Super Star Force: Jikūreki no Himitsu

Did You Know?

• The protagonist Ralph pilots the Neo Final Star time traveling starship.
• Norm, who sells items and gives hints, appears in a red suit of armor with sharp horns on the helmet.
• The Solomon Key, an item appearing in an hourglass, is the property of Norm.

Gameplay

Super Star Force is the sequel to Tecmo's arcade shoot 'em up Star Force, but combines shoot 'em up action with adventure game elements. Players must travel back in time to defeat the evil planet Gordess, collecting seven time stones from each level's hidden dungeon. The game begins in the year DA 2010, and players destroy enemies in the past to eventually confront the final boss in AD 2137. When the player's ship is destroyed while airborne, the score time is halved. The highest possible score is 99,990, which serves as currency in dungeons and time travel sequences. A non-linear structure allows nearly free time travel, with farther destinations requiring more time units as fuel. After completing missions via spacecraft, the player lands to explore dungeons on foot, blending shoot 'em up elements with dungeon exploration. The game has two endings: a happy ending where the planet's history is saved, and a sad ending where Gordess' resurrection occurs. After a game over, pressing start continues the game in the year 2010 with all possessions intact, provided the reset button is not pressed or the console turned off.

Time periods

The game features multiple time periods. DA 0001 (Ending of the Fetal Movement) contains the underground slave-owning empire of Erujinba, accessible through a volcano crater; there is no infinite looping, and players can return without consuming time points. DA 0316 (Genesis) has rugged mountains and giant ground drawings made by primitive people hoping for the return of their deity Birakocha, with savage demons defending a labyrinth. DA 0820 (The Dawn) is filled with monuments and is the most important level; the Erudorera Forest Demon ruins are closed, requiring the Statue of Dorera as a key, and an item here is needed before traveling to the final stage in 2317. DA 1003 (Period of the Jukai) is a lush jungle with the temple Jukai Madagu-Tem Oates; a gate is opened by consuming time. DA 1301 (Ending Hills Era) is a lush ocean where the sunken Lemurian continent lies; destroying the egg of the Ganimu behemoth prevents the destruction of the Boolean Shang city-state. DA 1608 (Ice Age) shows civilization destroyed by the Boolean Shang city-state's visions of Ganimu. DA 2010 (Present Day) is where the adventure starts, with Gordess already defeated in the previous game. AD 2317 is revealed to be planet Earth in the past.