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Silver Surfer

NES

NES

The Silver Surfer roams throughout space as herald to Galactus, looking for new planets for him to feed on. However his mission is interrupted by a summon from Galactus. Silver Surfer learns that creatures from the Magick Dimension are trying to break through into the universe and their coming wi...

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Developer
Software Creations

Released on
1990

Size
1 Player

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Shooter

Publisher
Arcadia Systems

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

The Silver Surfer roams throughout space as herald to Galactus, looking for new planets for him to feed on. However his mission is interrupted by a summon from Galactus. Silver Surfer learns that creatures from the Magick Dimension are trying to break through into the universe and their coming will end all life. Vowing to stop them, Silver Surfer must assemble the pieces of a mysterious Cosmic Device and use it to push them back. The pieces of the Device are currently in the hands of some malicious creatures: Reptyl, Mephisto, Skrull Emperor, Possessor and Firelord. Silver Surfer must travel to their domains and defeat them in order to obtain pieces of the device.

Silver Surfer is a shooter game, with some levels taking place vertically and some horizontally. The Surfer’s only ability is to move around on the screen and to shoot directly in front of him. Power-ups that can be picked up include: the letter “F” (Firepower) which will increase the number and power of his projectiles, Smart bombs which destroy everything on the screen, the letter “S” (Speedup) which increases the surfer’s movement and Orbs which will also fire the Surfer’s weapon. Orbs are special in that two can be obtained (only 1 is shown on horizontal scrolling levels) and they can be positioned to fire forwards, backwards or sideways.

Silver Surfer

Overview & History

Released by Arcadia Systems and published by LJN in 1990, Silver Surfer for the Nintendo Entertainment System is infamous for its punishing difficulty and legendary status among retro gamers. Developed by Software Creations, the game adapts the Marvel Comics cosmic herald. The storyline features the entity Mephisto, along with villains like the Rhino, Firelord, and Mephisto's agents, who have created a barrier of cosmic vectors that threaten the universe. To stop them, the Surfer must traverse treacherous galaxies and destroy their strongholds. Despite its gorgeous title screen and iconic melodic soundtrack composed by Tim and Geoff Follin, the title quickly gained notoriety for its unforgiving level design.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The game combines side-scrolling and top-down scrolling shoot-'up' mechanics across five distinct stages, bookended by a mandatory prologue stage. Players control Norrin Radd, navigating through claustrophobic environments where almost every background asset, wall, and enemy projectile results in instant death upon contact. Unlike typical shooters, the Silver Surfer fires cosmic energy blasts directly from his hands while utilizing power-ups that alter his projectile spread and summon mini-surfer clones to bolster his firepower. Boss encounters require precision positioning and pattern memorization, as a single misstep resets the player's progress and drains their limited lives.