Steel Empire

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Steel Empire

Developer(s)	HOT-B
Publisher(s)	Flying Edge
Distributor(s)	Flying Edge
Platform(s)	Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Boy Advance
Release date	1992
Genre(s)	Horizontal scrolling shooter
Mode(s)	Single player

For the strategy/action game Steel Empire by Silicon Knights, see Cyber Empires.

Steel Empire (Empire of Steel in Europe) is a side-scrolling shooting game for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game system. The player can choose to fly the Striker Plane or the Z-01 Zeppelin to combat enemy fighters through seven progressively harder levels, each containing a boss character at the end, which must be defeated in order to advance to the next level. The levels also feature less powerful mini-bosses, which appear about halfway through a level.

Steel Empire is notable amongst shooter games for its unique aesthetic designs. Mostly low-tech in nature, the game's environments are heavily stylized, with a steampunk theme to the technology. Steam power, propeller-based aircraft, and dirigibles play a large role in the makeup of the game's graphics.

1 Game History
2 Game Story
3 Gameplay
4 External links

[edit] Game History

Koutetsu Teikoku is a Japanese title developed by HOT-B, brought to the U.S. in 1992 by Acclaim's label Flying Edge Software for the Sega Genesis under the name Steel Empire (or The Steel Empire). Also released in Europe as Empire of Steel. A remake featuring technical upgrades saw the light in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance in Japan and Europe.

[edit] Game Story

It is the age of steel, Mammoth battleships cruise the skies. Armored locomotives carry cannons the size of railway cars. Invincible fortresses float on air...and military might rules the day. The Motorhead Empire has conquered and enslaved most of the world.

Only one hope remains... The Republic of Silverhead. Their Z-01 Zeppelin flying ship launches lethal aerial-mines. Their Striker airplane fires armor piercing missiles. Their Lightning Bomb will reduce Motorhead's flame-shooting juggernauts to crumbling hunks of burning metal.

Enter a future that might have been. It's time to wage the war of the Steel Empire!

Source: Back of Steel Empire game box (Sega Genesis version)

[edit] Gameplay

Steel Empire is a fast-paced scrolling shooter. Gameplay is linear in that the player is restricted to flying in only one direction, and the player will meet enemies in a predesignated order. However, unlike many scrolling shooters, Steel Empire allows players to fire from behind as well as ahead.

Ammunition is unlimited and players have the ability to collect level powerups, which increase their firepower strength from level one to level 20. These and other powerups may be collected by flying into them.

Players are given a certain number of "lives" and "continues". If a player loses a life, his craft simply reappears where it was destroyed. If the player loses all of his lives, then he must spend a "continue" and restart at the beginning of the level. Firepower level data is retained however throughout the course of the game. When all continues are expended, the game is over.