Previous Next

The Home Fleet is in disarray. Implosion fires rage on some of the vessels, making them look like coals suspended in space, voiceless infernos deprived of the oxygen to let them burn. The remainder of the once proud force huddles around the gravitational field of Neptune, using it to maintain a stable telemetry.

This chaos has come about by the devious but brilliant strategies of the terrorist Zacarte. By jacking the computer network on Earth, it was possible to disable the fleet long enough for his own forces to overwhelm them. With his massive firepower now ringed around the home planet, a full-frontal counter-attack would be suicide.

However, Earth command has one last trump - SA-77: Silpheed. The fighter is small and nimble enough to penetrate Zacarte's fortresses, and powerful enough to take them out. A squadrom of Silpheed are entering the inner solar system as we speak. The rebellion begins...

Silpheed has spent two years of original development at Game Arts and is converted from a PC game.

Guide the Silpheed through each level; destroy Zacarte's forces.

Silpheed is armed with two complementary weapons systems. The main system is the front-mounted cannon. This is a rapid-fire unit that fires in bursts of six. This is enough to destroy most small enemies in a single shot. The weapon may be mounted in four different ways. The main weapons are located on both wings of the SA-77, so a mixed combination of the following four systems is possible.

1. Forward Beam
   Fire directed in a concentrated line in the flight direction.
2. Wide Beam
   Fire spreads along one side, from 90 to 0 degrees.
3. Phalanx Beam
   Fire directed forward, but in a spreading arc. Very effective.
4. Auto-Aiming
   Fire homes in on nearby enemies.

Optional weapons are collected from stage three onwards. Optionals have an energy store, shown beneath your score. They may be fired until this is used up. The store replenishes itself gradually. There are four types of optional, offered on a random basis, they are:

1. Graviton Bomb
   Fires four high-energy pulses that explode in front of your ship, as a destructive shield.
2. Photon Torpedo
   Multiple charges seek out incoming craft ahead. Potent and energy-efficient.
3. E.M Defense System
   An effective and long-lasting mechanism that deflects enemy bullets.
4. Anti-Matter Bomb
   A single charged projectile that uses a lot of energy. Suitable for larger craft.

The SA-77 fights in eleven concentric spheres of battle en route to the Mother Planet. Data on the highlights:

I. Flight
The Home Fleet is attacked above the Mother Planet. As Silpheeds move into deep space, they see huge lasers devastate a stationary carrier. The SA-77s escape a massive squadron attack to regroup on Neptune.

II. Outer Asteroids
SA-77s move deftly through the massive asteroid fields at the Solar System edge. Huge tumbling rocks require quick reactions to avoid. One of Zacarte's frontier ships is at the centre of the field.

III. Goliath
Silpheeds encounter the first of Zacarte's dreadnoughts. Attack craft are scrambled, and Silpheeds must contend with them and the massive ranging lasers of the Mother Ship. The level climaxes in an impossible trench ride to the dreadnought's core.

IV. Viper's Nest
SA-77s infiltrate Zacarte's base, built entirely from hexagons. A series of corridors and narrow trenches are flanked by massive photon cannons - brief warnings of their approach are given! As you proceed, massive shield doors open to reveal the extent of the base, while pillars rise to smash your craft.

VIII. The Fleet
Sectors V, VI and VII are classified - left for you to discover. However, Sector VIII is the first climax of the game. The SA-77 intercept a massive dreadnought fleet on its way to destroy Earth's fugitive command.

A vast sequence of space pyrotechnics follows - ships explode in a shower of criss-crossing laser. Zacarte's lumbering giants display the weakness of their bulk compared to the hornet-fast attacks of the Silpheeds. Now onto Earth.

The Silpheed's shield has five gradations, denoted in the top-right corner. Collisions with bullets and asteroids cause one unit's damage, but bigger impacts my be more destructive. When the shield is gone, further collisions cause system damage - first engines and then optional weapons are lost

Silpheed has been in development for two years at Game Arts - about as long as the Mega-CD has existed. That time has gone into the constructing of polygons, using the co-processing powers of the Mega-CD. Mean Machines readers might not want to extend that two year wait any more than is necessary, but be warned: Silpheed works with a PAL Megadrive/Mega-CD and CDX, but the CD soundtrack jumps constantly and the game is noticeably slower. The official version should rectify these faults. So our advice would be to hang on.

Lawks! Silpheed is something for Mega-CD owners to positively crow about. Polygon graphics on home consoles reach a new high with this exemplary shoot-'em-up. The game starts in simple fashion, and in truth, shooting squadrons of aliens is basically the same all the way through.

But the fabulous areas the game takes you through, with tumbling asteroids and screen-sized laser bolts is an astounding roller-coaster ride. The massive dreadnoughts bring a whole new meaning to the term 'boss' (though the actual bosses themselves are quite weedy).

The game combines a very tough challenge, with sweet visual rewards as you progress; all the best levels are deep in the game. This has to be the most atmospheric shooter ever, with brilliant cut sequences and the constant chatter of your co-pilots and the computer.

At last, a Mega-CD game that combines effect and action perfectly.

Silpheed is simply the most impressive game ever released for the Mega-CD. Why can't all CD products be as amazing as this? The Mega-CD's hardware is immediately put to good use, with some absolutely awesome intros and atmospheric CD sound.

The in-game graphics are better still with awesome space fleets, alien planets and fabulous space stations. After this, the Galaxians-style gameplay may seem a little bit of a letdown. However, the blasting action grows on you and with each level completed, the alien legions gain even more speed.

By about level five, the action is incredibly fast and intense - and the jaw-dropping graphics are reward enough to spur you on to attempting to complete the next level.

Silpheed is one of the greatest shooters I've played in a long while - and an essential buy for Mega-CD owners.

Presentation 93%
P. Stunning, with intro sequences for levels and weapon selection.
N. Only two difficulty levels, and a couple of continues short of what's necessary.

Graphics 97%
P. Eye-popping polygons of amazing complexity, speed and smoothness. A believeable virtual world.
N. Some of the enemy ships and bosses are mingy to say the least.

Sound 93%
P. Thumping 'spacy' soundtracks in the rear.
N. Some of the speech is quite fuzzy due to the strains of too much data transfer.

Playability 90%
P. From the first level, you know this is no walkover. The backgrounds really add to the game.
N. The gameplay is pretty shallow, and if only the polygon were more interactive...

Lastability 87%
P. The game is extremely tough. It's something you'll come back to just for the scenery. The urge to explore is massive.
N. Constant death at the higher levels is very off-putting.

Overall 90%
Silpheed is a synergy of the CD's oft-hidden powers, and the archetypal nerve-jangling shoot-'em-up, and it works darn well.