Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer

Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer is a horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed by SideQuest Studios and published by eastasiasoft. It is developed as a downloadable game for PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Store and as a physical product for Microsoft Windows.

"Set in the distant future, Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer is a fast and furious shoot 'em up with state-of-the-art graphics, driving soundtrack and classic fun gameplay sprinkled with fresh innovations. In the storyline, planet Earth's resistance aims to stop a deadly infection consuming both life forms and technology alike, oddly having to rely on an anti-hero mercenary and bounty hunter to pilot a mighty prototype star fighter. His goal: To fight his way to the virus' origin, save civilisation and earn cash to boot!"

- eastasiasoft

Name
The title of the game is Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer, a German expression.


 * Söldner-X translates as Mercenary-X.
 * Himmelsstürmer - Someone who's set to defy the impossible, easily overcoming true-life obstacles. Literally, Himmelsstürmer would mean "somebody who attacks/conquers the sky, alternatively "storms into the sky". An accepted translation of Himmelsstürmer is "Romantic Idealist".

Gameplay
Söldner-X is a traditional 2D shoot'em up game with parallax scrolling, 720p high-definition graphics, weather effects and a rich weapon upgrade system.

Features

 * 12 stages of parallax graphics and animations, staged across 4 world/space settings
 * High definition graphics in 720p (16:9), or greater/lower resolutions for the PC
 * Supports 2-Player Co-Op Play (simultaneously)
 * Weather effects (such as rain, fog and lightning)
 * Detailed background animations
 * Classic design, yet state-of-the-art shooter technology
 * Unique upgrade weapon system with five standard weapon types
 * Tactical elements such as chaining, effectiveness system, and 'berserker' mode
 * Hidden bonus features
 * More than 20 extras (with both positive and negative effects)
 * Collection quests
 * Features a soundtrack and sound effects (PC Feature)
 * Bi-lingual story mode (English/Japanese)
 * Six modes of difficulty: very easy, easy, normal, hard, impossible, nightmare
 * Online high score ranking
 * Constant frame rate of 60fps (if recommended system requirements are met) (PC Feature)

Sequel
A sequel has been announced exclusively for PlayStation 3 (as a downloadable game), and it will be released in Q1 2010.

Reception

 * IGN awarded 8.0 calling it "impressive".
 * GamerNode.com awarded the game an 8/10, calling it "highly entertaining."