Gamer reviews for STRIKERS 1945-2
Return of the Strikers
Strikers 1945 II is the sequel of the highly successful vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up, Strikers 1945. Originally, released by Psikyo in 1997, the game has been ported to the Playstation and Sega Saturn. It was released on the Android platform on March 19, 2015 courtesy of Mobirix. The mobile version of the game still retains the outstanding arcade action featuring notable WWII planes and some fictional experimental aircraft, with some tweaks and additional features not found on the original arcade version.
The game features six different WII aircraft, each with its own unique power-up, bomb, and "options" (wingmen, support) The Android version allows you to select the P38 Lightning and Shinden as the starting planes to you can opt to use the random selection for a chance to use one of the locked planes. To unlock new planes, you need to spend Rubies. You can get very small amount of rubies by playing through the missions and you can buy a bulk of them using real money.
Additionally, you have Coins to spend on Boosters and to randomly select a partner. Boosters increases your plane's stats (but not your number of lives) while selecting a Partner will activate the roulette to determine your CPU-controlled second player. If you want a differen plane as a partner, you have to spend coins again to start the roulette. You can earn coins by completing missions or by logging in daily (internet connection required)
The game is set in an alternate-reality WW2 era with eight randomly-arranged stages where players will engage various ground, air, sea, and even space-faring targets, with each stage guarded by a boss that can transform up to three times. Like the typical shooters of its time, destroying specific enemies often yields power-ups that increases the damage and range of the plane's projectiles and support unit. Every plane has a unique support unit/ability. The P-38 Lightning fires homing missiles while the Shinden fires large, forward-traveling missiles for example.
A plane's attack can be upgraded up to four times. Collecting additional power ups from hereon will add up to the score. Sometimes, larger targets or structures drop “bomb” scrolls that can be used to replenish you very limited supply of bombs or special attacks. Bombs are very powerful attacks that can block enemy projectiles, instantly destroy most enemies within its range, and deal massive damage to bosses. If a plane is shot down, power ups and sometimes a bomb is dropped so when planes respawn, they can collect them again.
The Android version doesn't have onscreen D-Pad controls and only features two buttons; one for the bomb and one for the “option” attack. Different planes have different support options or wingmen. Planes fire their normal attacks automatically and players just need to drag their finger on the touchscreen to control the planes' movements. The sensitivity can be adjusted though the game tracks the player's fingers very precisely that making surgical-accurate movements is very possible. The game is still fast-paced and this can be a problem for players using devices with smaller screens since their fingers will most likely block the view.
While attacking, players fill their energy bar on the top of the screen. When the energy bar is at least LV1, players can push the Special Attack button on the screen to use their plane's special ability. The higher the energy level, the more potent the special attack becomes. For example, the Flying Pancake fires a single laser beam at LV1 but when activated at level 2, it can fire large, twin beam lasers that can penetrate multiple enemies.
The game has four difficulties: Easy, Normal, Pro, and Master. The difficulty affects how many and fast the projectiles the enemies will release and will also increase their firing rate. If you want to tackle these higher difficulties, buying Boosters and having partners will increase your chances of survival.
When playing with a CPU-controlled partner, the partner plane starts fully-upgraded and is very manueverable that it's almost impossible to be hit by enemy projectiles. Additionally, you share the same energy bar. That means that the damage done by your partner will count towards your bar. However, tapping the Special Attack button will trigger your partner's SP, not the plane you control. In the other hand, when you use a Bomb, the main plane's bomb will be activated instead of the partner plane. This is a pretty good balance in my opinion.
Since this is a port, players who are familiar with the title will appreciate the outstanding 2D visuals, animation, and effects that will bring nostalgia. The soundtracks and BGMs are immersive as well. The controls are very responsive, and there are no lags or framerate issues even when there's a lot of things going on at the same time.
The game can be played offline. However, in order to claim your daily coin prize, compare leaderboards, or save/load your game file to the online server, you have to be online. Also, if you play online, you'll tend to see intrusive ads popping in front your screen without warning. These ads won't appear if you're playing offline so after getting your daily reward, you can turn off the connection to avoid seeing these ads.
Strikers 1945-2 is a solid arcade title on its day, and also a reliable, free game on the Android. If you miss great shoot 'em ups in the 90's don't miss giving this a try.