Freeware Game Pick: Saintrooper (Yamoto)
Saintrooper is a challenging exploration platform game that takes place mostly under water, where your character has to swim up for air often or collect oxygen tanks to prevent from losing valuable hearts. The game ends if you run out of lives, but players can always continue playing from the last level attempted by using the stage select option shown after the control selection menu.
One key feature of the game is that you have the ability to grab on to walls and climb upwards by jumping off a vertical surface. You can shoot in four different directions, and acquiring the special power-up item will temporary increase your firepower and oxygen reserves. By firing downwards during a freefall, it is even possible to reduce the falling speed and soften the impact of your landing.
There is an exit to be found somewhere in each level, but to get there you would first have to find a set of keys and unlock the doors that prevent you from reaching them easily. Leaving treasures uncollected might not be a good idea either, since extra lives are given out generously whenever you've scored a certain amount of points during your rescue mission.
Download link can be found at the bottom of the game info page. (Vector link, direct download, download mirror)
Comments
cursor keys - move character
Z - shoot
X - jump
esc - quit game, exit back to desktop
Posted by: Tim | November 23, 2009 1:43 AM
I think there are 5 stages? I beat the game, but I was sort of sucked in due to the fun of wrecking havoc on everything, so I didn't really pay attention
I thought air would have a bigger role (well, when I think oxygen level I think of Hold Over), but in the end it was usually better to find and kill enemies and try to get the gun/oxygen power up instead. It's a frequent power up also so I never had the worry of trying finding air pockets, unless it was one of those hard/annoying wall platformers.
I was able to skip out on most treasures since the latter stages were plentiful on treasure groups, and the lowest I went was 2 health bars when I got lazy on platforming across the lava (in water?) sections.
Some tips:
1) There are two configurations for the buttons, they just switch what Z and X does.
2) Collecting the same type of treasure will triple your score, you know what you last collected if you see the shining stars around the treasures (though it was more of a bonus thing).
3) If you want to avoid getting stun from falling, shoot down before you land.
4) Get a boost in jump by shooting down (works best with the power up where you can simply hold the button).
Posted by: adiabatic | November 23, 2009 5:02 AM
I'm sorry, can anyone post a direct download link?
I can't read japanese, and I'm not smart enough to figure out where to click.
Thanks!
Posted by: Julian | November 23, 2009 9:21 AM
How to download from Vector:
http://freeware.remakes.org/advert/vector.php
It's a bit old, but the first few steps work. I didn't need to do anything after the cat picture.
Posted by: fish | November 23, 2009 9:44 AM
Doesn't work on Wine. Fail.
Posted by: nitrofurano | November 23, 2009 10:43 AM
Damn! This hurts, the contrast is badass... less is more! :D
Posted by: oGereye | November 23, 2009 1:55 PM
Now this is a gem, a really great find. Awesome!
Posted by: Nikica | November 23, 2009 3:11 PM
Why does it have stage select, if you can only select the first, no matter how many of the stages you have beaten?
Am I the only one who has this problem?
Posted by: totomoerch | November 23, 2009 6:00 PM
I have all 5 stages available for stage select.
Posted by: adiabatic | November 23, 2009 8:36 PM
I can select the stages too, totomoerch did you even get past the first stage? :P
Posted by: Nikica | November 23, 2009 8:55 PM
Yeah, same here. For two stages I have little crowns next to them. Noooooot really sure what I did to earn them.
Anyway, this is really fun, even though the game was a bit buggy at times (enemies clipping in walls, hard to enter spaces only one tile high). It kind of felt like Spelunky if it was a shooter and if you'd always have the climbing gloves equipped. Awesome.
Posted by: monkey | November 24, 2009 12:28 AM
Vector's awesome, but also... scan everything you download from that site! I've had quite a few games that were full of viruses from there.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 24, 2009 1:37 PM