After nearly ten years, a complete remake of Stellar 7 was released for 16-bit computers. It’s been improved in nearly every way – the plot is more fleshed out, the graphics are much improved, and there is a brand new powerup system – along with many new enemies for fight. Before the game begins, you see the evil mastermind Gir Draxon speaking with his attendant, Raf Torin. He gives the order to send forth the armada, and thus starts the game. In between levels you see more exchanges between Draxon and Torin, with some pretty neat artwork to boot.
On to the gameplay – with the enhanced power of the early 90s computers, the action is much faster than the previous games, and the movement in much smoother. In controlling the Raven, you are given an initial stock of all seven powerups (three uses each), and a cannon with infinite ammo. The controls are simple enough – the arrows move and turn the Raven (turning controls are inverted when you move backwards, which is a nice touch), the space bar fires the cannons, and the Tab and Enter keys select and use powerups. The game can be played without powerups, but they will come in handy at some point. These special aweapons range from a shield that protects you from damage, a cloaking device that makes you harder to hit, turbo thrusters that make you move forward really fast, and an extra powerful cannon that can destroy obstacles as well as enemies.
The enemies have relatively decent AI that they can actually shoot you and perform evasive tactics (though their mileage may vary depending on how large the foe is and how good you are at leading shots). Keeping with the true arcade style of Battlezone, points are awarded based on enemies you destroy, and Dynamix also added the additional benefit of a hidden warp system (destroy the right tree or rock, and you get to skip a few levels) as well as some pretty fun bosses (the Guardian at the end of each level is truly large, even for the time).
The graphics, for the time, are pretty good. This was pre-Wolfenstein 3D-era technology, and while it uses a full-3D, flatankdynt-shaded polygon system, it doesn’t detract from the game’s visual style very much at all. Plenty of imagination went into the model designs (even though the trees look like crystal formations at times), and the non-model graphics (cinema scenes, the tank’s cockpit, among other things) are also very well drawn and are very reminiscent of other Dynamix games like Rise of the Dragon.
On to the audio spectrum of things, Stellar 7 boasts full compatibility with PC Speaker, Sound Blaster, and Roland MT-32 systems. The PC Speaker sounds are annoying at best, and the Sound Blaster sounds are really only there to use the FM chip (though there is speech in the game’s introduction, and if you got the CD-ROM version, all other cutscenes). But to be perfectly honest, Stellar 7 really isn’t worth playing unless you have an MT-32 hooked up. You can hardly tell it’s MIDI anymore, the way it’s set up – you have booming explosions, computer blips, and a pretty cool soundtrack. It’s a wonder to listen to, and I’m quite surprised that it manages to outclass even some modern games’ soundtracks despite its age. Unfortunately, the CD audio soundtrack is a little bit lacking.
