Overview – originally developed by HOT-B, brought to modern platforms Under the ININ GEMS label, Over Horizon x Steel Empire is a collection of overlooked side scrolling shooters. In this collection, players take on hordes of enemies in these single player shooters that were released way back in the early 90s, with a remake of Steel Empire in 2004. This pack of games is out on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank PR Hound for providing the copy of Over Horizon x Steel Empire that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thought and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. I will be discussing each of the games, providing some details about the plot where possible and the gameplay. Then the overall package will be discussed to round out the coverage. There is also a chance to win a code for this game on PlayStation 4 by entering a giveaway that will run until August 1st, a link to the entry form will be below the links to the game.
Over Horizon – 1991 (NES/Famicom)
Over Horizon is a horizontal scrolling shooter that is similar to the popular Gradius and R-Type series, taking place in a Sci-Fi setting. The player controls a space fighter, battling aliens and mechanical foes across a variety of hostile environments with their own gimmicks. These can be as simple as vines that can hide enemies and projectiles, to flooded space ruins with waterfalls that push the player down. This makes the challenge unique and satisfying to beat.
The player ship has the primary functions of shooting forward and backward, allowing for rapid changes in directs for shots. Capsules will appear during the course of a stage, providing power-ups for the player ship when they are shot. There are two distinct types of power-up that can be collected during the game, with the first being special satellites that follow the player ship, with a maximum of two. Then there are the weapons, with three variants that can be increased to level 3.
These improved capabilities last for as long as the player can stay alive, being lost if the player ship is destroyed. If all lives are lost, the player gets sent back to the main menu and they have to start over from the beginning or continue from the stage they died. Players are also able to change the speed of the craft, with three setting available, as well as changing the position of Option satellites. This can be useful for hitting enemies that are close to the floor/ceiling.
At set points in stages, the player will engage in battle with large scale bosses, often being heralded by a warning that appears on screen. During boss battles, enemies will attack the player from all sides, making for a tough and tense battle where defeat can occur at any time. Last to discuss is the edit mode, which allows players to customize their ship. In this menu, the player can alter the power of the weapons, along with the ability to edit the positions of option satellites.
With Over Horizon done, let’s move onto the next game.
Steel Empire – 1992 (Mega Drive/Genesis)
In an Age of Steel, steam powered battleships cruise the skies and armored locomotives carry huge cannons. A military uprising has occurred in the world’s largest city, with the dictator General Styron has taken power by brute force. Most of the world has now been annexed and turned into the Motorhead Empire. But, one place remains free and defiant, the republic of Silverhead, who have deployed their small, yet advanced air force on a mission to take the empire down.
In this title, the player has the ability to select two different ships, with the choice of the “Striker” aircraft that is smaller and faster or a slower, larger “Z-01” Zeppelin airship. The two ships have their own attacks and health, with the Striker being easier to shoot down due to its size, compared to the more durable Z-01. This gives the two aircraft a unique feel to themselves, which will change the way that players can approach the action that unfolds on the missions.
Like Over Horizon, the ships can gain additional power by collecting power-ups that will appear during the different stages. Instead of a weapon change system, there is a leveling system that will increase the power of weapons by collecting EX items. When three have been collected, the power of the guns on the ship will increase. There are screen clearing bombs that can be deployed (and replenished) and even option supports to collect, but these support ships are lost if the player dies.
Unlike Over Horizon, the player ship doesn’t go down in a single hit. There is a vitality meter, which will deplete by taking damage from enemies or by making contact with environmental hazards. When this is empty, a warning will appear on screen, allowing for one final hit before destruction. Thankfully, there are health ups that can be dropped by enemies, getting players back into the action and preventing defeat. If all ships are lost, the player can use a credit to keep going.
At set points in each stage, the player will encounter a sub and main boss. When the mid boss of a stage appears, the player will transition to the next area of the stage. These transitions shift the player to a new environment, introducing new hazards like tunnels and a tight cave passages that can lead to disaster in seconds. The end big boss are a significant challenge, which is where the reverse firing mechanic really comes into its own as the bosses will move around the screen.
