Soul Star

From Sega Retro

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  • Soul Star
  • Sega Mega-CD
    NTSC-J

Soulstar title.png

SoulStar MCD JP SSTitle.png

Soul Star
System(s): Sega Mega-CD
Publisher: Core Design (US, Europe), Victor Entertainment (Japan)
Developer:
Distributor: Time Warner Interactive (US), Tec Toy (BR)
Genre: Shooting[1][2]

















Number of players: 1-2
Official in-game languages:
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • Français
  • 日本語
    • Release Date RRP Code
    Sega Mega-CD
    JP     		¥8,000 (8,240)8,000e[3] T-60184
    Sega Mega-CD
    US     		T-115035
    ESRB: Kids to Adults
    Sega Mega-CD
    EU     		T-115035-50
    Sega Mega-CD
    DE     		T-115035-50
    USK: 6
    Sega Mega-CD
    PT
    Sega Mega-CD
    UK     		£44.9944.99[7][8] T-115035-50
    Sega Mega-CD
    BR     		062130
    Tectoy: Todas as Idades

    Soul Star (ソウルスター) is a Sega Mega-CD third-person shooter developed by Core Design. The game makes heavy use of the Mega-CD's sprite-scaling capabilities to achieve a pseudo-3D effect. Full-motion video cutscenes are used for briefings, available in multiple languages for the PAL release.

    An upgraded Sega 32X version, known as Soul Star X, was once in development but was never released.

    Story

    The Myrkoids, an ancient alien species with a cold and unified mind have descended upon many star systems, stealing and draining every planet of their resources and destroying them in the process. Following the destruction of his home system, Bryk Hammelt, the last from a noble warrior race known as the Cryo-Commandos, sets out in his morphing starship, the Aggressor, to hunt down and eradicate the Myrkoids from existence, who have arrived at the Soul Star system to repeat their same process of planetary extermination.

    Gameplay

    The game is a shooter that is primarily played in a third-person perspective behind the ship. The player's ship, the Aggressor, transforms into three different types of vehicles depending on the stage.

    The first mode is the Sub-light Strike Craft, which controls similarly to rail shooters such as Space Harrier. The ship flies through space or over a textured planetscape, while shooting upcoming enemies from the front or behind and collecting power-ups along the way. The player does not control the ship's movement through the stage but can maneuver it along the vertical and horizontal axes with the D-Pad. The Strike Craft fires its weapon with A, which can be held for rapid-fire, and switches the current weapon with B.

    The second mode is the Turbo Copter hovercraft, in which players can freely roam in 360° environments akin to Core Design's own Thunderhawk. In this mode, players are tasked with eliminating primary targets within the area, which are displayed before the start of each level at the mission briefing screen. The player has a map in this mode with enemy targets and the direction of objectives marked. The Turbo Copter moves forwards and backwards with Up and Down and turns with Left and Right. It changes its altitude by holding C and pressing Up or Down and moves sideways by holding C and pressing Left and Right. The Turbo Copter fires its weapon with A and switches the current weapon with B.

    The third mode is the Combat Walker mecha, which controls similarly to the Turbo Copter. The player again must eliminate targets in an area and has a map to assist with locating them. The Combat Walker moves forwards and backwards with Up and Down and turns with Left and Right. It activates its thrusters, allowing it to dash forward along the ground, by holding B while pressing Up. It hovers by holding C, which can be used to pass over obstacles. The Combat Walker fires its weapon with A and switches the current weapon with B. It targets its weapons automatically.

    The Aggressor has shielding, indicated by a red strip in the top-left corner, and engine power, indicated by a green strip in the top-right corner. The ship loses shields when it takes damage from enemies, but it automatically exchanges surplus engine power for shielding, extending the life of the ship at the cost of maneuverability. The player loses a life when the ship runs out of shields. The game ends if the player runs out of lives, but it can be continued from the beginning of the current stage if the player has a continue remaining.

