Steel Empire
Encyclopedia
Steel Empire and originally released as in Japan, is a 1992
side-scrolling shoot 'em up
video game for the Sega
Mega Drive
home console, and was ported
to the Nintendo
Game Boy Advance
in 2004
.
Steel Empire is notable amongst shoot 'em up games for its unique aesthetic designs. Mostly low-tech in nature, with it being set in the late-19th century
of an alternate timeline, the game's aircraft, power ups, environments, enemies and bosses are heavily stylized with a strong steampunk
theme to the technology. Steam power, propeller-based
aircraft, biplane
s and dirigibles play a large role in the game's graphics.
Laputa: Castle in the Sky. However, the plot of the anime, characters and all references to it were eventually dropped during the development of the game in favour of an original story, and the finished product of the game retains only the themes of steampunk
aviation
from the anime.
The in-game credits of western versions specify that the inspiration of the game came from the 1819 novel Imperio do Aceiro (Empire of Steel) by Caar H. Schitch. This was a dystopian military fantasy novel set in the then-future of the late 19th-century, and which would later be considered of the first examples of the steampunk genre.
In 2004, a Game Boy Advance
port was released in Japan by Starfish Inc., retitled Koutetsu Teikoku from HOT・B. In 2005, British software house ZOO Digital Publishing brought this port of the game to Europe, as Steel Empire.
-inspired alternate timeline, during the year "18XX
" of the "Age of Steel", where mammoth floating battleships cruise the skies and gigantic armored locomotives carry cannons the size of railway cars. A military coup has occurred in the world's largest city, Damd, and power-hungry dictator General Styron rules by brute force and military might, his goliath defenses carrying armor-piercing missiles and lethal aerial mines.
While Styron's Motorhead Empire has quickly conquered and enslaved most of the world, one small independent republic remains free and defiant - the Republic of Silverhead - who have developed an elite air force, as well as the "Imamio Thunder" - known as the "Lightning Bomb" to Silverhead's enemies - which is more powerful than anything in Motorhead's arsenal. Silverhead are the last hope for freedom, and they alone have the will and the weapons to bring about Motorhead's downfall.
The game begins with the Motorhead Empire attacking Rahl, Silverhead's chief mining city, and the player is tasked with defending it. Further missions will take the player into the vast subterranean caverns of Liedengel, the war torn no-man's land of Z-Sector which lies between Silverhead and Motorhead, and the foremost defences of Motorhead - the Gardamdi Islands, which lay in front of Damd, Motorhead's capital city. Finally, after General Styron has launched himself into orbit via space cannon, the player must pursue him and his flagship into space to the moon, where you must destroy Styron once and for all.
As a pilot in Silverhead's air force, launched from Silverhead's flying battleship Etopilica, the player can choose to fly either the eagle
-like "Striker" - a small, swift and manueverabile interceptor aircraft
; or the "Z-01 Zeppelin
" - a larger, slower, yet tougher and more durable rigid airship
which also packs more firepower. The Z-01 Zeppelin tends to be better at bosses, yet the Striker tends to be more efficient at larger numbers of smaller enemies and at ground assaults.
The player combats enemy aircraft, ground artillery and other assorted enemies and obstacles through seven progressively harder levels, each containing a boss at the end, which must be defeated in order to advance to the next level. The levels also feature less powerful minibosses, which appear about halfway through each level.
Ammunition is unlimited and players have the ability to collect level powerups, which increase their firepower strength from level one to level 20. These and other powerups may be collected by flying into them. Other powerups include the usual shoot-em-up powerups - more destructive firepower and such - but also aerial mines, bouncing bombs, homing missiles, and of course Silverhead's ultimate weapon, the Imamio Thunder and Lightning Bomb capable of destroying all Motorhead's forces.
Players are given a certain number of "lives" and "continues". If a player loses all of his health he loses a life, his craft simply reappears where it was destroyed and becomes invulnerable for a few seconds. If the player loses all of his lives, then he must spend a "continue" and restart at the beginning of the level. Firepower level data is retained however throughout the course of the game (even after using a continue). When all continues are expended, the game is over.
1992 in video gaming
-Events:-Notable releases:* Gremlin Graphics releases Zool, Amiga's answer to Mario and Sonic. It goes on to become the best selling Commodore Amiga game, boosting the already popular computer to be the leading gaming machine in Europe....
side-scrolling shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
video game for the Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
home console, and was ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in 2004
2004 in video gaming
-Events:*January 20 — Wireds Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.*March 4 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame*March 22-26 — Game...
.
Steel Empire is notable amongst shoot 'em up games for its unique aesthetic designs. Mostly low-tech in nature, with it being set in the late-19th century
19th century
The 19th century was a period in history marked by the collapse of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Holy Roman and Mughal empires...
of an alternate timeline, the game's aircraft, power ups, environments, enemies and bosses are heavily stylized with a strong steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
theme to the technology. Steam power, propeller-based
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
aircraft, biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
s and dirigibles play a large role in the game's graphics.
