Journey to Silius
Encyclopedia
Journey to Silius, released in Japan as , is a side-scrolling action shooting game co-developed by Sunsoft
and Tokai Engineering that was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System
in .
of Earth
has led to increased demand for emigration to space colonies. Jay McCray, the son of a scientist responsible for development of space colony #428 in the Silius Solar System (SSS), prepares to move there in order to follow in his father's footsteps. However, the space station is obliterated in an explosion, killing the entire research team and destroying all data onboard.
In his father's home, Jay discovers a floppy disk
containing not only the complete SSS colony plans but a personal message from his father asking that he complete the projects should terrorists succeed in destroying the colony. To protect the colony plans and to avenge his father's death, Jay sets out to fight the terrorists responsible for the space colony's destruction.
The player controls Jay McCray, as he goes on a mission to defeat the terrorist group responsible for his father's death. There are five stages, consisting of the ruins of a space colony, an underground concourse, the enemy's hideout, a flying spaceship, and a factory. The player must fight his way through an assortment of robotic enemies and security systems in order to reach the end of each stage and fight the stage's boss. The controls follows the standards conventions of other side-scrolling action games for the NES. The character can lie down, but he can only aim his gun left or right. In addition to the default handgun weapon, the player can switch to one of five additional weapons that can be procured throughout the course of the game (a shotgun, a machine gun, a homing gun, a laser rifle, and a grenade launcher). Each of these special weapons consumes the player's Gun Energy gauge and once it runs out, the player will automatically revert back to the default handgun. The player can replenish Jay's health and ammo by retrieving energy capsules dropped by defeated enemies.
The player only has a limited amount of lives and three continues to complete the game. After the fifth and final stage is completed and the ending is shown, the player will restart the game on the first stage.
. However, Sunsoft lost the license during the development of the game, as a result the game's plot and graphics were altered before release. Although, the American version of Journey to Silius was released a month following its Japanese counterpart Rough World, the player character's sprite is actually from an earlier build of the game simply titled Rough. The European version of Journey to Silius uses the updated sprite design from Rough World.
Rough World was re-released in Japan
in a two-in-one compilation for the PlayStation
titled Memorial Series: Sunsoft Vol. 4, which also included Hebereke (the Japanese version of Ufouria).
Sunsoft (company)
is a Japanese video game development company founded on April 16, 1971 as a division of Sun Corporation, itself a division of Sun Electronics, or in Japan is a Japanese video game development company founded on April 16, 1971 as a division of Sun Corporation, itself a division of Sun Electronics,...
and Tokai Engineering that was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in .
Plot
In the year 0373 of the new space age calendar, overpopulationOverpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
has led to increased demand for emigration to space colonies. Jay McCray, the son of a scientist responsible for development of space colony #428 in the Silius Solar System (SSS), prepares to move there in order to follow in his father's footsteps. However, the space station is obliterated in an explosion, killing the entire research team and destroying all data onboard.
In his father's home, Jay discovers a floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
containing not only the complete SSS colony plans but a personal message from his father asking that he complete the projects should terrorists succeed in destroying the colony. To protect the colony plans and to avenge his father's death, Jay sets out to fight the terrorists responsible for the space colony's destruction.
Gameplay
The player only has a limited amount of lives and three continues to complete the game. After the fifth and final stage is completed and the ending is shown, the player will restart the game on the first stage.
Development
Journey to Silius was originally conceived as a game based on the 1984 film The TerminatorThe Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
. However, Sunsoft lost the license during the development of the game, as a result the game's plot and graphics were altered before release. Although, the American version of Journey to Silius was released a month following its Japanese counterpart Rough World, the player character's sprite is actually from an earlier build of the game simply titled Rough. The European version of Journey to Silius uses the updated sprite design from Rough World.
Rough World was re-released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in a two-in-one compilation for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
titled Memorial Series: Sunsoft Vol. 4, which also included Hebereke (the Japanese version of Ufouria).