Play Starblade Online

Starblade is a rail shooter game released for the Sega CD/Mega-CD in 1992. The game was developed by Namco and published by JVC Musical Industries. It follows the story of a pilot named Captain William who is assigned to fight off an alien invasion of Earth called the Alpha Squadron. The player takes control of the experimental fighter craft, Starblade, and must battle through various stages of enemy ships, turrets and bosses to save humanity from destruction.

The game features 3D polygonal graphics which were very advanced for its time and gave the game a unique look and feel. The player views their ship from behind as they travel on a predetermined path through each stage with enemies coming at them from all angles. They must move left or right to avoid incoming fire while shooting down enemies with their own weapons. As they progress through each stage, they can collect power-ups that will upgrade their weapons or provide extra lives or shields.

The goal of each stage is to reach the end without losing all your lives or shields, after which you must face off against a powerful boss enemy. Once it has been defeated, you will proceed to the next level where more difficult enemies await you. There are also bonus rounds in between levels where the player has a chance to score extra points by shooting targets or picking up items such as coins or power-ups before time runs out.

Starblade offers several difficulty levels as well as two-player simultaneous play mode so that friends can join in on the action together. When playing alone, there is an auto-pilot feature available which allows players to set their ship on autopilot while they take care of other tasks such as collecting power-ups or shooting at targets for bonus points during bonus rounds. This feature helps make things easier for those who may not be experienced enough with shooters yet but still want to experience some of what Starblade has to offer without having to worry about getting overwhelmed by incoming enemy fire too quickly.

Overall, Starblade was an impressive shooter title for its time that showcased some impressive 3D graphics and gameplay mechanics that were ahead of its time even if it was not without its flaws such as repetitive level design and lack of variety in enemies encountered throughout each stage of play. While it may not have had quite the same impact as other similar titles at the time such as Space Harrier or After Burner II did, it still stands out today as an interesting title worth revisiting if one is looking for some classic rail shooter action on their Sega CD/Mega CD system.