A true masterpiece, one of the best games you can buy on the Virtual Console.
2 years later you could play Soldier Blade, the third game in the series on Turbografx 16. Final Soldier the game in between being never released outside of japan. So what did Soldier Blade deliver?
It had better graphic, mixed reactions about the audio, some claim Super Star Soldier has better music, others says Soldier Blade has. In any case, it has great music, no doubt. Soldier Blade delivered an awesome addictive Challenge mode, 2minute & 5minute options. Super Star Soldier had this mode as well, but it's just so much better in Soldier Blade.
The "weapon system" had been improved since the last games, not as complex as the weapon system in Final Soldier but still a pleasant change to the series.
Soldier Blade features 7 long stages, with more than 1 boss on each stage. Great audio, great graphics, great gameplay & a great challenge.
When you've finished the "Normal" difficulty you can switch to "Hard". the difficulty is instantly noticeable, the game acts more like a "manic" shmup. There's bullet hell here & you'll love it.
Another feature in the "Options" menu is the Screen ratio, you can switch to Arcade/Normal. This wasn't very useful... but it's today. If you've a widescreen tv, changing to "Arcade" will make the game run in appropriate ratio.
It will take a few seconds to learn the controls, but it will take several hours, days & weeks to master this game. This is one insane good game & should absolutely not be missed.