Strike Gunner S.T.G

Strike Gunner S.T.G (エス・ティー・ジー Esu-Tī -Jī /ストライクガンナー Sutoraiku Gannā) is a vertical scrolling shoot'em up arcade game developed by Athena published in 1991 by Tecmo (now Koei-Tecmo Games). It was ported to the Super Nintendo by NTV International Corporation (NTVIC) in North America, Athena in Japan (both as Strike Gunner S.T.G), and Activision in Europe as Super Strike Gunner. It was later released on the Nintendo Switch and both PlayStations 4 and 5 by Hamster as part of Arcade Archives right after confirming the acquisition of Athena's IPs.

Story[]

In the year 2008, the Earth is facing a crisis. Aliens joined forces with the nation of Sovinia and began a worldwide war. The remaining Earth forces tried to stop them in vain, but suddenly, the aliens betrayed Sovinia and they were attacked too. With no other choice, Sovinia teamed up with the Earth forces and they developed the S.T.G "Strike Gunner" fighter aircraft, commencing the operation "Project Earth". Mark McKenzie and Jane Sinclair were assigned to the mission and the hope of the entire Earth is on their hands.

Gameplay[]

Arcade Version[]

The player goes through various levels and stages, usually based around certain environmental elements and faces numerous types of enemies. The levels feature wave after wave of normal enemies ranging from helicopters to gun turrets that usually only require one or two hits to destroy. At various points in each level, the player faces a boss vehicle. At certain points, a B-2 stealth bomber (or in later levels, a space shuttle or capsule) will appear to airdrop/spacedrop the player laser power-ups, recharge special weapons, or give a speed boost. The upgrade changes when it takes a hit from the player's shots.

Using the Strike Gunner, the player is armed with a single streamed red vulcan weapon that can be upgraded several times to a more powerful blue laser shots. In addition to the default weapon, the player chooses a second, more powerful "special weapon" with a limited charge before they begin the mission. There are 10 advanced weapons to pick from. This allows for a strategic approach to the game because certain weapons are more effective on certain missions. The "special weapon" has various limitations, depending on which one is being used.

In addition to the simultaneous 2 Player support, they can not just choose their desired special weapon, but also they can combine their Strike Gunners into a single aircraft. The player who started the fusion will control the combined ship while the other is the gunner who can fire a 360° vulcan.

SNES Version[]

The SNES version differs gradually from the original arcade. While it retains most of the graphic aspects, it makes several differences in the game.
In the gameplay aspect, the game adds new weapons to the Strike Gunner's arsenal and replaces the Photon Blaster with the Photon Torpedo, increasing the total of 10 to 15. During the levels, the upgrades are separated as individual items and no longer requires to be shot in order to change them. The ending requirements were changed. In order to unlock the full ending, the player has to complete the game in the "Otaku" difficulty, which is the hardest level of the game. In graphic terms, it was slightly downgraded in order to fit on the SNES. However, it utilizes Mode 7 effects for the new opening and ending cutscenes.

Arcade Archives Version[]

The Arcade Archives version is virtually identical to the arcade, being the addition of two Arcade Archives exclusive modes. Hi-Score Mode is a "Three lives, no continues" run where the player has to obtain the largest amount of points whether if its defeated or completes the game. Caravan Mode is a 5-minutes long run completing as much as the player can reach before time hits zero. On both modes, the pausing option is disabled and will force the player to either start over or exit the mode. All the available modes feature Leaderboards. Unlike the Switch port, the PlayStation 4/5 version is the only port that features obtainable trophies.

Gallery[]

Curiosities[]

While player 1 takes control of Mark and player 2 is Jane in the arcade version, the SNES port reverts the roles.
Allumer's shmup War of Aero: Project MEIOU utilizes a combination mechanic similar to Strike Gunner.
In shmup terminology, STG is an abreviation of "Shooting" and "Shooting Game"