Grind Stormer Overview
Grind Stormer is a Sega Genesis cartridge containing two distinct versions of a top-down vertical shooter. Both share identical stages and enemy designs but diverge in their core power-up systems.
The gameplay is defined by a challenging pace, with the screen consistently occupied by opposing forces and projectile fire. The player's ship maintains a constant, unlimited base rate of fire, which can be augmented by various collectible enhancements. These include offensive options like missiles and homing shots, as well as defensive shields and speed modifiers.
In the Grind Stormer mode, the ship's movement is permanently fast, and players can gather bombs that clear the screen of both enemies and incoming bullets. The alternate V Five mode employs a selection bar for upgrades, where collected tokens are spent to activate chosen abilities. This creates a strategic choice between immediately improving ship speed or saving tokens for more advanced weaponry. The ship's default speed in this mode is notably slower.
Options allow for adjustment of the game's difficulty, along with the number of lives and continues. Using a continue immediately grants a Special power-up that provides the player with four wingman units.