Overview and Gameplay
Strider Hinjo crosses five hostile areas to rescue Lexia from the Evil Master, fighting through forests, fortresses, alien interiors, and a prison ship. This Genesis release is a heavily reworked adaptation of the earlier European computer game Strider II, with redesigned stages, revised bosses, new music, and sampled speech.
Each stage combines side-scrolling combat, platforming, climbing, timed objectives, and a guardian encounter. Hinjo uses a sword and collected shurikens while managing an energy meter, limited lives, and continues. Extra lives are awarded at score milestones, and Expert difficulty increases most scoring values.
Controls And Mechanics
- Movement: Run, duck, slide, jump, cartwheel, and influence Hinjo’s descent.
- Combat: Strike with the sword or spend collected shurikens on ranged attacks.
- Options: Remap the action buttons and choose between the standard sword and the longer-reaching Sweep weapon.
- Player mode: A single-player adventure with no multiplayer support.
Version Notes
The North American release is titled Journey from Darkness: Strider Returns. The PAL Mega Drive edition is known as Strider II. It is unrelated to Capcom’s later arcade and PlayStation game also titled Strider 2.
Release And Credits
- Release year: 1993
- Developer: Tiertex Design Studios
- Publisher: U.S. Gold