Between stages, there are scenes that tell the story of Steel Empire, providing a mission layout and the progression of the narrative. Before starting a stage, the player can also select their aircraft, switching between them as they wish which can be used as a tactical option. As players go through the game and get used to the different stages, switching crafts can increase the challenge or make segments more manageable. The airships can also be switched if the player continues after death.
Now let’s get to the last title in this package.
Steel Empire (Remake) – 2004 (Game Boy Advance)
Long after the original release, HOT-B staff that were part of Starfish inc, created a remake of Steel Empire for the handheld Nintendo system. This game is mostly the same as the original Mega Drive release, but due to the limits of the hardware and the size of the screen, there are some concessions made. This version of Steel Empire follows the same plot of the original, with the same cutscenes and transitions included in the console version.
However, the game has been screen crunched, zooming in and making the playfield smaller while trying to keep pace of the action. The same aircraft are still present, with the Eagle craft and the Zeppelin airship available to select. The front and back shooting is also present, with the leveling system and lightning bombs, but there have been some changes. The Vitality of the ship is increased and the EX requirements have been lowered, allowing leveling to occur faster.
All of the stages and bosses are present, but they have been changed a little to fit the screen and the graphical capabilities of the GBA system. The stages have been flattened in most areas, with some elevation changes taken out. There has also been some sprites redrawn and rescaled, with changes to some of the attacks and patterns. This can make stages a little more challenging in some places, but doesn’t have a significantly negative impact on the overall experience.
The differences with the two versions make them unique from each other, which helps keep the gameplay familiar yet fresh between the two. There are also distinct visual changes that extend further than the sprites/stages, with all of the environments being redrawn entirely. These changes are due to the change in graphical engines for the GBA system, allowing for some areas to be more vibrant and colorful, at the loss of some of the environment layers.
Now with all three games covered, it is time to move onto the other aspects of this collection, starting with the new features.
Additional Features – as this is an emulated collection of titles, new features have been added to improve the quality of life of these old games. Some modifications to the game have been made to remove flicker from the Steel Empire releases, as this can cause photosensitive seizures. There are also cheats that have been added, including invincibility and infinite credits. Players can also use rewind features and save states, giving greater control over their experience.
Controls – as these are retro titles, there are simple inputs that have been adapted for modern controllers. This makes it easy to pick up and play the games, with the inputs being intuitive and responsive during the action. The game is comfortable to play, with the ability to use a varied amount of controller types. The preferred way to play the game is with a D-Pad for precise control. All of the inputs can be remapped by players, allowing them to fit all play styles.
Difficulty – these shooters may appear simple from the outset, but they get increasingly challenging as the player progresses through the games. There is a standard mode and challenge mode in this release, the standard mode allows all of the quality of life changes to be used, like rewind and cheats. Then there is the challenge mode that is as close to the original as possible, with limited credits, trophies and all of the additional features disabled (aside from the screen filters).
Presentation – the games look really good on modern displays, recreating the original look and feel of the games. All of the original sprite work, environments and graphics are clean and crisp, alongside sound emulation that is close to the original hardware as possible. There are also additional visual settings, with the option to change the display colors, screen sizing and more. There is also the ability to apply Scanlines and Filters to emulate classic screen types.
Final Thoughts – I had not heard of these titles before, but I am a fan of scrolling shooters so I was excited to check out this collection of games. When I went into this, I was not sure what to expect from the titles, but I had a good experience and I was happy to be able to experience these hidden games. There was a struggle at the start as I got used to the gameplay, but after a few attempts I got into the flow of the games and it was a lot of fun.
My overall experience with this package is a positive one, discovering some hidden gems that I had not played when they were previously released. I am happy to recommend this collection to everyone who is a fan of shooters, as the titles included are fun and challenging. The experience that this package provides is distinct from most of the shooters that have been released, with the quality of life changes and additional features rounding it out.
In the end, I give Over Horizon X Steel Empire a final score of 4.5/5. This is an excellent retro collection, providing players with the opportunity to experience some hidden gems in the scrolling shooter genre. There is a lot to enjoy with this collection, with the improvements making it easy to pick up for old and new players alike. If you want to check it out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to Giveaway form (HERE)
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