New Game Review] "Saikyo Shooting Library Vol. 1", a set of six arcade shooting masterpieces from the past, including "Strikers 1945", "Sol Divide", and more!

Saikyo, a manufacturer of arcade games (games placed in game arcades) known for its maniacal shooting and undressing mahjong. The "Saikyo Shooting Library Vol. 1" and "Saikyo Shooting Library Vol. 2," a set of their most popular titles, were released for PlayStation 4 on June 30 and July 28, 2022, respectively (the Nintendo Switch version was already released in 2019).

The "~Vol. 1" featured in this article includes many military-oriented shooters such as "Strikers 1945," "Strikers 1945II," "Strikers 1999," "Sol Divide," "Dragon Blaze," and "Zero Gunner 2. The "Sai-Kyo Bullets" and other shooters from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s can be seen in this collection.

Strikers 1945

This is the first in the "Strikers" series, the first of Saikei's early works and the fourth in the series to become a hit. Fighter planes from World War II face off against enemy fictional weapons. In the boss battles, bosses of old generation weapons such as giant tanks and battleships surprised players by transforming into futuristic robots. This gimmick was adopted in subsequent titles in the series and became a symbol of the "Strikers" series as transformable robots.

In the past, arcade games used various innovations to attract the attention of even the casual visitor to the arcade. In the case of this game, the ingenuity was the impact of combining two different things: an old generation weapon transforms into a futuristic robot and fights against a World War II fighter plane, which is its own machine.

A propeller-driven plane fights a futuristic transforming robot. The screen has a great impact.

When your aircraft is powered up, a small aircraft appears and attacks with you. The key to success is the "Formation Attack," in which these small machines form up to perform special attacks.

The "Lightning" shoots left and right, while the "Mustang" spins around and erases enemy bullets. This type of aircraft allows the player to learn the stage configuration and use the aircraft appropriately. This system, in which separate units attack individually, has been refined through the "Strikers" series, and was perfected in "Dragon Blaze," which is included in this title. The "Formation Attack" is a feature that characterizes the Saikei Shooting series, along with the "Saikei Bullets," high-speed projectiles released by the enemy.

Formation Attack" has different activation modes for each aircraft, and the key to success is how well you use them.

Strikers 1945 II

As in the previous title, what will appear in the first half of the stage is random. The short length of the stages allows players to enjoy a fast-paced arcade-style game play.

The system of having small aircraft perform special attacks has evolved from "Formation Attack" to "Super Shot. This is a major move that consumes a gauge that accumulates when an enemy is defeated, and the more the gauge is used, the higher the level and the more powerful the move. Do you use the low-level ones frequently or build up the gauge to take a hard shot at a strong enemy? The concept of resource management has been added to the "Formation Attack," enhancing the strategic nature of the game.

One of the most impressive is the "Super Shot" of the "Shinden. The maniacal nature of the game, in which the player's technique is directly related to the strength of the robot, is typical of Saikyo.

The gimmick of propeller-driven planes and transforming robots fighting each other is in keeping with previous works.

The Flying Pancake's "Super Shot" is a laser beam. The flying saucer-like aircraft was popular in game arcades at the time because of its interesting fact that it actually existed and its easy-to-use game performance.

Strikers 1999

The final title in the "Strykers" series is a complete change from the previous titles, with a "modern fighter vs. futuristic weapons" format. The atmosphere of the screen has changed considerably as aircraft such as the Super Hornet, Harrier, and Raptor fight against enemy current and near-future weapons. Bullet screens are also actively used in the game, which shows the current of the times.

A unique feature of this work is the "technical bonus" system. When time passes during battle, the boss exposes his "core," which is his weak point. If you shoot closely at this time, you can defeat the boss instantly and receive bonus points. Even if you repeatedly make mistakes and are powered down, you can reverse the situation at once if you persist until the "core" is exposed.

However, the boss will also attack with a powerful attack at this time, so it is interesting that the risk is also great. This is a thrilling element for advanced players. This "technical bonus" will appear again later in "Dragon Blaze.

