Each of these abilities are pretty much required at one point or another, whether to get past specific doors or enemy shields that correspond with each individual plasma type. The Cold Cypher is easily the best one to use as it will freeze enemies in your path, which allows you focus on them one at a time and take less damage as a result. However, each of the different Cyphers do have their perks and you will find yourself using each one throughout the game. Perhaps you will find another one of them to be your favorite.
The various enemies you will face throughout the game are quite fun and vary in difficulty, but the true standout in this game is the boss fights. In what seems like every 10 minutes or less, you will come across a new boss to fight that will likely provide you with a new weapon upgrade. Most bosses are completely different from one another, besides the ones that you face more than once. Some of them can be a bit more difficult than the regular battles, but once you learn the patterns they shouldn’t be too much trouble. The unique patterns and attacks seen in these fights still stand out to me and was one of my favorite elements of the game.
The original Strider was known for its difficulty, as were most NES sidescrollers, but this new Strider isn’t quite up to that level. The game offers three difficulty levels to choose from and I didn’t have much trouble at all on normal outside of deaths here and there. I was never stuck on a boss fight for too overly long, which I certainly did not expect. The lesser difficulty level was likely as a result of the open-world design of the game, as they can’t have too many insane obstacles when you are moving throughout it. However, for a good challenge, Hard is always there as an option.
The game’s presentation is beautifully 8-bit in a modern setting. The animation style is perfect, down to something as simple as the blur effects when running. The developers could have chosen to go with more 3D models and locales, but I am very glad they chose to stay classic with the look and feel of this game. The dark colors and lighting also fit the dystopian Kazakh City setting that the developers are trying to present.
One of the most disappointing elements of the game is that there is no sort of New Game+, or even the ability to do more after completing the game. Usually, you have the ability to go back and pick up any missed collectibles after beating the game, whether through the game not saving past a certain point or putting you right before the point of no return after completion. However, once you reach the point of no return in Strider, there is truly no going back. After beating the final boss, your only option now is to start a new game. This is incredibly annoying for those of us who are perfectionists and would like to go back and find all of the collectibles.
Speaking of collectibles, there are plenty to find all across the map. Some are out in the open while others require you to take hidden paths to reach. The collectibles found in the game consist of extras like concept art, character intel, and story intel. I also was hoping for the original Strider to be available as an unlockable, but sadly it is not. This almost seems like a missed opportunity to be able to show many of the similarities to the original.
It may have taken 15 years, but we’ve finally seen a return to the Strider series. With gameplay similar to its 8-bit counterpart and a modern artstyle that still feels classic, Strider provides almost a timewarp for us old school gamers, while still being standout enough to attract plenty of new fans. A change to a Metroidvania-like layout was quite ambitious, but did still need a little more variety throughout. There is plenty of content for you here, though it would be nice if there was a new game+ mode available. However, at only $14.99, Strider is certainly not one to overlook.
[Editor’s Note: Strider was reviewed on the Xbox One. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
