Strider (2014)

I'm always a little nervous when companies revive beloved games from our past, but Double Helix did a bang-up job bringing back Capcom's cyber-ninja after a 15-year hiatus from headlining games. As a fan of the offshoot NES Strider release, I love that this feels like a combination of those more adventure-oriented elements mixed with more action-y pieces from the original arcade game. While exploration never hits the level of Castlevania or Metroid, the game offers enough hidden paths and secrets to satisfy. However, the real star of the show is running, climbing, and slicing, and that's a blast thanks to Strider Hiryu's pinpoint controls and awesome powers. Unfortunately, his abilities--and many other elements in Strider--feel like they fall short of their full potential. With just a bit more development, this could've gone from good to great.

Maybe it's because I never played the original Strider for the NES (or the arcade version, for that matter) that I can look at this game and see it for the testament to mediocrity that it is. From a technical standpoint, Strider does successfully check off all the Metroidvania boxes, including the necessity of backtracking and acquiring items to unlock power-ups and new areas. But the story is nearly nonexistent, the gameplay is straightforward and dull, and the neon-infused aesthetics hurt my eyes so much that I got headaches.

Oh, Ray--I forgive you, for you know not what you speak. Platinum owes their entire "stylish action" concept to the OG Strided. This, on the other hand, is an enjoyable game--but it's not a good Strider. That's evident from the first time Hiryu unsheathes his sword; the iconic "SLASH" from the original is but a muffled, impotent whimper here. The above-average exploration and combat held my attention, but this is like going to the Luxor in Vegas after touring the Great Pyramid of Giza. It's a kitschy imitation of a work of art.