Sorcer Striker is a 1993 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Raizing (now known as Eighting) and published in 1993 by Able Corporation in Japan and Europe. In the game, players assume the role from one of the four bounty hunters to overthrow the Goblin empire led by King Gobligan and reclaim the bounty placed by King Codwenna of Violent Kingdom over Gobligan's head. It is the first entry in the Mahō Daisakusen trilogy, which includes Kingdom Grand Prix and Dimahoo, and the first video game to be created by Raizing.
Sorcer Striker served as the debut project of Raizing, a development company founded by former Naxat Soft and Compile staff who previously worked on the Aleste series. Though first released in arcades, the game was later ported to other platforms, each one featuring various changes compared to the original version and has since been re-released for PlayStation 4 in Japan as part of the M2 ShotTriggers label by M2.
Gameplay
Sorcer Striker is a science fantasy-themed vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up game reminiscent of Seirei Senshi Spriggan, where players assume the role of one of the four playable characters (Gain, Chitta, Miyamoto and Bonum) through six increasingly difficult stages. The plot involves a goblin movement successfully establishing an empire of their own, prompting King Codwenna of Violent Kingdom in gathering his knights to launch a disastrous attack against the Goblins. King Codwenna learned that the Goblins were ruled by a human leader and the mass production of mana-based magical weapons, which shocked Codwenna as nobody succeeded in reproducing them and their operation were limited and not fully understood. Foreshadowing the doom of his kingdom and the failure of his knight order, Codwenna placed a bounty on the head of King Gobligan, waiting for the arrival of a hero to save them.
The gameplay borrows elements from previous Compile shooters, as players control their ship over a scrolling background until a boss is reached. Each ship is equipped with two weapons; the main gun is powered-up by obtaining coins from "P" bags, while the subweapon can be swapped or power-up by acquiring one of the three magic books by destroying incoming carriers, ranging from homing shots to spread shots and a straight shot, however the use of each subweapon alternates between characters. Players are also equipped with bombs capable of obliterating any enemy within its blast radius.
Similar to MUSHA, players will occasionally fight against a miniboss on certain stages of the game. The title uses a respawn system where players, upon losing a life, continue immediately at the same location. Getting hit by enemy fire or colliding against solid stage obstacles will result in losing a life, as well as a reversion of the ship's firepower to its original state; once all lives are lost, the game is over unless the players insert more credits into the arcade machine to continue playing. After completing the first loop, the game returns to the first stage; completing the second loop achieves the true ending.
Development
Sorcer Striker was first project to be developed by Raizing (now Eighting), a Japanese video game developer founded by former Naxat Soft and Compile staff who previously worked on the Aleste series. Its development was helmed by a crew of approximately four members with designer Kazuyuki Nakashima, Seirei Senshi Spriggan programmer Yuichi Toyama, artist Kenichi Yokoo and then-27 years old freelance composer Atsuhiro Motoyama, with the team recounting its creation process and history through various Japanese publications.