Strider Returns: Journey from Darkness
Developer	Tiertex Design Studio
Publisher	U.S. Gold
Release Date	1993 (EU/US)

Mega Drive/Genesis' Strider Returns: Journey from Darkness, known as Strider II in Europe, is a port of Tiertex's Strider II for the aforementioned 16-Bit Sega console, and the most well-known of the Returns "family" of games. The game presents several changes when compared to the Amiga Strider II, since it has been adapted following closely the Mega Drive port of Strider. However, the game still suffers from very shoddy programming, likely from the higher-ups desire to get the game "written and out as fast as possible"^[1]. The game's design instructions were, literally, just to make a better version of the Amiga original in full screen (by removing the lower panel present in all home computer Strider games)^[1]. Frame-rate is also an issue, with the game running on 2 frames (25Hz/30Hz) rather than the expected 1 frame (50Hz/60Hz) given the type of game.^[1]

The game's vastly despised by the fandom, and by even the members of the design staff, which has stated the game to be one of their "less than stelar efforts", with members like artist Wayne Billington saying that there were "some huge fundamental problems all contributing to a big turd" or sole programmer Allan Findlay that the debugging "left a lot to desired".

StoryEdit

The story in this version alters several details from the one found in the Amiga version: Grandmaster Meio (referred to as simply "Evil Master" in the manual and "The Master" in-game) returns from his previous defeat and plots his revenge against the Striders by posing his spaceship, the Prison Ship, above Earth with the intention of destroying it; and he's also ordered his minions to kidnap Lexia, Hinjo's beloved, as insurance against the enemy. Strider Hinjo, the "most pumped-out Strider of them all", is assigned the mission to stop Meio and rescue Lexia.^[2]

While the basic setup (rescue a kidnapped girl and save a world) remains intact, most of the details have been changed: There's no mention of "Alien Terrorists" and Meio takes place as the main antagonist (finally making his first appearance as a final boss in a Returns game), Planet Magenta is now directly Earth^[3], and the distressed damsel is not a world leader but Hinjo's beloved.^[3] This is also the first time the name Hinjo is given to the main protagonist.

Differences with the original gameEdit

The game itself has been adapted following closely the Genesis port of Strider, including the use of Hiryu's sprite for Hinjo, only color-swapped white. Hinjo keeps the ceiling-clinging and slide, plus now he can use the Cypher while standing still. Shurikens replace the rifle gun, though they are no longer infinite and must be found and collected throughout the stages. Instead of the robot mode, Hinjo gathers energy to power-up a set of orbs that orbit around him during the boss fight, damaging upon contact. The Cypher extension power-up from the original Strider has been added as well. Most of these upgrades were first seen in the Master System port of the same game.

Graphics look much closer to the Mega Drive Strider than the Amiga Strider II, and sprites are actually ripped out from the former as well^[1]; albeit everything makes use of a darker and watered-down palette. Stage design follows the Master System port, which expanded them from their home computer versions, but retaining the uninspired and straight path as well as the trial-and-error approach. Besides moving slower than the original (as stated above), the game also suffers from odd physics and unresponsive controls which makes Hinjo difficult to handle, specially as he makes tricky jumps.

Some of the most notable changes include:

• There's an Options setting, which allows to change difficulty and number of lives, hear the game's soundtrack and dialogues, and select between two Cypher choices: the original version and a "Sweep Cypher" variation; though they only differ in their slash animation.
• In-game cutscenes are added, which include voiceovers for the dialogue. They hardly make an effort to tell a cohesive story though, and end up as mere "threatening" exchanges between Hinjo and Meio, some of which are quite strange/humorous ("Never my Friend. Tomorrow is the Day you Die!").
• A teleporting capsule is placed at the beginning and end of each stage; Hinjo now teleports in at the start of each stage and teleports out after the boss fight. This makes the stages feel even less connected than in previous ports.
• Stage 03 and 04 (The Alien Depths and Rooftops) are switched around.
• The Mecha Wasp and Dinosaur from the Master System port come back, and the remaining three original bosses are replaced by Solo and Meio (who's fought twice in Stages 02 and 05). A sort of extra "bonus" boss is included after the final boss: Hinjo must destroy the platform where Lexia is chained before saving her.
• As stated above, stages were redesigned having the Master System's port in mind, with some receving even more changes to their original layout: Castle Metropolis ended up being split into two areas separated by a teleport capsule and had its hangar section completely removed, for example.

ReferencesEdit