    The game also has a two-player cooperative mode, where the first player pilots the spaceship while the second player acts as a gunner aiming at the enemies. The second player moves the targeting reticle around the screen using the D-Pad, fires with A, and switches weapons with B. The second player can transfer energy between the Aggressor's shields and engines by holding C and pressing Left or Right. Player two can additionally select the Torpedo weapon with Y or the Robotic Assistance Module (RAM) with Z.

    Items

    Items appear as colored spheres. Shoot at the sphere to transform it into a ring, then fly through the ring to collect the power-up.

    Weapons
    Red spheres give the player a special weapon, which is identified by the letter on the item in the ring.
    Power
    Green spheres increase the engine power of the ship.
    Shields
    Blue spheres replenish the shields of the ship.

    Weapons

    Some weapons have unlimited ammunition but others are limited.

    Soul Star, Weapons.png
    		 Plasma Shot (P)
    Shoots plasma pulses. It has unlimited ammunition.
    Soul Star, Weapons.png
    		 Ring Cannon (C)
    Shoots energy rings. It has unlimited ammunition.
    Soul Star, Weapons.png
    		 Hunter (H)
    Shoots energy spheres that home in on targets. It has unlimited ammunition.
    Soul Star, Weapons.png
    		 Laser (L)
    Shoots fast-firing lasers. It has unlimited ammunition.
    Soul Star, Weapons.png
    		 Star Masher (X)
    Fires a charged shot that grows larger and more powerful by holding A longer before firing. It has unlimited ammunition.
    Soul Star, Weapons.png
    		 Missiles (M)
    Shoots laser-guided missiles. It has limited ammunition.
    Soul Star, Weapons.png
    		 Rockets (R)
    Shoots unguided rockets. It has limited ammunition.
    Soul Star, Weapons.png
    		 Bombs (B)
    Drops bombs. It has limited ammunition.
    Soul Star, Weapons.png
    		 Torpedo
    Attacks everything on screen when fired. One-time use.
    Soul Star, Weapons.png
    		 Robotic Assist Module (RAM)
    Temporarily summons two drones that add support fire. One-time use.

    Stages

    The order of the stages depends on the difficulty level chosen.

    Soul Star, Stage 1-1.png

    Soul Star, Stage 1-2.png

    Soul Star, Stage 1-3.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 1-1.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 1-2.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 1-3.png

    		Planet Leira

    Soul Star, Stage 2.png

    		Myrkoid Warpship
    The difficulty level of the game is selected in this stage: after destroying the primary computer in the center of the stage, there are three warp gates that players can activate, each representing a difficulty level (indicated on the map at the top of the screen) and a set number of levels to go through. The player only visits every planet on Hard difficulty.
    Easy Normal Hard
    • Planet Leira
    • Myrkoid Warpship
    • Planet Bulkan
    • Planet Twinga
    • Planet Gigun
    • Myrkoid System
    • Planet Leira
    • Myrkoid Warpship
    • Planet Twinga
    • Planet Gigun
    • Planet Bulkan
    • Planet Guha
    • Myrkoid System
    • Planet Leira
    • Myrkoid Warpship
    • Planet Twinga
    • Planet Guha
    • Planet Bulkan
    • Planet Gigun
    • Planet Metafus
    • Myrkoid System

    Soul Star, Stage 5-1.png

    Soul Star, Stage 5-2.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 5-1.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 5-2.png

    		Planet Twingha

    Soul Star, Stage 3-1.png

    Soul Star, Stage 3-2.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 3-1.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 3-2.png

    		Planet Guha

    Soul Star, Stage 4-1.png

    Soul Star, Stage 4-2.png

    Soul Star, Stage 4-3.png

    Soul Star, Stage 4-4.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 4-1.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 4-2.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 4-3.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 4-4.png

