An NCS vertical shooter without great brilliance, technically decent. Short and limited, for B tier SFC shmup fans.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player7+
Description
Vertical shoot-'em-up featuring a combat ship battling mechanical enemy waves. Published by Athena, released in Japan in 1992. Top-down view, vertical shooting and power-ups. A little-known original vertical shooter on Super Famicom.
Original Super Famicom version of Athena's vertical shooter, a minor SFC catalogue title: short, unremarkable play, but genre membership earns it attention from Japanese scrolling-shooter fans. Collector interest lies in the Super Famicom cardboard box with spine card, fragile and prized complete, and in the more affordable Japanese source for this kind of niche. A shmup-shelf piece, desirable in a tidy complete.
Is Strike Gunner S.T.G still worth playing in 2026?
A vertical shooter from NMK and Athena, Strike Gunner S.T.G stands out for its system of selecting special weapons before each mission, inviting you to adapt your strategy to the enemies you meet. The sustained pace and the arsenal variety make for a decent shmup for its time. The average production, the uninspired settings and a messy difficulty place it in the genre's middle of the pack. A title for fans of 16 bit shooting after weapon customisation mechanics.
