Strider Review

June 18, 2025 Games, PlayStation Games, Reviews
Strider
Strider

Review Ratings

Art/Style: 
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
Production Value: 
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
Content: 
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
Personal Enjoyment: 
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
Overall Popularity: 
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2
{
    "art_style": 9,
    "production_value": 8,
    "content": 8,
    "personal_enjoyment": 8,
    "overall_popularity": 8
}
final_score: 8.2

Final Review Score

8.2 / 10

Great

Strider, developed by Double Helix Games and published by Capcom, sliced its way onto the PlayStation 4 (PS4) in 2014. This modern reboot of the beloved classic arcade action-platformer successfully revitalized the iconic cyber-ninja, Strider Hiryu, for a new generation while staying true to the spirit of the original. This Strider PS4 review explores its lightning-fast combat, agile traversal, and how it delivers a satisfying blend of old and new.

Gameplay: Blistering Combat and Agile Exploration

At its core, Strider on PS4 is a blistering hack and slash experience. Players control Hiryu, an elite ninja, as he infiltrates a futuristic, dystopian city ruled by the tyrannical Grandmaster Meio. Hiryu’s primary weapon is his signature plasma kunai, the Cypher, which can be upgraded with various elemental properties (fire, ice, electricity) and charge attacks, adding strategic depth to the fluid combat.

Beyond direct combat, traversal is key. Hiryu is incredibly agile, capable of effortlessly wall climbing, sliding through tight spaces, and using his grapple hook to swing across vast chasms. The level design adopts a Metroidvania-inspired structure, offering a sprawling, interconnected world that encourages exploration and backtracking as new abilities are unlocked. This blend of rapid-fire action and non-linear progression feels incredibly satisfying. The game also features a series of memorable and often challenging boss fights that test both combat prowess and tactical thinking. On PS4, the game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second, crucial for its fast-paced action.

  • Lightning-fast hack-and-slash combat with the Cypher
  • Fluid traversal including wall climbing, sliding, and grappling
  • Metroidvania-style interconnected level design for exploration
  • Strategic elemental upgrades and powerful special abilities
  • Challenging and visually impressive boss battles

Story and Setting: A Dystopian Cyberpunk Odyssey

The narrative of Strider is a classic tale of a lone hero against an oppressive regime. Strider Hiryu is dispatched to a technologically advanced yet crumbling dystopian metropolis in Siberia, controlled by the despotic Grandmaster Meio. Hiryu’s mission: assassinate Meio and dismantle his vast empire of robotic soldiers and mutated biological weapons.

The futuristic, cyberpunk-inspired setting is visually striking, blending imposing megastructures with grimy industrial zones and bioluminescent caverns. The storytelling is minimalist, focusing on the thrill of the mission and the unfolding chaos as Hiryu carves a path through the city.

Graphics and Sound: Stylized Action and Iconic Tunes

Visually, Strider on PS4 opts for a stylized aesthetic that pays homage to the original arcade game while embracing modern graphical techniques. The graphics are clean, colorful, and fluid, with impressive particle effects for plasma slashes and explosions. The character models, particularly Hiryu himself, are well-animated and retain the iconic look.

The sound design is excellent, featuring adrenaline-pumping electronic and rock tracks that enhance the fast-paced action. Remixes of the iconic soundtrack from the original game are a fantastic touch for long-time fans. The satisfying sounds of Hiryu’s Cypher slicing through enemies and the explosions of defeated robots add to the visceral combat experience.

Legacy: A Respectful and Exciting Revival

Strider on PS4 was a successful and well-received reboot that managed to modernize an arcade classic without losing its soul. It reminded players why the original was so revered and offered a compelling experience for newcomers. Its tight controls and addictive gameplay proved that classic formulas can still shine with contemporary polish.

Is Strider on PS4 Worth Playing Today?

Absolutely. For fans of action-platformers, hack and slash games, or anyone looking for a challenging and exhilarating retro gaming revival, Strider PS4 is a must-play. Its lightning-fast combat, agile traversal, and engaging Metroidvania-inspired exploration offer an incredibly satisfying and rewarding experience. It’s a true classic PS4 game and a definitive example of how to bring an arcade legend into the modern era.

Game Information

  • Title: Strider
  • Platform: PlayStation 4 (PS4)
  • Genre: Action-Adventure, Platformer, Hack and Slash
  • Developer: Double Helix Games
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Release Year: 2014