STRIKERS 1945 III

About

"Strikers 1945 III" is a classic vertical-scrolling shooter game from the 90's, known for its challenging gameplay and unique mechanics such as "technical bonuses" and "chain bonuses". Players can choose from five different planes, each with unique features, and earn bombs to wipe out enemy bullets. With adjustable difficulty levels, online rankings, and support for custom controls, this game offers a thrilling shooter experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 40 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and interesting enemy designs, providing a visually appealing experience.
It offers a nostalgic feel for fans of the original arcade games, making it a fun trip down memory lane.
The game includes a variety of aircraft with unique weapons and attacks, adding replay value.

The difficulty is excessively high, with little distinction between the 'Easy' and 'Very Hard' modes, making it frustrating for players.
Many enemies are bullet sponges, leading to a tedious gameplay experience where players feel underpowered.
The game suffers from balance issues, with frequent unfair deaths and inconsistent hit detection, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
The graphics are praised for their beautiful combination of sharp pixel art and subtle pre-renders, featuring interesting enemy designs and compelling settings. While the visuals are considered arcade-perfect, they show their age as a 1999 title, suggesting a need for HD remastering. Overall, the game maintains a solid graphical performance with modern support and user-friendly display options.
- “Love the graphics, sound effects, and feel of the game.”
- “It has beautiful graphics combining sharp pixel art with some subtle pre-renders, interesting enemy designs and compelling settings, and if you're just looking to credit through the game and enjoy the ride, it's perfect for that.”
- “There are multiple options for display, game settings tweaking, modern graphics cards are comfortably supported and there's none of the hideous 'pulling back out to windowed then going back in just to open a menu' rubbish you see on some Japanese shmup ports like Bullet Soul, which is a much better game but a far worse port job.”
- “Honestly, the graphics, sound, and music are pretty much the same as the previous games.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
50%
38%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it disappointing and worse than previous installments, while others appreciate its fidelity to the original arcade soundtrack. Overall, the sound design is considered adequate but lacks innovation, and many feel the game would benefit from a modern remastering of its audio elements.
- “The game's graphics are once again arcade-perfect, although due to this being a 1999 game it shows its age now and would have benefitted from some remastering for HD. This soundtrack is the same as the arcade original, which is good for what it is, as are the sound effects and controls.”
- “This game is no fun and the music is awful; worse than the first (part 2 has great music).”
- “Honestly, the graphics, sound, and music are pretty much the same as the previous games.”
- “The soundtrack is the same as the arcade original, which is good for what it is, but it shows its age now and would have benefitted from some remastering for HD.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story in "Strikers 1945 III" is minimal, focusing primarily on gameplay rather than narrative depth. Players select from various military fighter planes to engage in combat across eight missions, with little context or storyline to enhance the experience. The game emphasizes challenging mechanics over storytelling, leaving players to navigate intense bullet hell scenarios with limited narrative support.
- “There's not much of a story here, just choose a selection of different craft based on actual military fighter planes and blow stuff up while trying to survive.”
- “Only the elite pilots of the world stand a remote chance of beating this game without 'bomb' spamming regularly after level 1; even on 'easy.' Even in Raiden, there seems to be some way out of a jam with bullets flying all over the place, but not for 'Strikers 1945 III:' they must have taken a page out of SNK's 'Alpha Mission' playbook, which probably described in great detail how much a player should be tortured for being so dumb as to believe they could possibly succeed in this game.”
- “8 missions, 5 different planes with different shots and superpowers.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay experience varies significantly between the Android and PC versions of the game, with the former offering a more forgiving difficulty through upgrades and AI assistance, while the latter presents a consistently challenging environment regardless of difficulty settings. However, players have noted issues with gameplay balance and frequent unfair deaths, leading to a less satisfying overall experience.
- “The Android version of this game is much more sensible and easier on easy and normal difficulties, mostly because of plane upgrades and the possibility to buy additional bombs during gameplay, as well as hiring an immortal AI partner.”
- “The gameplay balance is a bit dodgy, and I often experience frequent unfair deaths, which makes it challenging to achieve a one-credit clear.”
- “The PC version doesn't adjust difficulty effectively; regardless of whether you set it to very hard or easy, all the enemies will shoot at you with the same overwhelming amount of shots.”
- “As a deeper gameplay experience, my thoughts on it are less positive.”
- “I can't see myself 1ccing this ever because of the dodgy gameplay balance and frequent unfair deaths.”
- “The Android version of this game is much more sensible and easier on easy and normal difficulties, mostly because of plane upgrades and the possibility to buy additional bombs during gameplay and even hire an immortal AI partner, while the PC version doesn't care if you set very hard or easy difficulty: all the enemies will be shooting at you with the same huge amount of shots.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The monetization strategy for the game includes a mobile version that offers easier gameplay but is supported by ads, which may detract from the experience for some players.
- “If you want an easier version of this game, especially in terms of plane control, you can download the Android/iPhone version to your smartphone, but be prepared for ads.”
- “The monetization strategy is frustrating; it feels like the game is designed to push you towards spending money rather than enjoying the gameplay.”
- “I find the constant ads and in-game purchases to be intrusive, making it hard to fully enjoy the experience.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the high replayability of the game, as each ship features unique weapons and attacks, offering a diverse gameplay experience that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “Each ship has its own unique weapons and attacks, which provides good variety and replay value.”