Ludography
Astro Warrior cover

1986 · Arcade · Shoot 'em up

Astro Warrior

Sega exclusive

Basic Sega shoot-em-up in which you must guide your ship through three zones while avoiding hazards. Your only weapon are bullets as your only defense, but if you shoot the flashing red pieces on the terrain, chances are that a green ship will approach you, and if you collect this ship, your weapons will be upgraded so that you shoot a laser beam instead. Keep collecting ships and you can shoot up to three laser beams at once.

Released
14 December 1986
Platforms
Master SystemSega Master System/Mark III
Genres
ArcadeShoot 'em upShooter
Developers
—
Publishers
—
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
ActionScience fiction
Country
Japan
Languages
English

About

Astro Warrior is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter developed and published by Sega for the Master System. The player pilots a spaceship shooting enemies and collecting power-ups to reach the mother ship of an invasion force. It was originally a bundled with the Master System in Europe.

The game received positive reviews for the graphics, weapons and large number of enemies. Retrospective reviews have been mixed, with criticism for the generic situation and lack of variety. The game was re-released on the Hang-On / Astro Warrior compilation in North America, and the Astro Warrior / Pit Pot compilation in Europe. In 1996, Tec Toy re-released the game in Brazil as Sapo Xulé: SOS Lagoa Poluída, and based it on a Brazilian 1980s toy. This version was also released in Portugal.

Keywords

  • shoot 'em up
  • spaceship
  • boss fight
  • upgradeable weapons
  • vertical scrolling

Media

Astro Warrior screenshot 1

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game is a top down shooter, taking place through three levels with a boss at the end of each. Astro Warrior's three levels have many different kinds of enemies that attack in various patterns. The stages have no obstacles. Power-ups can be collected by shooting targets on the ground.

These include ship speed increase, a stronger laser weapon, and two Gradius-style options. Capturing Weapons Supply Ships increases the Astoro Raider's speed and firing ability. The player starts with three lives, and if all are lost, the game is over. If the player dies, all power-ups are lost.

Story

The Devil Star Imperial Forces have established a base on and invaded the Alpha Kentowry system. The Solar System Allied Forces have entrusted their Warrior, aboard The Astoro Raider, to attack the invasion force and destroy their mother ship.

Reception

Upon release in the late 1980s, the game received generally positive reviews from contemporary critics. British magazine Computer and Video Games gave it an 82% score. They praised the "extra weapons and "plenty of baddies" to destroy. They said "this freebie is really neat" and is "well worth the effort to get hold of a copy" if "shoot 'em ups are tops in your" house.

German magazine Happy Computer gave it a 79% score. They praised the graphics, calling them truly remarkable, and saying the system's colourful sprite varieties are exploited. The English-language site IMPLANTgames, specializing in classic console games, rated "Star Warrior" 4/10 overall, with graphics and gameplay scoring 4/10, and music and sound receiving a slightly higher 6/10. The sound effects and musical accompaniment were noted as the game's only redeeming qualities, while the overall experience was deemed subpar.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Sega Master System/Mark III14 December 1986Japan · Brazil 31 December 1991

Editions and related releases

Included in
Arcade GamerFunPlay 20-in-1PlayPal Plug & PlayHandheld Electronic GamesArcade Gamer PortableCoby Portable DVD PlayerAstro Warrior/Pit PotHang-On & Astro Warrior
Ported as
Sapo Xulé: S.O.S. Lagoa Poluída
Built on it
Sapo Xulé: S.O.S. Lagoa Poluída

Games like this

Collections2 collections

Platform libraries

Publishers

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.