Run Saber (SFC) (1993)
Developer: Hori Electric

Review by Faididi and Co.

Running with sabers

Story: Average

Dr. Bruford, a brilliant but insane scientist, takes over Earth with bizarre monsters created from both living creatures and inanimate objects. To stop him, a secret project codenamed Run Saber sends forth special agents who are armed with energy weapons and cool abilities. The story is straightforward, and it works.

Gameplay: Excellent

At first glance, Hori Electric's Run Saber is an action platformer that bears many resemblances to Capcom's Strider, but its simultaneous 2-Player thrills make it better compared with Sammy's Dyna Gear. The heroes, Sena and Alon, will walk, jump, and climb through 5 side-scrolling stages, slashing at bad guys with their lightsaber-like energy blades. They can swing along platforms and scale almost any type of surface.

However, Run Saber's gameplay is appreciably deeper than that of Dyna Gear. The 2-Player mode here places greater emphasis on the differing attributes of the heroes. Sena's attacks are wider but shorter, while Alon's attacks are longer but narrower, and by working together they can overlap their strengths. The heroes have more moves, too. Besides being able to slash from any position, Sena and Alon can dash, slide, make somersaulting attacks, perform flying kicks, and use mighty special attacks that damage every enemy on the screen.

If the game seems brief, then its level and enemy designs are certainly eye-catching. The stages vary more in theme and are much larger than what's found in Dyna Gear, in the sense that the heroes can explore them a bit to uncover many extra power-ups. The bad guys include flying mutants, giant worms, living statues, reanimated fossils, weird robots, plus much, much more. The bosses themselves are exceptional in form and attack. For example, the first boss is a living fighter jet, onto which the heroes hang while they hack it to pieces, and there's nothing else like it before.

Controls: Excellent

The controls are responsive and intuitive. Walking, crouching, jumping, climbing along surfaces, and attacking are all easy to do.

Graphics: Above Average

The visuals are all right. Although Sena and Alon may not be as smoothly animated as their counterparts in Dyna Gear, the character designs are cool, and the backgrounds are colorfully drawn. There is virtually no slowdown.

Audio: Above Average

The game doesn't sound bad, either. You can hear fancy lightsaber-like whooshes when the heroes attack, and the characters get knocked back with solid thwacks and thuds. After the heroes upgrade their blades, they yell out whenever they swing their weapons, and they yell out some more whenever they use their special attacks. The music fits the game well, and one or two of the tunes are rather moving.

Overall: Above Average

Run Saber is an enjoyable 2-Player action platformer that's all about creative level and enemy designs. It won't disappoint with its awesome characters, memorable scenes, and smooth controls.