The only episode of the "soldier" game series released on N64, Star Soldier is one of the very few 2D gameplay shoot'em ups available on this console.

The game system has an originality that we will find on the Capcom / Takumi shoots recently released: the ship can use for a short time a shield that protects and sends missiles and pellets into the mouths of enemies. Apart from that, no big gameplay differences with the previous episodes: it is always the same ballets of ships to shoot down, a task made easier by the yellow pellets to be collected during the stages which increase the shooting power. The game is easy, but you can change the difficulty; mad Shmuppers will have to set it to "master" or else they may be bored to death.

The animation is extremely fluid (it's good 3D) but a bit slower than in the PC Engine versions, it is also its relative softness and its somewhat dated gameplay that have earned Star Soldier no badly negative reviews when it was released.

Despite its flaws, it remains a very honorable shoot that keeps the player spellbound from start to finish thanks to beautiful end-of-level bosses and flawless gameplay; finally, a Hudson shoot, it does not sulk.