''Run Saber'' is a 1993
side-scrolling action game developed by
Horisoft and published by
Atlus for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in North America on June 8, 1993, and in Europe in 1993. ''Run Saber'' features side-scrolling fighting as the two main heroes, and Sheena, the Run Sabers, fight to save the planet. The gameplay is very similar to ''
Strider'', ''
Valis
''Valis'' (stylized as ''VALIS'') is a 1981 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, intended to be the first book of a three-part series. The title is an acronym for ''Vast Active Living Intelligence System'', Dick's gnostic vis ...
'' and some elements of ''
Psycho Dream''.
''Run Saber'' was not released in Japan, despite being developed by a mostly-Japanese team.
Gameplay
After choosing either the male character, Allen, or the female character, Sheena, the player is sent to five different levels around a fantastical
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
. Sheena has an ice affinity, while Allen has a lightning one. A third Saber, Kurtz, is aligned with fire, and is an enemy the player must fight several times.
The players can use a slash attack (the standard attack) which Allen does forward and Sheena upward, use a mid-air kick, or use the Hyper Bomb (special pick up item). The players can also climb up and down walls and hang onto the ceiling. There is a power jump similar to the Screw Attack of ''
Super Metroid
is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. It is the third installment in the ''Metroid'' series, following the events of the Game Boy ...
''.
In each of the five levels (Taj Base, Tong City, Jodvalley, Grey Fac, and Bruford), there are multiple minor bosses and one final boss at the end of each level. These battles are noted when an alert message appears on the screen. In between each boss, the player must fight hordes of enemies and collect health pickups and weapon enhancers.
Originally, the boss at the end of the Tong City level was supposed to be a woman lying on her side, however Nintendo felt that this violated their content guidelines as they did not want to depict or reference violence against women on their hardware, so the woman was changed into a dead woman and was approved.
[''VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'' "Could It Be...?" Vol v. Issue 8. 1993 pg. 13.]
Plot
Years into the future after Earth has been overly polluted and resources are running low, a scientist quickly comes up with a solution: a new chemical that will reverse the effects of pollution. As colonists settle in space to avoid the pollution, the newfound chemical is quickly launched in a missile into the atmosphere where it explodes and releases the chemical. However, the chemical begins to horribly mutate any and all humans infected with it. The scientist knew the effects of his chemical and uses the mutated people as his soldiers to rule the Earth.
Humanity's only hope is a new weapon known as Project Saber, three cyborgs that are genetically enhanced to supernatural levels. Kurtz, the first Saber, malfunctions and escapes to Earth before the project is complete. The remaining Sabers, Allen and Sheena, are dispatched to eliminate the scientist and his militant mutant threat, and to neutralize Kurtz if possible.
References
Bibliography
*
External links
''Run Saber''at
MobyGames
''Run Saber''at
Giant Bomb
''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news, and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by '' Time' ...
''Run Saber''at NeoSeeker
''Run Saber''at retroplace
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1993 video games
Atlus games
Action games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
Super Nintendo Entertainment System-only games
Science fiction video games
Side-scrolling video games
Censored video games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games featuring female protagonists