Sturmwind

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Sturmwind
Dreamcast Sturmwind cover art.jpg
Developer(s)Duranik
Publisher(s)RedSpotGames
Designer(s)Johannes Graf
Programmer(s)Roland Graf
Artist(s)Johannes Graf
Composer(s)Nils Feske
Henrik Jakoby
Platform(s)Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
Release
  • WW: April 24, 2013
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Sturmwind is a shoot 'em up video game for the Dreamcast console.[1] It was developed by German studio Duranik, and published by RedSpotGames on April 24, 2013 as an independent commercially released game.[2][3]

Gameplay[]

Dreamcast version screenshot.

Sturmwind uses a mix of pre-rendered sprites and backgrounds with elements in 3D.[4] The game is a horizontally scrolling shoot'em up, but there are also section where the scrolling is vertical.[5] The game has 16 levels, with more than 20 bosses.[6] Three different levels of difficulty are available.

Development[]

Gameplay screenshot from the demo of Native for the Atari Jaguar and Jaguar CD.

Sturmwind has been in development since 1997.[7] It first surfaced under the name Native an Atari Jaguar CD demo featuring just one playable level.[8] The graphics were regarded as impressive for Jaguar standards, but the demo had no audio.[9] Development was eventually resumed and shifted for Dreamcast.[10]

Release[]

In December 2010, RedSpotGames stated they would be making releasing news each Sunday of the month on upcoming plans, Sturmwind was the first of these, being revealed on December 5, 2010 on German TV show "".[11][12]

The game has received coverage in major videogame publications in the United States,[13][14] Germany[15][16] and Japan[17] all reported about its announcement. German magazine Chip called Sturmwind's effects "very amazing in relation to the systems' age."[18][19][14]

In March 2011, Fabian Döhla from Sega of America promoted Sturmwind by playing a work in progress build of the game on online Destructoid show Mesh Tactics.[20][21][22]

On December 19, 2011, RedSpotGames announced that the game had been delayed indefinitely due to the disc pressing plant they had contracted to manufacture the game filing for bankruptcy. A deal has been made with a new pressing plant although the release date had then been set as 'TBA'.[23]

During Redspotgames' official press release on March 14, 2013, it was confirmed that Sturmwind would be released on April 24, 2013.[24] It is the first original game released for Dreamcast since fall 2009's Rush Rush Rally Racing and IRiDES: Master of Blocks, other more recent releases have all been ports.[25]

Reception[]

Sturmwind garnered critical acclaim from reviewers since its release on Dreamcast. According to VentureBeat's Dan Crawley, both the regular and limited editions were sold out at the official websites of RedSpotGames and PlayAsia.[34] Maximiliano Baldo of Argentinian website Malditos Nerds ranked the original Dreamcast version as number six on their top ten games for discontinued consoles.[35]

Hardcore Gaming 101's Sam Derboo praised the pre-rendered pseudo-3D visuals, accessibility, weapon system, boss fights and techno music but criticized its prolonged length in Normal Mode.[4] Jeuxvideo.com's Dominique Cavallo highly commended visual presentation compared to other homebrew releases on Dreamcast with its use of special graphical effects and background animations, stage and enemy variety, accessible gameplay and unlockable secrets but criticized the uninspired soundtrack and redability of patterns.[28] IGN Italia's Vincenzo Ercole gave high remarks to the presentation reminiscent of Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network titles, backgrounds, gameplay structure and longevity but criticized the visibility of stage and boss elements on-screen, as well as sound design.[27] Carlos Oliveiros of Spanish magazine GamesTribune commented positively in regards to its design, technical quality, amount of gameplay content and techno soundtrack but criticized the occasional difficulty to distinguish harmful elements on-screen.[31] 4Players's Michael Krosta regarded Sturmwind as a throwback to titles like R-Type and X-Out, praising the varied backgrounds, weapon system, challenging bosses and level design but criticized its technical performance.[26]

Retro Gamer's Darran Jones praised the gameplay mechanics, detailed graphics, imaginative boss encounters and its avoidance of European shoot 'em up tropes but noted that the Euro-style soundtrack does not match the gameplay and occasional difficulty to distinguish stage hazards on-screen.[29] David Borrachero of Spanish magazine RetroManiac commended its Axelay-esque weapon system, use of pre-rendered and polygon graphics, responsive controls, numerous secrets and gameplay content but criticized the sound design.[32] A reviewer of German publication Chip Power Play stated that it was "simply impressive what Duranik conjures up out of a 15-year-old console", giving high remarks to the backdrops and balanced difficulty.[30] Classic Game Room's Mark Bussler praised the game's music, level design and presentation, eventually naming it the 2013 Game of the Year.[36][37] Reviewing the Xbox One version of Sturmwind EX, Video Chums' A.J. Maciejewski commented in a positive light about the weapon and scoring systems, detailed visuals, energetic music and length but criticized the generic sound effects, lack of multiplayer mode and online leaderboards, as well as the difficulty to distinguish hazards and obstacles.[33]

References[]

