Super Star Soldier (Japan)

Getting Started

When you fire up Super Star Soldier, you'll see the title screen followed by a menu in Japanese. Press Enter to start the game (the default selection is usually "Game Start"). You control a small fighter ship that moves with the arrow keys and shoots with the S button (B button). The A button (X button) lets you use a secondary weapon if you've picked up the proper power-up. The core loop is straightforward: fly upward through scrolling stages, dodge enemy fire, and blast every formation and boss you encounter.

You'll collect floating power-up icons that change your main weapon's spread or add options (satellite ships) that follow your movement and fire alongside you. Some weapons are more effective against certain enemies, so experiment. The game keeps a score and your progress is saved via passwords on later stages, but since this is a Japanese cartridge, the password screen uses Japanese text. If you get a game over, just memorize the symbols or copy them down. Dying resets your weapon power, so staying alive is key to keeping a strong arsenal. Expect the difficulty to ramp up quickly; that's the Soldier series signature.