1980s
Strider
1989 · Action / Platform · Arcade
Overview
Strider is a classic 1980s action / platform game developed by Capcom for Arcade.
Deep Dive
Strider is a classic 1980s action / platform game developed by Capcom for Arcade.
Developer Story
Strider was developed by Capcom in 1989, based on a manga by Moto Kikaku. Hiryu, the youngest ever A-ranked Strider agent, slid, flipped, and slashed through futuristic enemy strongholds using a plasma cypher. The game used Capcom's CPS-1 hardware and featured enormous boss encounters — a giant ape, a giant dinosaur robot, a gravitational fortress. Strider was one of the most technically impressive arcade games of 1989.
Did You Know?
- Strider was simultaneously a manga and an arcade game, both produced in 1989 — one of the first true multimedia game launches.
- The plasma cypher (Hiryu's weapon) could slice through multiple enemies in a single swing — screen-filling attack arcs were a visual trademark.
- Boss encounters included a giant mechanical ape, a dinosaur, and the Grandmaster Meio — scale that pushed CPS-1 hardware to its limits.
- Hiryu could cling to and run along walls and ceilings — traversal freedom that set Strider apart from contemporaries.
- The NES port was produced by a completely different team and bore minimal resemblance to the arcade original.
