Night Striker

Did You Know?

• The game is set in a futuristic city in 2049, where a terrorist organisation has kidnapped Doctor Masker Lindberry and his daughter.
• The soundtrack was released on the Night Striker Complete Album on 21 May 1993 in Japan by Pony Canyon and Scitron.
• Night Striker GEAR, a sequel developed by M2, is scheduled for release on Nintendo Switch and PC in 2025.

Gameplay

The player controls a car and shoots enemies such as helicopters, aeroplanes, lorries, robotic spiders, and boulders. The car can be manoeuvred around the screen similarly to Space Harrier. There are 21 stages, but only six must be completed to finish the game. Stage themes include factories, tunnels, and city areas like centres, suburbs, and streets. Some stages have barriers that require manoeuvring. Each stage ends with a boss; after defeating it, the player chooses a route like in Out Run. The car's armour acts as a shield that can absorb a limited number of hits. Defeating a boss increases the shield capacity by one. If the shield is depleted and the car is hit, the game ends. In certain final stages, the car transforms into vehicles such as a motorbike or a robot. Different endings occur depending on the route taken. The Mega CD version has an arranged soundtrack, and the Saturn version includes a bonus mode with six exclusive levels.

Reception

The Mega CD version of Night Striker was widely panned. Mean Machines Sega called its graphics "stupendously bad" with "totally unrecognisable" sprites. Sega Power noted blocky sprites, a missing intro, and no animated sequences, labeling the game unoriginal. The Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine gave a mediocre review. Neil West of Mega was especially harsh, describing the graphics, flicker, and blocky explosions as "a nightmarish mess of colour." He slammed the lack of originality and challenge, calling the gameplay "a shambolic travesty of modern entertainment" and a "load of crap," urging players to "avoid this at all costs." He did, however, praise the "fantastic" sound effects and "superb" music. The arcade version received much better notices. Computer and Video Games praised its "beautiful" graphics and action, calling it a "must-play." In Japan, Game Machine listed it as the fourth most-successful upright/cockpit arcade unit in August 1989.