A side-scrolling
shooter by
Squaresoft for the
Playstation released on May 5th, 1998. The action takes place on and within the Earth as you pilot the
Einhander craft to gather reconnaissance for
Selene, the moon colony.
Your mission is one-way, there are no plans for return, and you are not
the last starfighter. No saving the world for you. That's someone else's job.
Over one hundred years ago, the moon colony, Selene, started to flourish and tout its
independence. The
Earth didn't like this and in challenging the colony, started the "First Moon War". This war was fought with new technology over the course of almost 50 years and destroyed much of both sides. The Earth lost most of its will to fight (see
Revolutionary War and
Great Britain's decision) and Selene had no reason to wipe out the Earth or take over. What was left of Earth's countries formed into the
Empire (whose
official language is
German) to rebuild.
Fifty years later, Selene was in desperate need of
agricultural nitrogen, widely available on Earth but in limited quantities on the moon. Selene began the "Second Moon War" and began easily pushing back the defenders of Earth with superior technology. As the war raged on, Selene found its resources spread thin and Earth gained the advantage and finally deterred the invaders.
Selene began a new operation consisting of highly advanced
prototype fighters and
kamikaze pilots. The project and fighters were called "Einhander". Powered by steam and capable of hijacking weapons from their enemies, the ships were designed for a one-way trip.
On your Einhander run, there are three fighters being sent down:
Endymion FRS Mk. II: Can carry three weapons and is armed with a single machine gun. Only one weapon can be ready at a time.
Endymion FRS Mk. III: Can only carry one weapon but is armed with twin machine guns.
Astrea FGA Mk I: Can ready two weapons simultaneously and has a single backup machine gun.
A wide variety of weapons exist, but you will only be allowed to choose from a couple different ones when you start until you obtain them during play. Common weapons include the
Vulcan gun, 120mm
cannon,
missile launcher and the
shotgun-style spreader. Grenade launchers, energy blades, and the riot lightning gun are some of the rarer weapons. Even when unarmed, the single claw can cause incredible damage to a target.
The game offers a wide variety of weapons and has control that can range from simple to moderately complex. These two properties combined with two endings and hidden fighters give the game massive replay value and a suitable challenge for any die hard
shmup fan.