    		Planet Bulkan

    Soul Star, Stage 6-1.png

    Soul Star, Stage 6-2.png

    Soul Star, Stage 6-3.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 6-1.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 6-2.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 6-3.png

    		Planet Gigun

    Soul Star, Stage 7.png

    		Planet Metafus

    Soul Star, Stage 8-1.png

    Soul Star, Stage 8-2.png

    Soul Star, Stage 8-3.png

    Soul Star, Stage 8-4.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 8-1.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 8-2.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 8-3.png

    • Soul Star, Stage 8-4.png

    		Myrkoid System

    Production credits

    • Programmed by: Mark 'Mac' Avory
    • Graphic Artist: Roberto Cirillo
    • Music & Sound FX Composed and Produced by: Nathan McCree
    • Intro and End Sequence: Billy Allison
    • Story & Game Design: Roberto Cirillo, Mark Avory, Guy Miller
    • Vocals: Yvonne Varnier, Guy Miller
    • Creative Manager: Guy Miller
    • Produced by: Jeremy Smith
    • Producer: Toshiyuki Nagai
    • Director: Gaku Sato
    • Assistant: Ryo Misawa, Kohji Ishizeki
    • Thanks to: Takeshi Minagawa, Takashi Kimura
    • And Special Thanks to the Following Heroes...: Adrian E. Smith, Mark Price, Simon Phipps, Darren Price, Troy Horton, Jamie Morton, David Ward
    Source:
    In-game credits (JP)
    SoulStar MCD JP SSCredits.pdf
    [9]

    Magazine articles

    Main article: Soul Star/Magazine articles.

    Promotional material

    Main article: Soul Star/Promotional material.

    Physical scans

    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Score Source
    {{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
    Based on
    0 review
    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Version Score
    Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J
    75
    		[10]
    Computer & Video Games (UK)
    91
    		[7]
    Computer + Video Giochi (IT)
    91
    		[11]
    Digitiser (UK)
    82
    		[12]
    Edge (UK)
    70
    		[13]
    Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
    58
    		[14]
    GamePro (US) NTSC-U
    78
    		[15]
    GamesMaster (UK) PAL
    93
    		[16]
    Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
    84
    		[17]
    Game Informer (US) NTSC-U
    78
    		[18]
    Hobby Consolas (ES)
    92
    		[19]
    Joypad (HU)
    66
    		[20]
    MAN!AC (DE) PAL
    76
    		[21]
    Mega (UK) PAL
    93
    		[22]
    Mega Force (FR) PAL
    88
    		[23]
    Mega Fun (DE) PAL
    85
    		[24]
    Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
    77
    		[25]
    Player One (FR)
    92
    		[26]
    Play Time (DE) PAL
    85
    		[27]
    Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
    60
    		[28]
    Sega Magazin (DE)
    86
    		[29]
    Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
    88
    		[6]
    Sega Power (UK) PAL
    88
    		[30]
    Sega Pro (UK) PAL
    90
    		[31]
    Sega Megazone (AU)
    55
    		[32]
    Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
    82
    		[33]
    Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL
    91
    		[34]
    Todo Sega (ES)
    90
    		[35]
    Video Games (DE) PAL
    84
    		[36]
    VideoGames (US) NTSC-U
    90
    		[37]
    Sega Mega-CD
    		 82
    Based on
    30 reviews

