Strider (2014 video game)

Strider, known in Japan as Strider Hiryū (ストライダー飛竜, Sutoraidā Hiryū), is a platform-adventure hack and slash video game developed by Double Helix Games and Capcom's Osaka studio. It was released in February 2014 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is a reboot of the 1989 video game Strider.

For the 1989 video game, see Strider (arcade game).
Strider
Developer(s)Double Helix Games
Capcom Osaka Studio[1]
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Tony Barnes
Koji Oda
Producer(s)Jorge Oseguera
Andrew Szymanski[2]
James Vance[3]
Designer(s)Daniel Jacbos
Brian Smith
Paul Silva
Tony Barnes
Artist(s)Sho Sakai
Jon Tucci
Writer(s)Tony Barnes
Composer(s)Michael John Mollo[4]
SeriesStrider
EngineHEX Engine
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
Xbox 360
Xbox One
ReleasePlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
  • NA: February 18, 2014[5]
  • PAL: February 19, 2014
  • JP: February 22, 2014
Microsoft Windows
  • NA: February 19, 2014
  • PAL: February 19, 2014
Xbox 360
  • NA: February 19, 2014
  • PAL: February 19, 2014
  • JP: February 26, 2014
Xbox One
  • NA: February 19, 2014
  • PAL: February 19, 2014
  • JP: September 4, 2014
Genre(s)Platform-adventure, hack and slash, Metroidvania[6]
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

The player control the series' main character, Strider Hiryu. The environment is freely explorable in search for weapons and items. Strider Hiryu's main weapon is his Cypher, a plasma weapon that can take several properties.[1] Upgrades for the Cypher can be obtained by exploring Kazakh.[2]

Plot

The Strider organization sends their best assassin, Hiryu, to kill the villain, Grandmaster Meio,[3] in the metropolis of Kazakh City.[7]

The game is a retelling of the "core Strider story" and its common theme which centers around Hiryu's battle against Grandmaster Meio.[7] The game mixes together elements from the first arcade Strider game, the NES console game, Strider 2, his Marvel vs. Capcom fighting game appearances, and the original manga from Moto Kikaku.

Development

In 2009, a Strider reboot was in development by Grin. However, due to financial difficulties that bankrupted the company, the game was cancelled.[8]

Development of the 2014 game was made possible thanks to the series' popularity especially in thanks to Capcom's surveys and forums.[1] Strider was announced by Capcom in July 2013 during the San Diego Comic-Con.[1] Capcom found Double Helix could work well with their Osaka studio which handled the character designs and game design.[7] Producers from the game commented they wanted to make the classic Strider games less linear and expand their length to satisfy current generation's players. Due to the character's popularity, developers want him to retain all of his abilities from the first and second Strider games but at the same time encourage the players to obtain new skills in order to progress and provide more variety. This was how the team had the idea of giving Cypher the power to change forms. Additionally, the team wanted to contrast other games that start with the character completely powered up just to remove most of his skills in the game's beginning.[3]

Kouichi Yotsui, also known as "Isuke" and original designer of the first arcade version of Strider, was not involved in the development of the 2014 game but gave his blessing by giving his prayers to Capcom USA.[9] One of the staff's main influences is the video game Shadow Complex as producer Andrew Szymanski wanted Strider to imitate the game's balance between combat, speed and exploration. The action in the reboot is eight times faster than the original game, making this balance one of the staff's greatest challenges.[2] Hiryu's appearances in the Marvel vs. Capcom series also influenced the character's gameplay mechanics.[3]

The game's soundtrack features multiple homages to classic Strider themes but with several modifications. The sound quality is also meant to resemble the music from the original games.[2]

Reception

Strider received "generally favorable reviews" on all platforms except the PlayStation 3 version, which received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[10][11][12][13][14]

Adam Beck of Hardcore Gamer said of the PlayStation 4 version, "Double Helix has done a phenomenal job in bringing the futuristic ninja into the modern day by not only upgrading the visuals while maintaining the two-dimension plane, but adding an addictive and well-constructed progression structure to keep the campaign interesting."[31] In Japan, Famitsu gave the PS3 and PS4 versions each a score of one nine, two eights, and one nine for a total of 34 out of 40.[32]

411Mania gave the PS3 version a score of 8.2 out of 10 and said it was "a nice update of the franchise for the modern era. It's far from a groundbreaking game, but as a $15 downloadable title, it's fun throwback to traditional action games of the 1980s and 90s."[33] The Escapist gave the Xbox One version four stars out of five and called it "a stellar example of how to remake a classic. It sticks to the original where it should, and modernizes where the classic formula can be improved."[34] GameZone gave the game a score of eight out of ten and said that it's "out on so many different consoles, so there's no excuse not to give it a try. At 4-6 hours of gameplay your first run, plus all the challenge modes, the $14.99 price tag is very reasonable. The game can definitely feel repetitive but you can always mix up your play style, and there's plenty of room for variety."[35] Slant Magazine gave the PS4 version four stars out of five and said, "The less resilient player can and will die more than they have in quite some time; the good ones will be just as excited going back for more after the hundredth Game Over as they were at the first."[30] The Digital Fix similarly gave the same console version eight out of ten and said it was "a game that will succeed on its own merits and not by comparison to the original."[36] Digital Spy gave it a similar score of four stars out of five and said it was "admirably true to the game that Capcom released on arcades in 1989 and will delight those who still hold a candle for the original, with its unaltered core gameplay and polished production values. With these qualities on side, it's easy to overlook the game's shortcomings and deem it worthy of the Strider name."[29] National Post likewise gave it a score of eight out of ten and called it "a great meaty throwback worth the $15 offer price."[37] Metro, however, gave it a score of seven out of ten and said, "The mixture of old school, new school, and Metroidvania works surprisingly well – even if Strider's long-awaited reboot still feels slightly too safe."[38] Edge gave the Xbox 360 version a similar score of seven out of ten and called it "a sensitive update for a series many thought would stay stuck in the past."[39]

