Initial release date November 1990 Genre Shoot 'em up Mode Single-player video game | Developer Software Creations Publisher Arcadia Systems | |
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Composer(s) Tim Follin
Geoff Follin Platform Nintendo Entertainment System Similar Software Creations games, Shoot 'em up games | ||
Silver Surfer is a video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, developed by Software Creations and released by Arcadia Systems in November 1990 in the United States. Silver Surfer is primarily known for its strong difficulty and highly praised music.
Contents
Gameplay
In Silver Surfer, the player controls the Marvel Comics comic book hero Silver Surfer through various levels that alternate between a side-scrolling and an overhead perspective.
Each stage is divided into sections. At the end of each section, a mini-boss appears, and the Silver Surfer must shoot the main enemy while many other enemies attack as well. These are the only times where the screen stops scrolling forward. The third and final section contains a super-villain from the comic book series who will take more hits to defeat. The villains featured in the game are Reptyl, Mephisto, Possessor, Fire Lord, and Kylor, the self-proclaimed emperor of the Skrull.
After the first set of levels is complete, Galactus appears and sends Silver Surfer on a final mission into the Magik Domain to collect a Cosmic Device from a villain whose identity is less than clear. Despite previous claims, the final boss is actually a giant purple being with a handgun that does not appear to have been in the comics, although the image near the boss's health bar suggests that the main antagonist is X-Men villain Mister Sinister. Once Silver Surfer defeats him, the rest of the Cosmic Device is his, and he tells Galactus that no one must have access to the "Cosmic Device" and hides it for safe keeping so it may not fall into the wrong hands.
The game has a password feature that allows a number of upgrades, such as invincibility. The game has cut-scenes between the levels to move the story line ahead, and allows the player to pick the levels in any order, similar to the Mega Man games. The game also features two additional 'quests', the first of which is unlocked by entering a password given to the player upon completing the "Magik Domain" mission.
Weapons
Silver Surfer is armed with silver pellets that shoot out of his hands to destroy enemies and their projectiles. The player can collect silver spheres that serve as "options", which shoot additional pellets alongside the Silver Surfer. By pressing the B button, the spheres switch position to shoot forward, sideways or backward, while the Silver Surfer continues to fire forward.
There are two other kinds of power-ups: collecting squares with an "F" can make shots gradually stronger to make the shots look like fire pellets. Up to five can be collected before they give bonus points instead. Collecting squares with a "B" will stock screen-clearing bombs, used by pressing the Select button; every life starts with one of these in stock.
When a life is lost, all spheres, firepower, and extra bombs are lost and must be re-obtained.
Reception
The game received mostly mixed reviews. Some praised it as an enjoyable side-scrolling shooter game, while others criticized it for its relentless difficulty, as a single hit would kill the character immediately, even from seemingly harmless things such as rubber ducks, and even from simply touching the walls, ceiling, or the floor. This was status quo for many games of the genre but few had characters as large as the Silver Surfer sprite with an appropriate hitbox.
The music of the game, however, is highly praised for its composition and technical accomplishments.
In April 2013, GamesRadar ranked it as the 47th worst game ever made, as the staff felt that the game didn't do the character of Silver Surfer justice.