Strider

Strider's controls consist of an eight-way joystick and two action buttons for attacking and jumping. The player controls Hiryu himself, whose main weapon is a tonfa-like plasma sword called "Cypher". Depending on the joystick/key combination, he can perform numerous acrobatic feats. If you press the jump button while Hiryu is standing still, he will perform a normal vertical jump. If you press the jump button while pushing the joystick to the left or right, he can perform a cartwheel. Hiryu can also glide under certain obstacles and enemies by first crouching down and then pressing the jump button. In addition to his sliding movement, both jumps can also be used to destroy weaker opponents. Hiryu can hold on to certain platforms and climb over walls and ceilings using a metal hook. When running down an inclined surface, Hiryu can gain enough momentum to perform a longer wheel jump than usual. Numerous power-ups can be obtained from item boxes carried by certain enemies. These include an extension of Hiryu's attack range that lasts for a hundred blows, two types of health boosts (represented by the kanji used to write Hiryu's name: 飛 and 飛竜), a maximum health boost (represented by the kanji 竜, the second character in Hiryu's name), an extra life, and a power-up that not only makes Hiryu invulnerable to attacks, but also increases his own attack abilities by shadowing himself for 15 seconds.[3] Hiryu can also summon robot companions known as "options" to help him fight his enemies. These consist of up to two mushroom-like droids, a sabre-toothed tiger and a falcon, known as Options A, B and C respectively. The game has five locations: the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (called "St. Petersburg" in the arcade game's lure sequence), the Siberian Wilderness, the Balrog air battleship (געלראב), the Amazon jungle and the third moon, the Grandmaster's actual abode. Each of the stages is divided into several smaller sections, each with its own time limit and checkpoint. The player has a three-point health meter (which can be increased to five points with the health upgrades). Hiryu loses a life when either his health meter is completely depleted, when he disappears completely from the screen (like falling into an abyss) or when the game timer reaches zero. When Hiryu has lost all his lives, the game is over, but the player can be given the opportunity to continue playing.