is a 1992 vertical-scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the TurboGrafx-16. Controlling the titular starship, the player is tasked with completing each of the game's seven stages in order to wipe out the Zeograd Army, an alien race bent on conquering Earth. The game is the fourth entry in the Star Soldier series and shares many similarities with its predecessor Super Star Soldier, with Soldier Blade having a heavy emphasis on speed. The initial idea for Soldier Blade came from Hudson designer Uriko Uribo's conversations with other employees over which game to use for the company's upcoming Caravan video game tournament. With the event only six months away, Uribo was hesitant to begin production, however executives from Hudson pushed for him to go forward with the idea. Miscommunication between Uribo and staff lead to several mechanics being altered or changed by mistake, such as several stronger enemies instead being easy to kill. Although the game was rushed to meet its deadline, Soldier Blade was liked by critics for its gameplay, visuals and power-up system, though some thought it lacked originality and felt inferior to Hudson's previous shooters for the system, namely Blazing Lazers and Final Soldier. Retrospective reviews were much more positive, with some labeling it one of the TurboGrafx-16's definitive shooter games for its fast-paced gameplay and easy learning curve. Gameplay Soldier Blade is a vertical-scrolling shooter video game, and the fourth in Hudson's successful Star Soldier series. The player assumes the role of the titular starship, which must complete each of the game's seven stages (referred to as "operations" in-game) in an effort to wipe out the Zeograd Army, an alien race bent on conquering Earth. Gameplay is often compared to its predecessor Super Star Soldier, sharing many of its gameplay elements and mechanics, however with a heavy emphasis on speed. The Soldier Blade begins the game with a standard "Vulcan" projectile, which can destroy most enemies with a single shot, and can collect other weapons by acquiring different colored power capsules; these include a wave gun and a deadly laser that wipes out anything in its path. Collecting a power capsule will also cause a pod-like craft to join the player, which provides additional firepower. The Soldier Blade can be destroyed by colliding with either an enemy or a projectile; by collecting up to three power capsules, the player can take up