    Soul Star

    Mega-CD, JP
    Soulstar MCD JP Box Back.jpgSoulstar MCD JP Box Front.jpg
    Cover
    Soulstar MegaCD JP Disc.png
    Disc
    Soulstar MegaCD JP Manual.pdf
    Manual
    Mega-CD, US
    Soulstar MCD US Box Back.jpgSoulstar MCD US Box Front.jpg
    Cover
    Soulstar MCD US Disc.jpg
    Disc
    Soulstar mcd us manual.pdf
    Manual
    Mega-CD, EU
    Soulstar MCD EU Box Back.jpgSoulstar MCD EU Box Front.jpg
    Cover
    Soulstar MCD EU spinecard.jpg
    Spinecard
    Soulstar MCD EU Disc.jpg
    Disc
    SoulStar MCD EU Manual.jpg
    Manual
    Mega-CD, EU (with Thunderhawk Demo)
    Soulstar with thunderhawk demo MCD EU Box.jpg
    Cover
    Mega-CD, DE
    Soulstar MCD DE Box Back.jpgSoulstar MCD EU Box Front.jpg
    Cover
    Soulstar MCD EU Disc.jpg
    Disc
    SoulStar MCD EU Manual.jpg
    Manual
    Soulstar MCD DE case sticker front.jpg
    Case & sticker
    Mega-CD, PT

    Mega-CD, BR
    SoulStar MCD BR Box Back.jpgNospine.pngSoulStar MCD BR front.jpg
    Cover
    Soulstar MCD US Disc.jpg
    Disc

    Technical information

    Main article: Soul Star/Technical information.

    References

    1. ↑ File:Soulstar MCD JP Box Back.jpg
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/mcd/soft_licensee.html (Wayback Machine: 2019-06-10 17:56)
    3. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "January 1995" (JP; 1994-12-08), page 11
    4. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "August 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 136
    5. ↑ Mega Play, "August 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 58
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Sega Magazine, "October 1994" (UK; 1994-09-15), page 92
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Computer & Video Games, "December 1994" (UK; 1994-11-15), page 100
    8. ↑ Mega Power, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-21), page 18
    9. ↑ File:SoulStar_MCD_JP_SSCredits.pdf
    10. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "December 1994" (JP; 1994-11-08), page 25
    11. ↑ Computer + Video Giochi, "Dicembre 1994" (IT; 1994-xx-xx), page 128
    12. ↑ Digitiser (UK) (1994-12-09)
    13. ↑ Edge, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-11-24), page 80
    14. ↑ Famitsu, "1994-12-30" (JP; 1994-12-16), page 1
    15. ↑ GamePro, "February 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 48
    16. ↑ GamesMaster, "November 1994" (UK; 1994-10-20), page 64
    17. ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "February 1995" (UK; 1994-12-xx), page 20
    18. ↑ Game Informer, "March 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 39
    19. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Diciembre 1994" (ES; 1994-xx-xx), page 98
    20. ↑ Joypad, "3/1994" (HU; 1994-xx-xx), page 27
    21. ↑ MAN!AC, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-09), page 88
    22. ↑ Mega, "October 1994" (UK; 1994-09-29), page 12
    23. ↑ Mega Force, "Février 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 96
    24. ↑ Mega Fun, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-23), page 114
    25. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "November 1994" (UK; 1994-09-30), page 94
    26. ↑ Player One, "Décembre 1994" (FR; 1994-1x-xx), page 140
    27. ↑ Play Time, "1/95" (DE; 1994-12-07), page 103
    28. ↑ Saturn Fan, "1995 March" (JP; 1995-02-08), page 41
    29. ↑ Sega Magazin, "Dezember 1994" (DE; 1994-11-17), page 68
    30. ↑ Sega Power, "November 1994" (UK; 1994-09-29), page 52
    31. ↑ Sega Pro, "November 1994" (UK; 1994-10-06), page 58
    32. ↑ Sega Megazone, "February 1995" (AU; 1995-0x-xx), page 28
    33. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
    34. ↑ Sonic the Comic, "May 27th 1994" (UK; 1994-05-14), page 11
    35. ↑ Todo Sega, "Diciembre 1994" (ES; 1994-1x-xx), page 62
    36. ↑ Video Games, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-23), page 34
    37. ↑ VideoGames, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 67


    Soul Star

    Soulstar title.png

    Main page | Magazine articles | Video coverage | Reception | Promotional material | Technical information


    Sega Mega-CD
    Demos: Soul Star (1994)

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