The aircraft is now a modern fighter, and the atmosphere of the screen has changed.

The barrage of countless bullets has also been actively introduced.

Sol Divide

Set in a fantasy world, this side-scrolling shooter emphasizes characterization. Illustrator Katsuya Terada, known for his work on "Virtua Fighter 2" and "Detective Saburo Jinguji Series," draws massive protagonists and creates a dark screen reminiscent of foreign games.

Katsuya Terada's massive characters look just like those in foreign video games.

In addition to the standard shooting game "shot," the main characters have a variety of attack methods, including sword and spear "slash" (fighting attack) and special "magic" moves. These must be used in different ways depending on the situation.

These points are emphasized in battles against medium-sized enemies such as wizards and knights. They have high durability and attack with bullets or fighting, which cannot be dealt with by our "shots" alone. The player is required to use "slash" to block those who are about to fire bullets, and avoid or intercept those who are about to fight. The influence of RPGs can also be seen in the fact that the main characters' maximum strength increases as they acquire items.

Medium-sized enemies are dangerous because they have high durability and attack with magic and sword techniques. In order to fight them, the player must be able to use the "slash" fighting attack.

The "magic" available to the player has a variety of effects, and the game becomes more enjoyable when used according to the situation. The "Fire" fire attack can be used to control a dense crowd of humanoid enemies, "Slow" can be used to slow down a troublesome boss to ensure safety, "Death" can be used to inflict heavy damage on specific enemies, and "Heat Body" can be used to make the player invincible in difficult situations.... In addition to the need for MP, the game offers an interesting twist on the traditional resource management game, as once a powerful "magic" is used, it cannot be used again until the "magic book" is retrieved.

The fact that Saikyo has actively introduced a taste of action games and RPGs into a shooting game is a work that shows its age.

Magic is powerful, but it requires MP to activate. Some of them inflict heavy damage on specific enemies.

Dragon Blaze

The "Dragon Blaze" system, which was introduced in the "Strikers" series, has been further developed in this title, with separate items from the ship attacking individually and special high-risk, high-return methods of defeating bosses.

In this work, warriors riding dragons engage in aerial battles, and the "dragon shoot" is a way for warriors to shoot and separate their dragons. The dragon stays where it is shot and attacks, while the warrior himself is free to move around and fight. Dragon Shoot" is in the lineage of the system proposed in "Formation Attack" and "Super Shot," in which "separate items from the ship attack individually.

The dragon can be used to separate and divide up enemies when many enemies are attacking, or to use the fact that the separated dragons are invincible to strike at hard enemies.

On the other hand, the firepower of the dragon is lower than in its normal state, so it is necessary to respond according to the situation. The "Dragon Shoot" can be released with a single button, and is quicker than the "Formation Attack" and "Super Shot," which are both tame shots, and do not consume any resources. It is an interesting way to quickly and freely use both separation and merging.

The dragons also have a high firepower when they hit the enemy, but their range is short, so you have to take the risk of getting too close. The game also incorporates the risk/reward approach seen in the "Shinden" series of "Strikers," and in a sense, it is the culmination of the Saikyo 2D shooting genre.

The "Dragon Shoot," in which the warrior detaches from the dragon.

The "Dragon Shoot" can inflict massive damage by directly hitting a flying dragon.

And the "Technical Bonus" system of "Strikers 1999" has evolved in this title, although the name is the same. When fighting a boss, a "core" will be exposed, which can be shot down in one shot by hitting it with a "dragon shot. The balance of the game has been adjusted to make it easier to aim than in "Strikers 1999," making it easier to enjoy the thrill of the one-hit-kill.

The difficulty level is high, but in this port you don't have to worry about coins, and the game level itself can be lowered. This is a good game for those who lost their way in the arcades back in the day to give it a second try.

Bosses sometimes expose their "core" during battle.

If you hit the exposed core with a "dragon shot," you will get a "technical bonus," which means you can destroy the boss in one shot and get bonus points!

■"Zero Gunner 2".