  1. ^ "En Bref: Les News". ReVival (in French). No. 46. ABCD Dire. Spring 2011. pp. 27–32.
  2. ^ "New Trailer for Dreamcast's Sturmwind « SEGAbits". Segabits.com. December 23, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  3. ^ "Sega Dreamcast 2D/3D Hybrid shoot em up ‚Sturmwind' postponed". Redspotgames.com. February 22, 1999. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Derboo, Sam (May 29, 2013). "Sturmwind". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  5. ^ "Sturmwind for Dreamcast – Official Trailer (new Dreamcast game in 2011)". YouTube. December 22, 2010.
  6. ^ "Preview: Dreamcast Se Resiste A Morir - Sturwind". RetroManiac Magazine (in Spanish). No. 4. RetroManiac. August 26, 2011. p. 42.
  7. ^ Pinsof, Allistair (May 2, 2013). "Dreamcast shooter Sturmwind released, 16 years later". Destructoid. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  8. ^ Leray, Joseph (March 21, 2013). "INDIE SHOOT-'EM-UP 'STURMWIND' WAS SEVEN YEARS IN THE MAKING, BUT NOW DATED FOR APRIL". MTV. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "Native – Jaguar CD". illusionware.it. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  10. ^ "Retro Gamer forum • View topic – Another New DC Shmup – Sturmwind". Retrogamer.net. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  11. ^ "Independent Videogame Publisher for Sega Dreamcast, Xbox LIVE Indie Games and Nintendo WiiWare". redspotgames. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  12. ^ "Kanaal van redspotgames". YouTube. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  13. ^ "On German TV, They've Unveiled A New Dreamcast Game". Kotaku.com. December 6, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b computerandvideogames.com Tom Pakinkis (December 6, 2010). "News: New Dreamcast game revealed". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  15. ^ von Max Wildgruber. "Neues Shoot 'em Up aus Deutschland: Für Dreamcast! – News von IGN". De.ign.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  16. ^ "Interview über Sturmwind und redspotgames auf on3 südwild (BR-alpha, 07.10.2011)". YouTube. April 16, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  17. ^ "ドイツでドリームキャスト用の新作シューティングゲーム『Sturmwind』が発表 – Game*Spark". Gs.inside-games.jp. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  18. ^ "Sturmwind: Bilder und Trailer vom Dreamcast-Game – News – CHIP Online". Chip.de. December 23, 2010. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  19. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 27, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. ^ King, Jason. "Sega shows off Sturmwind Demo on Destructoid Live Stream" (March 17, 2011). Dreamcast-Scene. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  21. ^ "Live show: Sega plays Dreamcast Live on Mash Tactics". Destructoid. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  22. ^ https://venturebeat.com/2013/05/17/consoles-that-wont-die-the-sega-dreamcast/
  23. ^ "Production complications: Sturmwind is about to be delayed". redspotgames. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  24. ^ http://sturmwind.duranik.com/download/RSG_Releasedate.pdf
  25. ^ "redspotgames reveal new Dreamcast game on TV « SEGAbits". Segabits.com. December 8, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b Krosta, Michael (June 7, 2013). "Test: Sturmwind (Arcade-Action), Dreamcast". 4Players (in German). Computec. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b Ercole, Vincenzo (May 19, 2013). "Sturmwind: la sorpresa dell'anno è su Dreamcast - Uno sparatutto indipendente prova a rilanciare il genere nel segno di Sega". IGN Italia (in Italian). Vusumo. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b Cavallo, Dominique (May 9, 2013). "Test de Sturmwind sur DCAST par jeuxvideo.com". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b Jones, Darran (August 15, 2013). "Retro Rated - Reviews: Sturmwind - Good Things Come To Those Who Wait (Dreamcast)". Retro Gamer. No. 119. Imagine Publishing. p. 100.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b "Retro - Dreamcast-Spieletest: Sturmwind".  [de] (in German). No. 3. Chip Communications GmbH. September 2013. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013.
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b Oliveros, Carlos (May 2013). "Análisis - Dreamcast: Sturmwind - Duranik deja el listón más alto".  [es] (in Spanish). Vol. 1 no. 51. GTM Ediciones C.B. pp. 116–119. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b Borrachero, David (August 19, 2013). "Review: Sturmwind (Dreamcast) - El esperado matamarcianos aterriza por fin". RetroManiac Magazine (in Spanish). No. 8. RetroManiac. p. 160.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b Maciejewski, A.J. (November 17, 2019). "Sturmwind EX Review - A top-notch Dreamcast shmup (Xbox One)". Video Chums. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  34. ^ Crawley, Dan (May 17, 2013). "Consoles that won't die: The Sega Dreamcast". VentureBeat. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  35. ^ Baldo, Maximiliano (September 29, 2014). "TOP 10: Juegos Tardíos". Malditos Nerds (in Spanish).  [es]. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  36. ^ Bussler, Mark (November 6, 2013). STURMWIND review for Sega Dreamcast (Classic Game Room). United States: Inecom, LLC. Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  37. ^ Bussler, Mark (January 2014). 2013 Game of the Year Awards Show (Classic Game Room). United States: Inecom, LLC. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2021.

External links[]

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