Summary
- Release Year: 1982
- Genres: Arcade, Shooter
- Platforms: Apple II
- Publishers: Piccadilly Software Inc.
Star Blaster (1982)
Star Blaster is a horizontal space shooter arcade game developed and released by Konami in 1982. The player controls a spaceship at the bottom of the screen and must shoot down enemy ships that descend in formation from the top of the screen. Star Blaster was one of the first games to use raster graphics, which allowed for more detailed and colorful visuals than vector graphics.
The game is notable for its simple but addictive gameplay, its challenging difficulty, and its impressive graphics. Star Blaster was a commercial success, and it is still considered to be one of the best arcade games of the early 1980s.
Gameplay
The player controls a spaceship at the bottom of the screen. The spaceship can move left and right, and it can fire shots upward. The player must shoot down enemy ships that descend in formation from the top of the screen. The enemy ships come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they each have different攻擊 patterns.
The player’s ship has a limited number of lives. If the player’s ship is hit by an enemy ship or by enemy fire, it will lose a life. The game ends when the player loses all of their lives.
Star Blaster features a variety of power-ups that can help the player to defeat the enemy ships. These power-ups include:
- Speed power-up: This power-up increases the speed of the player’s ship.
- Fire power-up: This power-up increases the firepower of the player’s ship.
- Shield power-up: This power-up gives the player’s ship a shield that protects it from enemy fire.
The power-ups appear randomly on the screen. The player can collect the power-ups by flying into them.
Difficulty
Star Blaster is a challenging game. The enemy ships are fast and aggressive, and they can quickly overwhelm the player if they are not careful. The player must use all of their skills to defeat the enemy ships and progress through the game.
The game gets more difficult as the player progresses. The enemy ships become faster and more aggressive, and they start to use more complex attack patterns. The player must be constantly on their toes to avoid being hit by enemy fire.
Graphics
Star Blaster was one of the first games to use raster graphics. Raster graphics allowed for more detailed and colorful visuals than vector graphics. The graphics in Star Blaster are impressive, especially for an early 1980s arcade game.
The enemy ships are well-drawn and detailed. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they each have their own unique attack patterns. The backgrounds are also well-drawn and detailed. They create a sense of depth and atmosphere.
Conclusion
Star Blaster is a classic horizontal space shooter that still holds up today. The gameplay is simple but addictive, the difficulty is challenging, and the graphics are impressive. If you’re a fan of retro gaming, then you owe it to yourself to check out Star Blaster.
Trivia
- Star Blaster was one of the first games to use a trackball for player control.
- The game was ported to the Atari 2600, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.
- Star Blaster was followed by two sequels: Star Force (1984) and Super Star Force (1986).
Review Score
8/10
Art
Cover Art
Screenshots
