The arcade Strider sure is fun, but the NES version is even better! It’s one of my favourite NES games, and one of the games I had the most fun with as a kid, not just with the gameplay and story, but also through hacking passwords which I had to do due to being stuck at a certain point… It worked out impressively well! The NES Strider is a very impressive game for its time, combining the typical Strider action from the arcade version with RPG elements like HP, Energy and key items enhancing Hiryu’s arsenal. The story was based on the manga and, unsurprisingly, much better than the arcade version’s story.

Last, but not least, the soundtrack! It was better, with plenty of songs standing out. I had a hard time choosing the one to feature today, but eventually I picked the very first theme you hear when you put in the cartridge – the title screen theme! It gives a very good hint of the epic story you’re about to experience.

Composer: Harumi Fujita
Game: Strider (NES)
Song: Title Theme

 

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