard game. The backgrounds just look so good for the console and all the sprites are nice and some are even huge. There’s not even technical problems that I could think of which is excellent. Sadly there isn’t really much in terms of the cutscenes so if you were hoping for that then you won’t get it here, that’s usually kept for CD games. Still you can’t really complain with what they did graphically for this game. The music is pretty good too, not my favorite stuff but I like it anyway. It even has voice samples even if there are barely any and I can’t even hear what the final boss is saying. I also really love this cool touch they did where in the 6th operation you fight this boss where you get put in this weird wavy pink land and the music actually gets a little screwed up as the background waves around which is a touch I’d never expect.
The game was a big surprise for me. I would have never imagined something already beating Valkyrie no Densetsu for number 1 spot on my PC Engine list. I just finished that one not too long ago and to see it already beaten out is crazy. Soldier Blade impresses and just never lets go and delivers on a great experience. It may not have cute Anime girl designs and it may not be the most original shmup on the console but it gets that gameplay so great that it’s a big recommendation. Anyone who wants to play games on the PC Engine has to play this title and it shows Hudson knew how to make some amazing stuff for the console later in its life. If you still haven’t played this then give it a go because it’s worth your time for sure!