Silver Surfer (video game)

Silver Surfer
Developer(s)	Software Creations
Publisher(s)	Arcadia Systems
Composer(s)	Tim Follin Geoff Follin
Platform(s)	NES
Release	1990
Genre(s)	Shoot 'em up
Mode(s)	Single-player

Silver Surfer is a video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, developed by Software Creations and released by Arcadia Systems in November 1990 in the United States. There have been no known releases in other regions. The game is widely known for its extreme difficulty as a shoot 'em up game, so difficult it has been said to be one of the hardest games ever made. In fact, if the player is able to beat the game, a password can be enabled to make it even more difficult.

Gameplay

In Silver Surfer, the player controls the Marvel Comics comic book hero Silver Surfer through various levels that alternate between a side-scrolling and an overhead perspective.

Each stage is divided into sections. At the end of each section, a mini-boss appears, and the Silver Surfer must shoot the main enemy while there are other enemies attack as well. This is the only place where the screen stops scrolling forward. The third and final section contains a super-villain from the comic book series who will take more hits to defeat.

After the first set of levels is complete, Galactus appears and sends Silver Surfer on a final mission into the Magik Domain to collect a Cosmic Device from a villain whose identity is less than clear. Despite previous claims, the final boss is actually a purple being that does not appear to have been in the comics, although the image near the bosses health bar suggests that the final boss is Mister Sinister. Once Silver Surfer defeats him, the rest of the Cosmic Device is his, and he tells Galactus that no one must have access to the "Cosmic Device" and hides it for safe keeping so it may not fall into the wrong hands.

The game has a password feature that allows a number of upgrades, such as invincibility. The game has cut-scenes between the levels to move the story line ahead, and allows the player to pick the levels in any order, similar to the Mega Man games.

Weapons

Silver Surfer is armed only with laser beams that shoot out of his hands to destroy enemies and their projectiles, and the player can collect tiny sphere icons that allow him to shoot up to three laser beams at once. The third can only be used on an overhead perspective, shooting two diagonally. Collecting squares with an "F" can make shots gradually stronger to make the shots look like fire pellets. Up to five can be collected before they give bonus points instead. Collecting "B"'s allow Silver Surfer to instantly destroy anything on the screen when the select button is pressed.

Silver Surfer's two additional beams can move by pressing B so the pellets can either shoot forward, sideways or backward. The pellets from Silver Surfer cannot change direction. When a life is lost, all extra beams, power-ups and B's are lost, thus the player must collect his weapons all over again to maintain the same power and number of beams at once.

Difficulty

Silver Surfer is regarded as an extremely hard game for these reasons:

• Silver Surfer can only take one hit before dying.
• Most of the game's enemies take multiple hits to kill.
• Silver Surfer dies upon touching any obstruction in the level. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that his surf board is large and open areas are very small.
• Most of the time Silver Surfer is being attacked by large numbers of enemies coming from all directions, some of which can shoot.
• The movements of some of the enemies (particularly in Mephisto's level and the Magik Domain) are extremely erratic and rapid, which makes them unpredictable and hard to dodge.
• In some levels, it can be hard to tell what bits of scenery are obstructions.
• Whenever Silver Surfer dies, he has to restart the level from either the start or a checkpoint. Continues are limited.
• Silver Surfer can only go in a straight line, and threrfore cannot enter slanted areas without dying.

External links

• Silver Surfer at MobyGames
• Silver Surfer NES Ending at PimpMyNintendo.com