Strider, a video game developed by Capcom, was first released on the Mega Drive console on September 29, 1990, more than a year after its initial appearance in arcades. Although it was well received and continues to be appreciated today, Strider remains one of Capcom's least explored franchises. The Mega Drive version was handled by Sega Japan, similar to how they managed the port of Ghouls'n Ghosts. In the game, the player controls Hiryu, a contemporary ninja in the year 2048, living in a world where much of the human population has been destroyed by ecological disasters. An immortal sorcerer named Grandmaster Meio has taken control of what remains of the planet, and Hiryu is humanity's last hope. He is armed with a plasma sword, superhuman abilities, and mechanical companions. The gameplay includes a variety of movements such as climbing, sliding, and acrobatics, which are emphasized by the level design. The game is divided into 90-second stages, requiring players to reach the next checkpoint quickly. The game's director, Kouichi Yotsui, mentioned that he was inspired by the work of his superior at Capcom, Tokuro Fujiwara, who worked on Ghouls'n Ghosts. The game's levels feature diverse environments, from a city with Russian motifs to the Amazon jungle, and include bosses like a robotic caterpillar, a mechanical gorilla, and a T-Rex. The story is set in a world where the copyrights "Motomiya Kikaku" and "Kadokawa Shoten" indicate that Strider was originally a transmedia project that led to a manga written by Tetsuo Shiba and drawn by Tatsumi Wada. Despite receiving many honors at its release, Strider did not sell well, according to Yotsui himself. Capcom did not release a sequel until 1999, for arcades and the PlayStation, which should not be confused with Strider II by Tiertex and U.S. Gold. The character of Hiryu has appeared in the Marvel vs. Capcom fighting games, but even the 2014 metroidvania reboot by Double Helix (which sold 1.5 million copies) did not bring the franchise back to prominence. After leaving Capcom, Yotsui created a spiritual sequel in 1996 called Cannon Dancer - Osman, which is now available on PlayStation and Switch with various aids to help players overcome its challenging difficulty. Currently, Strider is available for 2 euros on the PlayStation Store until October 8, and the Mega Drive version is accessible through the Capcom Arcade Stadium service. It has also been included in the Nintendo Switch Online subscription since October 2021.