History and port
Koutetsu Teikoku is a Japanese title developed by HOT・B. HOT・B originally began development of the game as an adaptation of the acclaimed 1986 Japanese animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Laputa: Castle in the Sky. However, the plot of the anime, characters and all references to it were eventually dropped during the development of the game in favour of an original story, and the finished product of the game retains only the themes of steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
from the anime.
The in-game credits of western versions specify that the inspiration of the game came from the 1819 novel Imperio do Aceiro (Empire of Steel) by Caar H. Schitch. This was a dystopian military fantasy novel set in the then-future of the late 19th-century, and which would later be considered of the first examples of the steampunk genre.
In 2004, a Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
port was released in Japan by Starfish Inc., retitled Koutetsu Teikoku from HOT・B. In 2005, British software house ZOO Digital Publishing brought this port of the game to Europe, as Steel Empire.
Plot
The game is set in a steampunkSteampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
-inspired alternate timeline, during the year "18XX
19th century
The 19th century was a period in history marked by the collapse of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Holy Roman and Mughal empires...
" of the "Age of Steel", where mammoth floating battleships cruise the skies and gigantic armored locomotives carry cannons the size of railway cars. A military coup has occurred in the world's largest city, Damd, and power-hungry dictator General Styron rules by brute force and military might, his goliath defenses carrying armor-piercing missiles and lethal aerial mines.
While Styron's Motorhead Empire has quickly conquered and enslaved most of the world, one small independent republic remains free and defiant - the Republic of Silverhead - who have developed an elite air force, as well as the "Imamio Thunder" - known as the "Lightning Bomb" to Silverhead's enemies - which is more powerful than anything in Motorhead's arsenal. Silverhead are the last hope for freedom, and they alone have the will and the weapons to bring about Motorhead's downfall.
The game begins with the Motorhead Empire attacking Rahl, Silverhead's chief mining city, and the player is tasked with defending it. Further missions will take the player into the vast subterranean caverns of Liedengel, the war torn no-man's land of Z-Sector which lies between Silverhead and Motorhead, and the foremost defences of Motorhead - the Gardamdi Islands, which lay in front of Damd, Motorhead's capital city. Finally, after General Styron has launched himself into orbit via space cannon, the player must pursue him and his flagship into space to the moon, where you must destroy Styron once and for all.
Gameplay
Steel Empire is a fast-paced scrolling shooter. Gameplay is linear in that the player is restricted to flying in only one direction, and the player will meet enemies in a predesignated order. However, unlike many scrolling shooters, Steel Empire allows players to fire from behind as well as ahead.As a pilot in Silverhead's air force, launched from Silverhead's flying battleship Etopilica, the player can choose to fly either the eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
-like "Striker" - a small, swift and manueverabile interceptor aircraft
Interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
; or the "Z-01 Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
" - a larger, slower, yet tougher and more durable rigid airship
Rigid airship
A rigid airship is a type of airship in which the envelope retained its shape by the use of an internal structural framework rather than by being forced into shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope as used in blimps and semi-rigid airships.Rigid airships were produced and...
which also packs more firepower. The Z-01 Zeppelin tends to be better at bosses, yet the Striker tends to be more efficient at larger numbers of smaller enemies and at ground assaults.
The player combats enemy aircraft, ground artillery and other assorted enemies and obstacles through seven progressively harder levels, each containing a boss at the end, which must be defeated in order to advance to the next level. The levels also feature less powerful minibosses, which appear about halfway through each level.
Ammunition is unlimited and players have the ability to collect level powerups, which increase their firepower strength from level one to level 20. These and other powerups may be collected by flying into them. Other powerups include the usual shoot-em-up powerups - more destructive firepower and such - but also aerial mines, bouncing bombs, homing missiles, and of course Silverhead's ultimate weapon, the Imamio Thunder and Lightning Bomb capable of destroying all Motorhead's forces.
Players are given a certain number of "lives" and "continues". If a player loses all of his health he loses a life, his craft simply reappears where it was destroyed and becomes invulnerable for a few seconds. If the player loses all of his lives, then he must spend a "continue" and restart at the beginning of the level. Firepower level data is retained however throughout the course of the game (even after using a continue). When all continues are expended, the game is over.
Reception
Critical reception upon the game's release on the Sega Mega Drive in 1992 was mixed, with some saying that the game was an unremarkable and unoriginal shooter. However the majority of the reviews were positive, with the positive reviews noting some original features in the game such as being able to fire behind you, a rarity in shooters of the time. Positive reviews also praised the unique steampunk style, visually appealing colour themes and backgrounds, and innovative enemies of the game.External links
- Steel Empire Mega Drive review from Mean Machines ArchiveMean MachinesMean Machines was a market-leading multi-format gaming magazine released between 1990 and 1992 in the United Kingdom. Its style was popular with gamers of the time for its irreverent humor, anarchic editorial tone and style, and its sometimes outrageously outspoken reviews.- Origins :In the late...
- Steel Empire and Empire of Steel on GameFabrique