izigame.me

Strider is an ambitious game that's remembered as an Arcade darling with very good reason. It hasn't aged super well, but it's quite the interesting beast to experience.
The theming of the game is super strong. In a futuristic version of totalitarian Russia and China, Hiryu is a Strider (a sort of cyber-ninja) tasked with stopping the evil Grandmaster Whatshisname from taking over the world. The inspiration from Stalinist Russia and Maoist China is apparent, with some striking enemy designs (the Stage 1 boss is a whole congress full of officers that combine to form a flying, hammer-and-sickle-wielding centipede ... it's just the first leve!) and memorable stages. The graphics, on a technical level, are marvelous, with big, detailed sprites and many neat touches. Music is also great and memorable, while the audio is the usual arcade blippery that sticks out like a sore thumb for this game in particular, being otherwise very modern-feeling and kind of atmospheric.
The ambition shines through in the level design and gameplay, too. Mechanically, there is a focus on acrobatic movement, with Strider able to take giant leaps, run at high speeds down slopes and latch to almost any surface. This allows for varied level design with verticality, kind of complex navigation and tricks like gravity-reversing machines. This is probably why the levels also have a modern flow with many early examples of set-pieces: you will rush down a snowy mountains while mines explode all around, and in the next level you climb among flying vehicles in mid air while bombs rain down from above. It's no wonder Strider was so impressive when it came out back in 1989.
That said, when you actually play, the game doesn't feel that good today, in my opinion. Strider's stickiness to surfaces, as well as his giant leaps, can become cumbersome and annoying when precision is involved. It's easy to take damage and not very wasy to avoid hazards and enemies, given how much you move and how big your hitbox is. The last stage is filled with traps and flying enemies and it feels much too cramped for you not to take damage, when a single jump sends you flying through the stratosphere. The base formula is fun, but it can become frustrating quickly.
As such, I didn't have a lot of fun with Strider, but it would probably get better were I to sit down with it and internalize the quirks of the control system. It's certainly a beautiful, very forward-thinking game and I can imagine the splash it made in arcades back then.