The very first in the Star Soldier series (a series I utterly adore), but definitely suffers the dreaded "first game syndrome". Firstly, this game is HARD, as all original NES games tended to be. You start the game with a much slower space-craft with the slowest fire rate (unless you utterly HAMMER the shoot button), and only get better speed and fire rate if you collect a power-up. Collecting a second power-up allows you to fire in five directions, allowing the player to cover more of the battlefield in bullets, making hitting enemies much easier. Getting hit will set it back to lvl.2. Additional power-ups act as an instant screen-clear bomb (which is cool), however collecting one when you've damaged yourself does not restore the five way shot, meaning anything less than perfect play may set you back to lvl. 2 until you die (thank god I have this on the 3DS, otherwise I'd have quit after losing the lvl. 3 power-up over and over again long ago). I have heard there are special power-ups (one per stage), some with specific conditions, that drastically alter the game, but I have been unsuccessful in getting any of them.
The ship, on occasion. can fly underneath the scenery, which makes you temporarily invincible, however you cannot shoot while in this state, and it can frequently put you in a position where you can get hit/killed by enemies and enemy fire.
Every single major boss is the same; Star Brain capping most stages and Big Star Brain every 4th stage, stages can look the same despite color and pattern shifts, and enemies get highly repetitive. There are also only three or four tracks in the game, which can also get highly repetitive.
Honestly, this game feels like an extra EXTRA long Caravan stage, which considering this is the first game in the series, I'm not entirely surprised that it carried over as a bonus mode. However, I've always preferred unique encounters, locals, enemies, and music of later entries, even the somewhat weaker link "Final Soldier".
It's a fun game in short bursts, just like the Caravan stages in later entries, but it isn't something I'd be willing to re-play after I finish all 16 stages. Yes. SIXTEEN. That's a LOT of Caravan...
The ship, on occasion. can fly underneath the scenery, which makes you temporarily invincible, however you cannot shoot while in this state, and it can frequently put you in a position where you can get hit/killed by enemies and enemy fire.
Every single major boss is the same; Star Brain capping most stages and Big Star Brain every 4th stage, stages can look the same despite color and pattern shifts, and enemies get highly repetitive. There are also only three or four tracks in the game, which can also get highly repetitive.
Honestly, this game feels like an extra EXTRA long Caravan stage, which considering this is the first game in the series, I'm not entirely surprised that it carried over as a bonus mode. However, I've always preferred unique encounters, locals, enemies, and music of later entries, even the somewhat weaker link "Final Soldier".
It's a fun game in short bursts, just like the Caravan stages in later entries, but it isn't something I'd be willing to re-play after I finish all 16 stages. Yes. SIXTEEN. That's a LOT of Caravan...