Neat retro thrills for high score junkies
This neat little old-school shooter is quite reminiscent of Sega's classic arcade hits Space Harrier and Afterburner, in that it is an early 3D into-the-screen blaster that offers simple yet exciting entertainment for high score junkies and retro head alike. The game features a surprisingly detailed background and tells of a planetary dictatorship which makes use of an addictive drug to keep the populace docile. The player takes the role of a resistance fighter who must take the fight to the enemy and destroy the giant harvesting machines which create the drug, while battling against the crazed bikers who defend them. This basically translates into an ever-scrolling shooter which sees you piloting a skimmer which you must manoeuvre through the skies, blowing up the towers as you go. Destroy enough and the skimmer spits out a skybike which allows you to take out the enemy skybikers as well, which adds a nice bit of variety to things. Throw in some boss battles against the harvesters themselves and you basically have your entire game. Skyrunner is very much about the thrill of the high score table, as the game simply repeats itself rather than offering new levels and in this respect it is quite successful, as it is pretty addictive and provides a fair amount of that one-more-go quality. It can be quite challenging thanks to the one-hit-death mechanic which is incorporated so for gamers who like to rack up the points, this is ideal stuff. Throw in some simple but effective graphics and responsive controls and you have a nice little trip down memory lane.
