Strider

Strider's large-scale levels make for great platforming, and really this is the heart of the game. Double Helix seems to have taken the best parts of the platforming games we love and put them in to one package. There are clear inspiration from games like Shadow Complex, God of War and maybe even Super Metroid (SNES). Whatever the the inspiration, the implementation is perfect, resulting in Strider setting the bar high for platforming games in 2014.

The platforming is usually simple, don’t-fall-on-the-spikes stuff, but several tough sections appear from nowhere. Sudden spikes in difficulty can be disconcerting, and frustrating to say the least. One section involving laser beams and moving platforms had me ready to succumb to serious case of rage quit. Strider is an action game and Strider Hiryu is not built for small, precise movements, so making him perform them feels like guiding a tank down a rabbit hole.

Penance notwithstanding, Strider takes most of the best parts of its lineage to heart. Double Helix has built a game that captures the wide-eyed exploration of 8-bit adventures and marries it to razor-sharp side-scrolling combat. It's not that Strider ever felt like it needed that combat sophistication but it is all the better and more vital for it.