Uridium (released on the NES as The Last Starfighter) is a science fiction side-scrolling shoot 'em up originally designed by Andrew Braybrook for the Commodore 64, and later ported to other 8-bit machines. It consists of fifteen levels, each named after a metal element, with the last level being called Uridium (a fictional metallic element, not to be confused with the real metallic element iridium). The manual quotes Robert Orchard, who invented the name as saying "I really thought it existed". The solar system is under attack! Enemy Super-Dreadnoughts have been placed in orbit around each of the fifteen planets in this galactic sector. They are draining mineral resources from the planetary cores for use in their interstellar power units. Each Super-Dreadnought seeks out a different metal for its metal converter. Your Manta class Space Fighter will be transported to each planet in turn and it is your task to destroy each Dreadnought. First you must attack the defensive screen of enemy fighters, then you must neutralise the majority of surface defences before you land on the Super-Dreadnought's master runway. Once on board you must pull as many fuel rods as possible from the metal converters before you take off for a final strafing run as the Dreadnought vaporises into the ether.
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Character
Plot-driven, earnest, resolved and cool.
- character-ledplot-driven
- earnestironic
- resolvedopen-ended
- cooloverwhelming
- classical in formformally daring
Who loves it, who doesn't
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“Is the nostalgia doing the heavy lifting?”
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“Is this Graftgold's best work?”
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“Is it the best shooter game of its decade?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
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About the game
- Platforms
- BBC Microcomputer System, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Wii, Atari ST/STE, iOS, DOS, Amstrad CPC
- Developer
- Graftgold
- Publisher
- Mindscape, Inc., Hewson Consultants, Elite Systems, Commodore, Rack-It
- Released
- December 31, 1986
- Modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Perspective
- Bird view / Isometric
IGDB rating 7.4/10 from 11 ratings.
Screenshots
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
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Both plot-driven, earnest, resolved.
Mission: Impossible 198868% alikeSeries · Both earnest, classical in form, resolved.
Mazinger Z 197268% alikeSeries · Both earnest, classical in form, resolved; this one is more effortless.
Often played with
Similar games per IGDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.