Vertical scrolling shooter with 3D graphics and horizontal screen. The "turn marker" system, which expresses the characteristics of helicopters, is an interesting feature of this game.

When the "Turn Marker" button is pressed, a "turn marker" appears in front of the helicopter, and the helicopter can turn 360° around the marker.

At this time, the nose and shot point in the direction of the "turn marker. In other words, by turning around the "turn marker," the aircraft can attack in a full 360 degrees. In other words, the aircraft can attack in a full 360° circle by turning around the turn marker.

At first you may be intimidated, but as you get used to it, you will be able to attack the boss while circling around him, and deal with the mooks that attack from all over the screen. This is a unique system that makes use of the helicopter's unique maneuverability.

The green, sight-like marker floating in front of the helicopter is a "turn marker. It appears when the button is pressed, and when the lever is turned to the left or right in this state, the helicopter turns in a circle around the "turn marker.

Using the "turn marker," you can attack in any direction in 360°.

It should be noted that this system was not created out of the blue, but was based on the "lock-on" system that existed in the previous "Zero Gunner" game. The system automatically locks on to an enemy close to your ship, and if you move the lever to the left or right while pressing the shot button, your ship will turn around the locked-on enemy and launch a concentrated attack. While the turning maneuver and concentrated attack are similar to the "turn marker" system, the main difference is that the "turn marker" system allows the player to change the direction of their ship at will, while the lock-on is automatic.

With lock-on, the user has to release the lock-on when he/she wants to attack other enemies, which is a hurdle to overcome. With "turn markers," however, the game becomes easier to understand by allowing the player to control the plane when he or she wants to change the direction of the nose of the plane.

At the same time, it is interesting to note that the problem of creating a vertical scrolling shooter on a horizontal screen has also been solved. When the game is played on a horizontal screen, the vertical direction of the enemy's approach is short and the horizontal direction is long, which can make horizontal movement feel sluggish. With the "turn marker" system, the nose of the plane can be freely changed to attack horizontally or diagonally. The player is not making the shot fly diagonally, but rather intervening to make the shot fly diagonally by his or her own control, which reduces the aforementioned stalling.

It is unclear to what extent these effects are intentional, but it is interesting to consider the historical background in which shooting games adapted to the trend, while game cabinets were very often set up with horizontal screens after the fighting game boom.

The "turn markers" allow players to fight with unique tactics using the entire screen.

Maniacal features such as a high level of difficulty and a unique system. The use of famous illustrators such as Hirofumi Nakamura of "Sengoku Ace" and "Gunbird," Katsuya Terada of "Sol Divide," and Takeshi Ogata of "Dragon Blaze. The "Strikers" series, including the battle between a propeller-driven plane and a transforming robot, is a great example of the impact of this approach.

Through these innovations, Saikyo's games have always attracted a steady stream of customers and contributed to the arcade culture. Those who were frequenting game arcades in those days may remember the long-running operation of the "Strikers" series and other Saikyo games.

In that sense, Saikyo's games can be said to strongly convey the atmosphere of the arcade games of the 1990s and early 2000s. If you have nostalgic memories of those days, we hope you will give it a try.

Product Information

Saikyo Shooting Library Vol.1

Genre: Saikyo Shooting

Compatibility: PlayStation 4

Release date: Now on sale (Vol. 1: June 30, 2022, Vol. 2: July 28, 2022)

Normal edition price (for both Vol.1 and Vol.2): 3,980 yen (tax included)

Number of players: 1 or 2

Languages: Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean

<Titles included in Vol. 1

Strikers 1945

Strikers 1945II

Strikers 1999

Sol Divide

Dragon Blaze

Zero Gunner 2

<Titles included in Vol. 2
Sengoku Ace

Sengoku Blade

Sengoku Cannon

Gunbird

Gunbird 2

GUNBURD Rich

*There is no downloadable version as "SAIKYO SHOOTING LIBRARY".

Downloadable versions of each title are available on Nintendo Switch and Steam, and will be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One starting in the summer of 2022.

Campaign Outline

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