<s>
is	O
a	O
1992	O
vertical-scrolling	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Hudson	O
Soft	O
for	O
the	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
the	O
fourth	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
Star	B-Device
Soldier	I-Device
series	O
and	O
shares	O
many	O
similarities	O
with	O
its	O
predecessor	O
Super	B-Device
Star	I-Device
Soldier	I-Device
,	O
with	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
having	O
a	O
heavy	O
emphasis	O
on	O
speed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
idea	O
for	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
came	O
from	O
Hudson	O
designer	O
Uriko	O
Uribo	O
's	O
conversations	O
with	O
other	O
employees	O
over	O
which	O
game	O
to	O
use	O
for	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
upcoming	O
Caravan	O
video	O
game	O
tournament	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
rushed	O
to	O
meet	O
its	O
deadline	O
,	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
was	O
liked	O
by	O
critics	O
for	O
its	O
gameplay	O
,	O
visuals	O
and	O
power-up	O
system	O
,	O
though	O
some	O
thought	O
it	O
lacked	O
originality	O
and	O
felt	O
inferior	O
to	O
Hudson	O
's	O
previous	O
shooters	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
namely	O
Blazing	B-Device
Lazers	I-Device
and	O
Final	B-Application
Soldier	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrospective	O
reviews	O
were	O
much	O
more	O
positive	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
labeling	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
'	O
s	O
definitive	O
shooter	O
games	O
for	O
its	O
fast-paced	O
gameplay	O
and	O
easy	O
learning	O
curve	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
is	O
a	O
vertical-scrolling	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
fourth	O
in	O
Hudson	O
's	O
successful	O
Star	B-Device
Soldier	I-Device
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
is	O
often	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
predecessor	O
Super	B-Device
Star	I-Device
Soldier	I-Device
,	O
sharing	O
many	O
of	O
its	O
gameplay	O
elements	O
and	O
mechanics	O
,	O
however	O
with	O
a	O
heavy	O
emphasis	O
on	O
speed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
begins	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
a	O
standard	O
"	O
Vulcan	O
"	O
projectile	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
destroy	O
most	O
enemies	O
with	O
a	O
single	O
shot	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
collect	O
other	O
weapons	O
by	O
acquiring	O
different	O
colored	O
power	O
capsules	O
;	O
these	O
include	O
a	O
wave	O
gun	O
and	O
a	O
deadly	O
laser	O
that	O
wipes	O
out	O
anything	O
in	O
its	O
path	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
can	O
be	O
destroyed	O
by	O
colliding	O
with	O
either	O
an	O
enemy	O
or	O
a	O
projectile	O
;	O
by	O
collecting	O
up	O
to	O
three	O
power	O
capsules	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
take	O
up	O
to	O
three	O
hits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Akin	O
to	O
other	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
has	O
two	O
"	O
Caravan	O
"	O
time	O
attack	O
modes	O
,	O
a	O
two-minute	O
version	O
and	O
a	O
five-minute	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
idea	O
for	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
was	O
conceived	O
by	O
Hudson	O
Soft	O
designer	O
Ukiuki	O
Uribo	O
,	O
during	O
conversations	O
with	O
others	O
about	O
which	O
game	O
to	O
use	O
for	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
upcoming	O
Caravan	O
video	O
game	O
tournament	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
early	O
stages	O
of	O
production	O
Uribo	O
was	O
simultaneously	O
working	O
on	O
several	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
titles	O
,	O
which	O
gave	O
him	O
less	O
time	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
new	O
game	O
until	O
these	O
were	O
completed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
called	O
Sonic	O
Blaster	O
F-92	O
in	O
early	O
versions	O
,	O
named	O
after	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
ship	O
designed	O
by	O
artist	O
Tatsuya	O
Doe	O
,	O
however	O
trademark	O
issues	O
caused	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
renamed	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
began	O
development	O
on	O
a	O
6-megabit	O
HuCard	B-Device
,	O
reduced	O
to	O
a	O
4-megabit	O
one	O
later	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cover	O
art	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
Yuji	O
Kaida	O
,	O
a	O
famed	O
Japanese	O
illustrator	O
known	O
for	O
producing	O
art	O
for	O
series	O
such	O
as	O
Godzilla	B-Device
,	O
Ultraman	B-Application
and	O
Macross	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
July	O
10	O
,	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
for	O
the	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
two	O
months	O
later	O
in	O
September	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
its	O
release	O
Uribo	O
began	O
drafts	O
for	O
a	O
potential	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
II	O
,	O
an	O
idea	O
that	O
was	O
never	O
fulfilled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
their	O
Caravan	O
tournament	O
,	O
Hudson	O
produced	O
a	O
modified	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
called	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
Special	O
Version	O
,	O
which	O
only	O
features	O
the	O
two	O
Caravan	O
time	O
attack	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
was	O
digitally	O
re-released	O
for	O
the	O
Wii	O
Virtual	O
Console	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
January	O
8	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
January	O
26	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
January	O
30	O
,	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
2008	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
compilation	O
Soldier	O
Collection	O
alongside	O
its	O
predecessors	O
Super	B-Device
Star	I-Device
Soldier	I-Device
,	O
Final	B-Application
Soldier	I-Application
and	O
Star	B-Application
Parodier	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
re-released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
service	O
on	O
February	O
17	O
,	O
2010	O
in	O
Japan	O
under	O
the	O
Game	O
Archives	O
brand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
version	O
of	O
Soldier	B-Device
Blade	I-Device
was	O
met	O
with	O
a	O
mixed	O
response	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameFan	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
favorably	O
to	O
Hudson	O
's	O
own	O
Blazing	B-Device
Lazers	I-Device
,	O
while	O
Famitsu	O
said	O
it	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
better	O
shooters	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
reviewer	O
from	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
labeled	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
hastily	O
crafted	O
title	O
to	O
herald	O
the	O
coming	O
of	O
the	O
soon-to-be-released	O
TurboDuo	B-General_Concept
,	O
"	O
but	O
other	O
reviewers	O
from	O
the	O
magazine	O
were	O
more	O
positive	O
,	O
despite	O
noting	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
lack	O
of	O
originality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Player	O
One	O
magazine	O
found	O
it	O
not	O
well-designed	O
and	O
too	O
easy	O
,	O
feeling	O
it	O
was	O
disappointing	O
compared	O
to	O
Final	B-Application
Soldier	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
itself	O
was	O
praised	O
by	O
many	O
,	O
with	O
GameSpot	O
applauding	O
its	O
easy	O
learning	O
curve	O
and	O
IGN	O
liking	O
its	O
fast	O
pace	O
,	O
saying	O
it	O
had	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
on	O
the	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
as	O
a	O
whole	O
.	O
</s>
