Play Soul Star Online

Summary

Soulstar is a hybrid rail‑shooter/third‑person shooter that pushes the Sega CD’s scaling and rotation tricks to their limits, echoing the arcade feel of Galaxy Force II while adding its own flair. The game swaps between three distinct vehicle modes: a Sub‑light Strike Craft that darts along a fixed path like Space Harrier, a Turbo Copter that lets you hover freely in 360° environments, and a Combat Walker mecha that dashes and briefly hovers for close‑range assaults.

After you defeat the second‑level boss, three warp gates appear, each locking you into a preset difficulty and a set number of remaining stages – a clever way to let players choose how hard they want the rest of the run to be. A two‑player co‑op mode lets the second player act as an air gunner, adding a layer of teamwork to the frantic action.

The project was dreamed up by Sarah Jane Avory right after the Thunderhawk port, when she wanted to capture the excitement of her favorite arcade shooter. Development kicked off in March 1993 under the working title Aggressor, later becoming Soulstar: Malice of The Myrkoids before its final release.

Technically, Soulstar was a showcase: it was the first Sega CD title to run sprites at 64 colors, using WRAM “stamp maps” to display up to 80 moving sprites and a color‑depth‑fading trick that gave the visuals surprising depth. The same engine that powered Thunderhawk and Battlecorps runs the game, while Nathan McCree’s synth‑driven soundtrack syncs tightly with the Sub‑light sections, rounding out a title that still feels fresh for anyone who loves retro 3D shooters.

Storyline

The Myrkoids are an ancient alien race with a cold, unified mind that sweeps across star systems, siphoning resources and leaving planets barren before moving on. Their relentless campaign of planetary extermination brings them to the Soulstar system, where they intend to repeat the same devastation.

Bryk Hammelt, the sole survivor of the noble Cryo‑Commandos, pilots the morphing starship Aggressor on a personal crusade. Determined to end the Myrkoid threat, he hunts the invaders across the system, aiming to eradicate them once and for all.