Blast from the Past
Retro publishers Hamster has chosen a neat shmup classic for this week’s Arcade Archives release: Jaleco’s super-cyber shmupSaint Dragon, which is now available to download on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
Launched in arcades back in 1989, before receiving a run of slick conversions on various home computers,Saint Dragonwas one of a number of dragon-themed shmups that blew up in the late ’80s/early ’90s, (see also Namco’sDragon Spiritand Irem’sDragon Breed).
Saint Dragonis very similar toR-Typein visual style, control, and design, but features a unique mechanic where your vessel’s tail acts as a shield, and thus strategic movement can have savvy players shooting down throngs of enemies while defending themselves from returned fire.Saint Dragonwas notable in its day for both this mechanic and its menagerie of cybernetic animals.
You can check outSaint Dragonin action below, courtesy of YouTuberRedSevenNine:
Saint Dragonis available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch worldwide, priced at around $8. Also worth noting, the North America/European PSN store has finally been updated with previous releasesTecmo Bowl,Bells & Whistles, andPenguin-Kun Wars.
