Söldner-X Limited Edition PC Version Now Available

By: Derek Yu

On: December 20th, 2007

SÃ¶ldner-X: HimmelsstÃ¼rmer, the side-scrolling “Euroshmup” from SideQuest Studios, is now available for the PC as a limited release (3,000 copies), via Play-Asia. This First Print Limited Edition comes as a boxed CD and includes a soundtrack and “Tactical Reference Book” (artbook), and retails for $50 USD. Possibly still good for Christmas?

Reviews of the game are mixed, but the general consensus on the Shmups.com forums seems to be that the presentation is impressive, and fans of games like Jets n’ Guns and Steel Saviour could really enjoy it. On the other hand, fans of Japanese shoot ’em ups will likely be turned off by the health bar, large player hitbox, and general flow and balance of the game that are typical of Western shooters.

Posted in Shoot-em-ups, Windows | Tags: SideQuestStudios

nullerator

Oh, I’d love this (Jets’n’Guns is my favourite shoot’em’up of the recent years). But although the limited edition looks really cool, it’s too expensive for me to import (due to taxes and fees). :-/
Dominic White

I love Jets N’ Guns, but just a look at the promo shots for Soldner-X put me off. The game has possibly the worst use of prerendered art possible. It’s almost impossible to tell the difference between foreground and background, and bullets aren’t exactly hugely visible.

JnG may use a lot of prerendered assets, but it always seems to make sure that the really damaging enemy shots (bullets from infantry are tiny, but do almost no damage) are clearly distinguishable from the environment.
guesst

Proud of their little game much? This is a western sidescrolling shumup for Pete’s sake, not StarCraft2.

Meh, they’ll probably find at least 3000 suckers.
http://www.g4g.it FireSword

It’s OK. (the Derek-Yu game) lol
http://www.g4g.it FireSword

Oh no i forgot it was I’m OK
not it’s ok.. lul
http://ithamore.blogspot.com/ ithamore

Why isn’t there a demo? Is the game not good enough to allow people to try it before they think of buying?
Zeno

Yeah, don’t they normally do crazy limited special releases for notable games? Instead of some lame Euroshmup barely anyone’s heard of?

Eh, whate’er.
Eponymouse

“They” are the people who make the game so they can make whatever kind of release they want.
RvLeshrac

This was funded by Play-Asia, which is why there’s hubbub. The folks at P-A were a bit down on the lack of western-developed shooters, so they decided to have someone make one.

Unfortunately, the fact that the game is designed like all western shooters is sort of missing the point – the reason western shooters have died and Japanese shooters have flourished is because the people who enjoy playing shmups don’t want an easy-as-pie trot through the daisies after they’ve just got back from dodging six million bullets on a single screen. It is a bit like being Italy and having someone ask you to take on the Reno, NV junior-league team.
http://gnomeslair.blogspot.com/ gnome

Actually, played a bit of this over at a friend’s and it does look brilliant. Really. As for the gameplay, well, it’s passable…
Anthony Flack

Hmmmm. If “western shoot-em-up” means the slow, trundling variety where it takes twenty shots to kill anything, then urgh. Because that’s pretty much what I understand it to mean. Mind you I have to confess I never really got into Jets ‘n’ Guns either, and while I’m a fine one to talk, after making what is generally regarded as being a distinctly average shooter myself… well, yeah, but in my own way I was also trying to react against the “western shooter” by making something fast, simple, deadly, and not set in some grim cyber-future.

ANYWAY what I really wanted to say was, whatever the merits of the game are, I do like the idea of making a nice presentation set and selling it. That’s a pretty nice idea. Oh what am I talking about! It only works if the game is already interesting. If the game is already interesting it’s a good idea! It would be nice to be able to get Braid in a nice box with a book with some art and lots of J. Blow’s ideas and theories written in, for example.