The game reached #5 in the European sales charts,[40] and #1 in the United States.[41]

Sales

As of December 2020, Strider has sold 1 million units becoming one of Capcom's Platinum Titles. [42]

References
  1. Romano, Sal (July 18, 2013). "Capcom announces new Strider for early 2014". Gematsu. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  2. Spencer (July 26, 2013). "Strider Starts Out With All Of His Core Abilities And Has Touches For MvC Fans". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  3. Cork, Jeff (July 19, 2013). "Strider: We Get Answers about Capcom's New Strider Game". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  4. Greening, Chris (April 26, 2014). "Strider HD Developer Diary". VGMO. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  5. Ishaan (February 5, 2014). "Strider Out This Month; Screenshots Show Off New Costumes". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  6. Roberts, David (February 18, 2014). "Strider review". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Retrieved July 12, 2016. [T]his reboot is an exploration-based action-platformer, similar to Super Metroid or Shadow Complex.
  7. Gilbert, Henry (July 22, 2013). "Strider isn't a reboot, it's a retelling". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  8. Yin-Poole, Wesley (February 21, 2012). "Bionic Commando dev Grin worked on Strider reboot, Streets of Rage remake". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  9. King, Ryan (July 19, 2013). "Original Strider Creator Not Involved With New Title, 'Prays For Capcom USA'". NowGamer. Imagine Publishing. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  10. "Strider for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  11. "Strider for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  12. "Strider for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  13. "Strider for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  14. "Strider for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  15. Carter, Chris (February 18, 2014). "Review: Strider (XOne)". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  16. Patterson, Mollie L. (February 20, 2014). "EGM Review: Strider (XOne)". EGMNow. EGM Media, LLC. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  17. Parkin, Simon (February 18, 2014). "Strider review (Xbox One)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  18. Vore, Bryan (February 17, 2014). "Strider: Double Helix Honors The Way Of The Ninja (PC, PS4, XONE)". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  19. Peterson, Blake (February 18, 2014). "Strider Review (PS4)". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  20. McGee, Maxwell (February 18, 2014). "Strider Review (PS4, XONE)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  21. Damiani, Michael (February 20, 2014). "Strider - Review (PS4)". GameTrailers. Defy Media. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  22. Gerstmann, Jeff (February 19, 2014). "Strider Review (PS4, XONE)". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  23. Ogilvie, Tristan (February 18, 2014). "Strider Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  24. Cavalli, Earnest (February 18, 2014). "Strider review: Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go (XOne)". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  25. Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (February 24, 2014). "Strider PS4 review - I can be your Hiryu, baby". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK. Future plc. Archived from the original on March 3, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  26. Hoffman, Chris (February 18, 2014). "Strider review (XOne)". Official Xbox Magazine. Future US. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  27. Birnbaum, Ian (March 1, 2014). "Strider review". PC Gamer UK. Future plc. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  28. Gies, Arthur (February 18, 2014). "Strider review: running man (XOne)". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  29. Langshaw, Mark (February 18, 2014). "Strider review (PS4): Arcade reboot is true to its roots". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  30. Clark, Justin (February 27, 2014). "Strider (PS4)". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  31. Beck, Adam (February 20, 2014). "Review: Strider (PS4)". Hardcore Gamer. Hardcore Gamer LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  32. Romano, Sal (February 12, 2014). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1315". Gematsu. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  33. Harris, Jeffrey (March 8, 2014). "Strider (PS3) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  34. Vanderwall, Joshua (February 21, 2014). "Strider Review - Of Ninjas and Robots (XOne)". The Escapist. Defy Media. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  35. Clouther, Andrew (February 20, 2014). "Strider Review: Twenty-five years has done Hiryu good". GameZone. Archived from the original on March 3, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  36. Gallagher, Gareth (February 27, 2014). "Strider Review (PS4)". The Digital Fix. Poisonous Monkey. Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  37. Kaszor, Daniel (February 18, 2014). "Review: Strider may be a budget title, but it captures that old school feeling (PS4)". National Post (Financial Post). Postmedia Network. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  38. Jenkins, David (February 18, 2014). "Strider review - for make benefit glorious city of Kazakh (PS4)". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  39. Edge staff (February 18, 2014). "Strider review (X360)". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  40. Dutton, Fred (March 10, 2014). "PlayStation Store charts, February: Tomb Raider PS4, TxK, Toukiden debut". PlayStation Blog. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  41. Massongill, Justin (March 10, 2014). "February 2014 PlayStation Store Top Sellers". PlayStation Blog. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  42. https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/finance/million.html
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