Strikers 1945 II is Psikyo's vertical shmup sequel with new planes and even more spectacular boss patterns. More refined and balanced vertical shooting gameplay. An excellent entry improving on its predecessor. The finest Strikers 1945 series entry on PS1 for vertical shmup fans.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter2 players7+
Co-op
Description
Psikyo sequel, vertical shoot them up classic inspired by an alternate-history end of World War II. Created by Psikyo, released in 1998 in Japan, 1999 in Europe and Korea under the Strikers 1945 II title. Eight vertically-scrolling levels, six licensed aircraft F-5E Tiger II, Spitfire and others, two-player cooperative mode and military orchestral soundtrack. Japanese, European and Korean edition under the Strikers 1945 II title.
Strikers 1945 II review
3/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Polished"
2/5
Music
★★★★★
"Decent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Light"
Difficulty
"Punishing"
A denser, more beautiful sequel, it ramps up the pressure with curtains of aimed fire and multi-phase bosses that grant no respite. Mastering your special weapon, weaving between bullets and reaching the hidden boss reward the best players. Demanding but exemplary in its readability, it confirms Psikyo at the summit of arcade-era vertical shooting.
A Psikyo vertical shoot 'em up, a sequel known for its intensity and retro-aviation aesthetic, whose scarcity varies sharply by market. Common in Europe, rarer in Japan and markedly more so in Korea, it appeals to collectors of the genre's regional variants. Its interest pairs the practice of scoring with the geographic scarcity of certain runs.
Better with friends
An intense vertical shooter best savored two-player simultaneously, where you jointly cover the screen under a swarm of fire and imposing mechanical bosses. Teamwork creates a unique joy: splitting the targets and combining firepower turns survival into a shared effort. Demanding and snappy, it rewards coordination with epic runs and calls for retries to beat your shared record.
Is Strikers 1945 II still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 1998 on PS1 in Japan, Psikyo's project adapts the Strikers 1945 II arcade board with remarkable seriousness. The vertical shooter on historical and futuristic aircraft offers a varied plane roster, a heavy bomb system and spectacular humanoid bosses. The handling is rapid, the bullet reading demanding and the scoring replay value tightly wound. A few sound effects feel dated. Recommended today for vertical shoot 'em up devotees, for Psikyo fans and for PS1 collectors curious about a Japanese classic that still irrigates the manic shooter school on Sony's first home console hardware globally.
