is a

vertically scrolling shooter A vertically scrolling video game or vertical scroller is a video game in which the Player (game), player views the field of play principally from a top-down perspective, while the background Scrolling, scrolls from the top of the screen to the bot ...

developed and manufactured by

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

for the

Master System The is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 and ...

in 1986. Set in space, the player flies a spaceship shooting enemies and collecting power-ups to reach the mother ship of an invasion force. It was originally a bundled game that came with the console in Europe. The game received positive reviews upon release, praising the graphics, weapons and large number of enemies; later retrospective reviews have been more mixed, with critics criticising the generic nature and lack of variety. The game was re-released on the ''

Hang-On is an arcade racing game released by Sega in 1985 and later ported to the Master System. In the game, the player controls a motorcycle against time and other computer-controlled bikes. It was one of the first arcade games to use 16-bit graphi ...

/ Astro Warrior'' compilation in North America, and the ''Astro Warrior /

Pit Pot ''Pit Pot'' is a video game developed by Sega for the Master System. The Japanese version was released in 1985 and the export version in 1986. It was only released as a combo with ''Astro Warrior'' in a double cart in the United States and Europe ...

'' compilation in Europe. In 1996,

Tec Toy Tec Toy S.A., trading as Tectoy since late 2007, is a Brazilian toy and electronics company headquartered in São Paulo. It is best known for producing, publishing, and distributing Sega consoles and video games in Brazil. The company was foun ...

re-released the game in Brazil as ''Sapo Xulé: SOS Lagoa Poluída'', and based it on a Brazilian 1980s toy. This version was also released in Portugal.

Plot

The Devil Star Imperial Forces have established a base on and invaded the Alpha Kentowry system. The Solar System Allied Forces have entrusted their Warrior, aboard The Astoro Raider, to attack the invasion force and destroy their mother ship.

Gameplay

The game is a top down shooter, taking place through three levels with a boss at the end of each. ''Astro Warriors three levels have many different kinds of enemies that attack in various patterns. The stages have no obstacles. Power-ups can be collected by shooting targets on the ground. These include ship speed increase, a stronger laser weapon, and two ''

Gradius is a series of shooter video games, introduced in 1985, developed and published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper. Games *''Scr ...

''-style options. Capturing Weapons Supply Ships increases the Astoro Raider's speed and firing ability. The player starts with three lives, and if all are lost, the game is over. If the player dies, all power-ups are lost.

History

''Astro Warrior'' was originally a bundled game that came with the Master System in Europe. ''Astro Warrior'' was re-released as ''Sapo Xulé: SOS Lagoa Poluída'' by Tec Toy in Brazil in 1996. The game was also released in Portugal. ''Sapo Xulé: SOS Lagoa Poluída'' is based on a popular Brazilian 1980s toy, and set underwater, with the Astoro Raider replaced with a submarine.

Reception

Upon release in the late 1980s, the game received generally positive reviews from contemporary critics. British magazine ''

Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...

'' gave it an 82% score. They praised the "extra weapons and "plenty of baddies" to destroy. They said "this freebie is really neat" and is "well worth the effort to get hold of a copy" if "shoot 'em ups are tops in your" house. German magazine '' Happy Computer'' gave it a 79% score. They praised the graphics, calling them truly remarkable, and saying the system's colourful sprite varieties are exploited. In the late 2000s, the game received mixed retrospective reviews from online critics. GameFreaks 365 criticised the game, citing the background, "worthless" bosses, and the game being too generic, but complimented the "nicely done" colourful presentation. IMPLANTgames criticised the lack of variety, the mediocre enemies, but complimented the music.

References

Sources

External links

* * *{{MobyGames, /sapo-xul-sos-lagoa-poluda, name=''Sapo Xulé: SOS Lagoa Poluída'' 1986 video games Master System games Master System-only games Sega video games Shoot 'em ups Vertically scrolling shooters Video games set in outer space Video games developed in Japan