Astra Super Stars - Gameplay

Gameplay

The object of the airborne-based fighting game is to constantly attack the opponent until he/she/it is knocked out (KO'd) in two out of three rounds (except the one round-only final boss fight), which this rule is commonly found in most fighting games. There are two modes in the original arcade version: "Story Mode" (1P-only) or "1P VS. 2P" (same as nearly every multiplayer mode of other fighting games). In "Story Mode", the player must select a character to play through the game with. At the beginning of each battle, the player must converse with his or her opponent by selecting 1 of 3 sentences. Depending on which sentence is selected, the CPU-controlled opponent will either "Heat Up" (become hard), "Cool Down" (become easy) or stay neutral before fighting (no difficulty change). This is only used in all playable characters and the mini-boss, but not the final boss.

Player controls with an 8-way joystick and six buttons, similar to one of the two arcade cabinet versions of the 1987 Street Fighter and its sequel Street Fighter II. However, the six basic moves work differently compared to typical six-button layouts. The two heavy attack buttons usually send the opponent flying across the stage; however, sometimes the opponent can bounce himself/herself off the side of the screen he/she was sent toward. Depending on how aggressive the combos are performed, sometimes the opponent bounces back and forth around the screen like in pinball (as indicated by the game). Moving the joystick horizontally will move the player's character toward the same directions. Moving it horizontally twice will allow the player's character to dash toward the same direction. Moving it vertically will move the player's character briefly below or above the screen, which can be used for dodging attacks or chasing opponents above or below the screen. When holding the joystick vertically, the player's character will slowly move back to the middle of the screen. The energy bars below the screen are "Star Rank" bars, which are used for filling enough energy to perform one of two desperation moves per playable character called "Star Specials".

Unlike most fighting games, Astra Super Stars only features the small basic moves and the large Star Special moves, but no medium-sized special moves. The player can summon a shield around his or her character to briefly prevent the opponent from attacking the player's character. If the player constantly attacks the opponent that is guarding, the guard breaks, making the opponent briefly unable to move. When next to the opponent, the player can "turn behind" the opponent. If the player KOs the opponent the second time either with one of two heavy button basic moves or with a Star Special, the opponent will exit the screen. If the player aggressively attacks and KOs the dizzied opponent, it becomes a "Doctor Down" KO. Like in Data East's 1984 Karate Champ arcade, when the time is up, the judge will determine who fought the best. Depending on how the player or opponent wins a round, the winner will have a certain letter placed below his or her lifebar. The "V" means the winner KO'd the opponent with a basic move, the "S" means the winner KO'd the opponent with a Star Special, the "D" means the winner aggressively KO'd the dizzied opponent, and "J" means the winner was chosen by the judge.