Strikers 1945 III
Vertically scrolling shoot 'em up sequel with Technical Bonus.
Strikers 1945 III, released as Strikers 1999 in Japan, is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up from Psikyo that hit arcades in 1999. It follows Strikers 1945 II, with the story jumping ahead 54 years after the events of the first two games.
Players pick one of six modern jet fighters and battle through eight stages. The first four stages are chosen at random, while the last four are fixed. After clearing the game, a stat report appears, and the game loops with a much higher difficulty. On default settings, players start with three lives and earn an extra one at 600,000 or 800,000 points. Losing all lives offers a continue, but the score resets.
A new feature is the Technical Bonus. During boss fights, a blue weak point orb appears. To get a quick kill, the player must fly extremely close to the orb while firing, turning it red. Once the plane "embraces" the orb, the boss is destroyed quickly, awarding bonus points. The orb only appears once, during a specific attack pattern that is the boss's weakness, so players must memorize the pattern and get close to the orb for a fast victory.
Power-ups drop from certain enemies. Collecting one boosts the normal shot and may unlock a secondary shot. Players can hold up to three power-ups; any extras are worth 4,000 points. Colliding with an enemy craft will power down the player. Bombs start with a stock of two. Destroying certain enemies releases a bomb icon that bounces around the screen; collecting it adds one bomb to the stock.
The playable planes are the F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-22 Raptor, F-4 Phantom II, F-117 Stealth, and AV-8 Harrier. The X-36 is a secret plane accessible via DIP-switch settings. During development in September 1998, Psikyo revealed that the Sukhoi Su-47 was planned as another secret plane, but it was cut from the final game for unknown reasons.
The plot takes place 54 years after the previous game. A swarm of microscopic alien robots called "nanites" invades Earth, infiltrating military bases worldwide, including those of F.G.R. Infected vehicles become automated and attack every country, causing mass destruction. A small force of unaffected military craft is assembled to fight back. After losing contact with headquarters, the Strikers return to save the world.
In Japan, Game Machine listed Strikers 1945 III as the fourth most successful arcade game in its November 15, 1999 issue.
- Developer
- Psikyo
- Release Year
- 1999
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Vertically scrolling shoot 'em up
- Region
- Japan (as Strikers 1999) and international
- Known For
- Technical Bonus mechanic and looping gameplay
Lore & Background
Strikers 1945 III was developed and originally released by Psikyo in 1999 for arcades. The game is a sequel to Strikers 1945 II, chronologically taking place 54 years after the first two games. Players choose from one of six modern jet fighter aircraft and shoot through eight stages, with the first four randomly selected and the last four fixed. After beating the game, a statistics report is shown and the game loops with increased difficulty.
Reader's Guide
Strikers 1945 III is significant as a late-1990s arcade shoot 'em up that introduced the Technical Bonus mechanic, requiring players to get close to a boss's weak point orb until it turns red for a quick kill and bonus points. The game features six playable planes including the F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-22 Raptor, F-4 Phantom II, F-117 Stealth, AV-8 Harrier, and the secret X-36 via DIP-switch. The Sukhoi Su-47 was originally planned as a secret plane but did not appear in the final product. Its plot involves nanites invading Earth and automating military forces, leading the Strikers to return. In Japan, Game Machine listed it as the fourth most-successful arcade game in November 1999. The game's looping system and power-up mechanics, including the ability to power down by colliding with enemies, contributed to its replayability and legacy in the shoot 'em up genre.
Did You Know?
- The game is also known as Strikers 1999 in Japan.
- The Sukhoi Su-47 was planned as a secret plane but did not make the final product.
- The X-36 is available as a secret plane via DIP-switch configurations.
- The game loops with much higher difficulty after being beaten.
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