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Psycho Soldier

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 7 min

Short description: 1987 video game
Psycho Soldier
Developer(s)SNK
Publisher(s)SNK
SeriesAthena series
Platform(s)Arcade, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, PlayStation Network
Release
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Psycho Soldier (サイコ・ソルジャー, Saiko Sorujā) is a platform game developed by Japan ese software company SNK. It was released in 1987.[2] It is a distant sequel to Athena, released a year earlier, featuring a late descendant of that game's main character. Ocean Software on their Imagine label released home computer versions of the game for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad in 1987.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

Psycho Soldier is an action sidescroller. Rocks and other destructible objects sometimes hold power-ups. Players utilize a special force known as "Psycho Energy" to perform a number of attacks, including creating a shield of rotating spheres around the character's body to protect them. The amount of Psycho Energy is measured by the energy bar located to the left of the player's available spheres, and can be increased by obtaining certain items. Players can launch the spheres out at enemies and destructible objects at the cost of using one. Depending on how much energy the player has, the spheres may produce a different result when used, such as bouncing around the screen or, when at max energy and swirling at a higher speed around the player, spreading out and destroy everything in their wake at the cost of some power.

Both Athena and Kensou share the same abilities, and whichever one the player chooses has no real bearing on the difficulty of the game. If the player fills their energy bar and collects a special item resembling a green egg, their character transforms into a "Psycho Creature", in Athena's case a phoenix and for Kensou a green dragon. The psycho creatures have a powerful fire breath attack that hits enemies in front of them and a move which rams them into a single nearby enemy. The transformations last until the boss of the stage is defeated or until the player runs out of energy from taking too many hits.

Plot

Psycho Soldier takes place many years after Athena. In Athena, the title character is a mystical figure loosely based on the goddess of Greek mythology who fights her way through several otherworldly lands in order to destroy various monsters and evil beings who threaten the peace of the land. After her journey is complete, she returns to heaven, only to fade completely from the minds of the mortals who live below.

In the modern times of Psycho Soldier, a young girl named Athena Asamiya, who is the descendant of the original Athena, displays special psychic abilities that allow her to unlock a number of hidden powers within herself, and hopes to one day use these skills not only to help others, but to advance her stage career as a future pop idol. Several evil beings appear in her hometown in Japan, and along with her friend and fellow gifted psychic Sie Kensou, she uses her talents to protect her friends and home from this new menace.

Soundtrack

The vocals were provided by Japanese pop idol Kaori Shimizu. The Japanese and English versions of the game have different vocals for the main song.

The Japanese version of the song was released as a single in 1987 on a special cassette that was available only to those who purchased the Nintendo Famicom version of Athena in Japanese retail stores. The cassette also includes a special vocal version of the ending theme.

The Japanese version of the theme song (sans vocals) became the theme song for the Psycho Soldiers team in The King of Fighters '94 and '96. It also serves as Athena's individual character theme in The King of Fighters '97 and The King of Fighters 2002.

A cover of the theme song was added to the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, performed in both English and Japanese by Kanako Kotera. This is notable for being the first time the song's English lyrics have been officially used since Psycho Soldier's US release.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Crash69%, 75%[3]
Your Sinclair8/10 (ZX Spectrum)[4]

In Japan, Game Machine listed Psycho Soldier on their April 15, 1987 issue as being the seventh most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[5]

The ZX Spectrum version was published in 1987 by Imagine Software, and was converted by Ross Harris (as Source Software).[6] This port received moderate critical success. Your Sinclair awarded it 8 out of 10, praising the smooth sprite movement and well-tried formula gameplay, but lamenting the monochrome graphics and weak sound effects.[4] CRASH awarded it 69% and 75%, one reviewer criticising the boring gameplay and Athena's slow reactions.[3]

Legacy

Both Athena and Kensou have been seen in other games. The character of Kensou was at the same time introduced as a teammate for Athena in The King of Fighters series as Sie Kensou and underwent several cosmetic changes (in previews of The King of Fighters XII, Athena can be seen wearing her winter school uniform from Psycho Soldier) as well as reworking his abilities to differentiate him from Athena. The version of Kensou seen in this game, however, has made a cameo in one of the special endings in The King of Fighters '97. He was also featured in The King of Fighters 2000 in his original costume as a special striker called "Psycho Soldier Kensou". This version of Kensou also appears in the recent SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS trading card game as an SNK character card. The characters Kensou and Athena, as well as the items Psycho Armor and Psycho Shield both appear in the game Crystalis for the NES, a post-apocalyptic role-playing video game. Also, Athena and Kensou wear their Psycho Soldier outfits in The King of Fighters XII as their default outfits. Ever since KOF XII's release, The King of Fighters XIII default outfit of Kensou was left unchanged. Athena's Psycho Soldier outfit was changed from default to alternate, leaving her more popular sailor fuku outfit as her default outfit for the game.

Both Athena and Sie Kensou were also noted for being one of the first video game characters to have their own theme songs (which The King of Fighters would remix multiple times across its titles).[7]

Athena appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a background character in the King of Fighters stage, which was released alongside Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury in November 2019. Athena is also present as a collectible Spirit in the game.[citation needed]

References

  1. ↑ "サイコソルジャー". Agency for Cultural Affairs. https://mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp/id/C35225. 
  2. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Psycho Soldier review". CRASH (49): 86. February 1988. 
  3. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Davies, Jonathan (March 1988). "Psycho Soldier review". Your Sinclair (27). http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/psychosoldier.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-03. 
  4. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (Amusement Press, Inc.) (306): 21. 15 April 1987. 
  5. ↑ Psycho Soldier at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
  6. ↑ "Game music of the day: Psycho Soldier". GamesRadar. 7 August 2010. https://www.gamesradar.com/game-music-of-the-day-psycho-soldier/. 

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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