Soldner-X: Himmelssturmer

Despite the challenge Söldner-X can be an extremely enjoyable and addictive shooter when all is said and done. The poor design decisions do certainly take away some of the luster from this game. However, even after throwing your controller in sheer frustration and disgust there is still enough here to keep gamers coming back for more (if only just as a pastime between playing more major titles).

In the end, your enjoyment of Söldner-X will lie solely on how fond you are of Shoot-em-ups. Those unfamiliar with side-scrolling shooters will be put off by the game’s difficulty while veterans may not experience anything new to make this game stand out from other similar titles.

Although it's always competent, Söldner-X rarely revels in its own arsenal, and the result is a game where shooting things never feels like a particularly big deal.

Soldner-X is not really a fun experience. The high difficulty settings and the occasional repetitiveness of the same levels only can raise the frustration in each time you play.

After a few hours the only thing keeping you coming back will be a furious determination to beat the sodding game, rather than actually approaching enjoyment. [Mar 2009, p.105]

It's never very exciting thanks to limp weapons, largely generic baddies (giant space-wasps excluded), and boring bosses. Great name, though. [Mar 2009, p.75]