Astro Warrior
| Astro Warrior Sapo Xulé: S.O.S. Lagoa Poluida | |
|---|---|
 Japanese cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Distributor(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Sega Master System |
| Release date(s) | NA 1986 JP December 14, 1986 EU 1988 BR 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Distribution | Cartridge |
| Sound | PSG |
Astro Warrior (アストロウォーリアー) is a shoot 'em up video game developed and manufactured by Sega for the Master System in 1986.
Gameplay
The game is a basic top down shooter that was common at the time, similar to Zanac for the NES. The game plays through three levels with a boss at the end of each. Astro Warrior's three levels each have many different kinds of enemies that attack in various patterns. The stages themselves have no obstacles. Like most shooters, learning the enemies' patterns and how best to deal with them is the key to success in Astro Warrior. The player can also collect helpful power-ups by shooting at targets on the ground. These include ship speed increase, a stronger laser weapon, and two Gradius-style options.
At the end of each stage is one of three large bosses, whose names are Zanoni, Nebiros, and Belzebul.
Differences in versions
The game was released as a stand-alone game, as a combo cartridge with Hang-On and a combo cartridge with Pit Pot. There are no differences in gameplay between them except the game ends after you beat Belzebul the third time on the Hang-On/Astro Warrior double cart. The other versions cycle infinitely. The programmers almost taunt the player with the strange phrase "Surely Revive (boss name)" after each boss is defeated.
In Brazil, Tec Toy released the game as Sapo Xulé: S.O.S. Lagoa Poluida (translated as "Smelly Feet Frog: S.O.S. Poisoned Lagoon"), where the player's ship was altered to look like a cartoony ship piloted by Sapo Xulé (a Brazilian comic/cartoon frog character), and the background was recolored green so that the levels resemble a swamp. This version of the game was released in 1995.