This is retro impressions Stellar Assault
Series Review.
In February of 1998 Stellar Assault SS released
exclusively for Sega Saturn in Japan.
It was developed by SIMS as a joint venture
between Sega and Sanritsu with Sega retaining
control of the company during the period in
which this game was developed.
A large portion of the original development
team was brought on board for this project
including the original design team, director,
and the original games creator.
This is a fairly obscure game even in Japan
so you won’t find much about it online.
I had high hopes coming into this that I would
be able to hire someone to translate the manual
and in-game story as it hasn’t been done,
but little did I realize how huge an undertaking
it would be as there is easily over an hour
worth of dialogue in this game.
Thankfully even though the story is a major
focus of this game, and it’s only in Japanese
it’s doesn’t really affect the enjoyment
or playability.
In fact, it’s still possible to have a general
idea of what’s going on thanks in part to
the cutscenes used to tell the story and every
bit of text being in English.
While that might seem small it’s actually
a deal maker because that also includes the
menus making this game 100% accessible and
playable even if the story isn’t.
With that said, It’s a bit hard to give
this game the proper attention it deserves
due to the language barrier.
The voice work sounds great and it should
as some top Japanese voice talents play major
roles.
They even got the voice actor who played Data
on the Japanese TNG on board, now that's cool.
The audio work in this game is really well
done as is the music giving the sequel a marked
improvement over its predecessor.
Looking through the options menu, the ability
to change ship colors along with the object
viewer have been removed.
There are a couple new additions though nothing
worth mention at this time.
At its core, it’s a true sequel keeping
everything that was great about the first
game while expanding upon the things that
could use improvement.
Thing such as offering a larger variety of
level design and mission types, while leaving
be the things by that might ruin the experience
by trying to do something new and innovative
such as messing with how the shipS control
and feel.
One improvement over the original is the Saturn’s
controller (video of the Saturn controller).
With the addition of the shoulder buttons,
it’s just better suited for these kinds
of games making everything feel a bit more
fluid.
It’s also compatible with the 3d control
pad if that's your thing.
Let's get right down to the nitty-gritty and
discuss some of the differences regarding
the pre-game experience and ships.
Gone is the full autopilot mode eliminating
the on-rails option from the first game.
Also, you can’t play in 2 player mode if
you select Feather 1, it’s an exclusive
mode for feather 2.
There is also a slight change to each ship’s
energy consumption rate.
Both have been adjusted though it’s a bit
more noticeable when flying feather 1.
I imagine this adjustment was made due to
Feather 2 no longer requiring you to complete
the entire game with only one energy tank.
No matter what ship you're in, you will start
each mission fully restored.
Some other notable changes are the inclusion
of at least two endings, and the removal of
the 3rd person perspective.
According to the in-game button mapping screen,
it’s in the game, but I couldn’t get it
to work.
Everything else remains essentially the same
when it comes to the ships you have access
to and their capabilities.
As we head into the game it’s clear that
the enemy from the 32X release has returned.
I remember reading somewhere that this is
a bi-yearly problem, so it would make sense
to be this situation once again.
Thankfully you don’t seem to be caught off
guard this time and have an actual squadron
to accompany you from mission to mission making
for a very similar yet satisfyingly different
experience when compared to the first game.
The atmosphere is fantastic with a large variation
of mission types and locations with 17 in
total.
The first few missions have us battling large
squadrons of enemy fighters and encountering
a fully operational accel gate.
From there we encounter more capital ships
and find our way inside of an asteroid where
we are tasked with destroying some large device.
Mission 6 takes place just above the atmospheric
layers of a planet and ends with one of your
team members losing control of their craft
with it heading toward the planet.
This leads to a really cool rescue mission
that might frustrate some players but I found
it to be extremely satisfying to accomplish.
The reward is mission 8, one of the coolest
in the game.
You start above the clouds but can break through
them to reveal the surface of the planet.
It's breathtaking and unexpected.
There are a couple missile silos you're tasked
with destroying but unfortunately, they will
fire missiles moving you onto a timed mission
where you need to shoot them down before then
detonate.
From a planet full of water we head to one
without an atmosphere and a huge tower that
needs to come down.
This also might be the most confusing mission
in the game.
Once the tower is down it’s time to head
underground via a tunnel that requires precision
maneuvering to enter.
Once you exit, you need to take down another
suspended tower and travel back the way you
came.
Here lies the problem, there is a door blocking
the exit and I’m sure if you understood
Japanese it’s explained via the dialogue,
but I don’t so it required a ton of trial
and error to figure out you need to be using
your speed boost to break through.
A few more missions dealing with large capital
ships and their squadrons gives was to an
encounter with a familiar foe.
It’s the final enemy from the original game,
the Sun Laser.
Unlike the 32X release, this isn’t timed
and is essentially the same mission but with
much more aggressive enemy fighters who are
more than happy to give their lives in an
effort to stop you by sending their craft
into yours.
After it’s destroyed an enemy fighter kills
one of your squad members and seriously damages
your ship leaving you with very little shields
and a dogfight on your hands.
This is the most aggressive ship you will
encounter the whole game and a very unexpected
in game development.
The final mission takes you to the heart of
the enemies operation.
There are a ton of tunnels to navigate, radar
jamming devices to take out, and huge spaces
to explore.
There is an energy core at the center that
needs to be destroyed, then get the heck out
as another timer is running and you need to
be out before the time is up.
Once out you’re treated to a cool sequence
where you see your ship leave what is now
revealed to be a planet-sized spherical ship
that will soon explode……. and that’s
game.
This here is an incredible experience to play
giving the player a full rollercoaster ride
that just begs to be played level after level
making it truly unfortunate that it’s nearly
impossible to find.
So let's go over some common complains.
There are a few small issues I have this game,
the largest being that only a portion of the
cutscenes are skippable.
It’s an issue on any play through as they
easily add 20-30 minutes to the game that
you're forced to endure.
One saving grace is an option called Scenario
that is hidden away under the sound menu.
This option allows you to reduce the story
elements on a percentage basis.
I’m not exactly sure the differences between
what each percentage offers, but if you turn
it off you will bypass all mission briefings
and in-game dialogue.
I was able to find a bit of discussion with
people talking about this game.
The general consensus is that it’s well
liked, but that the tight tunnels and corridors
are unfair.
Personally, I feel the controls are spot on
and allow for precision control.
This means most issues a user will encounter
will be entirely self-inflicted either due
to being unfamiliar with the level or by being
reckless with the choices they make.
In the end, Stellar Assault is a game you
need to own if you own a 32X or Saturn.
The 32X version is an extremely fun and well-made
game that excels at everything it set out
to accomplish while the Saturn release takes
that formula and builds upon it in all the
right ways giving us another must play game.
I love how the 32X makes use of flat-shaded
polygons and creates a story where it’s
you alone against huge fleets of invading
ships.
Where in Saturn sequel we got textured polygons
that still look great today, something that
is seldom true when talking about early textured
graphics.
Also, the decision to give your team member
to fight at your side along with the chatter
just makes this game feel alive.
Both games are great and while it’s hard
to recommend one version over the other due
to how well they complement each other, the
Saturn is my preferred game and without a
doubt one of the best 3D space combat simulators
of the 5th generation.
