Star Cruiser (0)

Star Cruiser
First release date
1988-12-31
Platform
Genesis PC Sharp X68000 NEC PC-8801 NEC PC-9801 Sharp X1
Developer
Arsys Software, Inc.
Publisher
Arsys Software, Inc. NCS Corporation Namco D4 Enterprise, Inc.
Theme
Star Cruiser
Franchise
Star Cruiser

Overview

released Star Cruiser (スタークルーザー) for the , and computers in 1988. Building on its 1986 spiritual predecessor , Star Cruiser was an ambitious and innovative game years ahead of its time.

The game's innovations included fully graphics (including nearly all objects, enemies, and backgrounds, with the exception of distant horizons that were ), true shooter gameplay (anticipating the likes of and ), gameplay mechanics such as , fusion of the first-person shooter and RPG genres (anticipating the likes of and ), 3D across a large game universe (spanning several star systems) with , 3D space simulator gameplay for exploring (and fighting enemy spacecraft in) outer , a to target enemies (both on ground and in space), and a portable built into the 's that has various uses (such as displaying an and ).

The game also emphasized storytelling, with an epic sci-fi space opera storyline set in the 27th century, various , extensive character dialogues with (who have their own background stories), anime style for characters, style , animated rendered using the game's , and a soundtrack composed by Toshiya Yamanaka (later released as a seperate CD) using FM synthesis.

The game had a large game universe, allowing the player to explore over 30 planets across four star systems. This makes it the earliest example of a fully 3D open-world game.

An English translaton beta patch, released in October 2016, is available at .

Controls

The original computer versions, the version in particular, used a unique scheme that anticipated the standard keyboard & mouse controls of the shooter genre, with the direction keys used to move and , while the numpad keys are used to turn around and aim (much like the function of the mouse in later FPS games). However, it is not possible to aim up or down while on foot (much like Doom), but in the outer space segments, the player can aim in all directions with the numpad keys.

Plot

In the 25th century, an inter-galactic war, which began when made first contact with , came to an end with Central Earth emerging the victor. 200 years have since passed. Now in the 27th century, the remains of the Earth Federation is known as the Federation Patrol, which has maintained a fragile balance of power with VOID, a nation under military rule demanding the deportation of the aliens. However, this fragile balance is being jeopardized by VOID's suspicious movements hinting towards a massive strike, with wars igniting across the galaxy.

On , a orbiting the , a small batallion is dragged into the conflict and are being trained to fight back VOID. The story begins with the protagonist Brian in a tough training simulation, set up by his friend and comrade, Gibson, and his trusted droid, Freddy. After completing the simulation, they leave the main building and head to the restaurant, where they are given details on what is happening. There they are told that VOID has a base nearby that acts as one of their important strongholds and it is launching out threatening enemies, and Brian is asked to lead a "kamikaze attack" against it.

Awards

Star Cruiser won the following awards from leading Japanese computer publications at the time:

  • - Game of the Year (1988)
  • - Game of the Year (1988)

Releases

The game was ported to the computer in 1989. This version is considered the best version of the game, as it took advantage of the powerful X68000's hardware to add a higher display resolution, more detailed character portraits, and the most technically sophisticated 3D polygon graphics seen on a home gaming system of the 1980s.

The version best known outside of Japan is the the (Genesis) console version ported by in 1990. However, it was never officially released outside of . However, it was possible to play imported Japanese copies, particularly in the where import copies of the Mega Drive port were available by early 1991.

was planning to localize the game for the console in under the title Star Quest. The October 1993 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly previewed an early English translation of the game, referring to it as an action RPG that is "light years ahead of the usual games." They noted that "Players have been on the lookout for Star Quest for a long time" and that it "was well worth the wait."

The June 1994 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewed a fully translated English localization by Namco, stating that it was set to be released in the in July 1994. A European release was also planned for 1994. However, its release in the Western world was later cancelled.

Legacy

The game had a sequel, , which was released in 1992 for the and computers. In addition to the default first-person shooter combat of the original, the sequel also features an option for menu-based combat.

Among later 3D Japanese computer games it influenced, the 1994 release for the Sharp X68000 appears to have been influenced by the 3D graphics engine of Star Cruiser. In turn, Geograph Seal was the predecessor of , the first true 3D platformer.

Star Cruiser was also an influence on the famous game designer (known for , , , , , , etc.). In , Kamiya mentioned Star Cruiser as one of his favourite games.