Switch to: German
Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer for Nintendo Switch lifts off today. This version stays true to the original game and doesn’t take any chances by introducing a lot of new content.
Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer is a horizontally scrolling shoot’em-up (shmup) which was developed by Mainz-based SideQuest Studios and released in 2007 for PC and a year later on PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3. Today it launches for Nintendo Switch via eShop. The story which is told in beautifully drawn still images across the game’s five worlds here serves more as a means to an end: On the planet Conceyta, a sinister power has emerged, leaving only soulless technology and hateful humanoids behind the magnificent human fleet. The universe has been infected by a virus, and your task – as humanity’s last hope – is to put an end to this evil activity in the eponymous Mercenary X spaceship.
You’ll make your way through waves of enemies from the ruins of an industrial city, through a densely grown jungle, narrow underground corridors, and across space to the gas planet Conceyta. A pulse laser and a beam are at your disposal. While the pulse laser fires traditional projectiles, the beam allows you to destroy groups of enemies more quickly. While you’re equipped with infinite ammo for these two standard weapons, once the weapon bar is depleted, you’ll need to switch to another weapon. Once you net enough kills in a row with the same weapon, the chain power bar turns green, and you can unlock power-ups like boosters for health and your weapon’s firing rate, as well as additional weapons like rockets, the bow cannon, and the flamethrower – each with a limited amount of ammo. The obligatory weapon clearing the entire screen from enemies in the form of a shockwave is available, too. As the game progresses, these kill streaks become increasingly longer, and this system manages to add variety to the core gameplay loop. With one perk, we are able to keep our weapons even if we lose a life, and with other pick-ups, we can receive one of two different negative effects like a reduction of our movement speed. We also have to manage our ammo supply: If we run out of the weapons bar too quickly, the game automatically swaps our weapon and our meticulously accumulated chain power is gone. Even without constantly keeping an eye on the chain power bar, there are plenty of power-ups dropped by destroyed enemies.
Content-wise, the Nintendo Switch version is identical to its PS3 counterpart. There are five difficulty levels available at the start. The game defaults to the third difficulty level “easy”, “impossible” and “nightmare” can be unlocked by completing the game on the previously highest level. In the main menu, we can select the number of credits, which corresponds to the number of continues we can use during our run. While the first two difficulty levels are ideal for beginners, combat get noticeably tougher on “easy”. In classic shmup style, we blast through armadas of alien spaceships, insectoids, asteroid fields, and geometric shapes, before reaching a boss battle with unique attack patterns at the end of each world, such as a metal robot snake or a giant space battleship. In narrow corridors teeming with lightning-fast enemies and explosive traps, navigation becomes a bit more difficult, as your ship’s movement doesn’t always feel as precise as it’s required both with analog and digital input. You may get used to it, but prepare for some frustrations because of that.
Completionists will be pleased to know that you can collect up to five keys in each world. If you manage to collect up to four keys per world, you unlock a bonus. There are also local and online high score lists and you unlock trophies for defeating a particular amount of enemies, reaching a certain number of chains, and finding the well-hidden keys. You’re also able to play the game in two-player mode locally on a single screen, while sharing energy bar, weapons, and perks. Chain power is split, but you can only unlock one power-up at a time. Any scores achieved in co-op will not appear on the leaderboards.
Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer already managed to run in Full HD at a smooth 60 frames per second on PS3 and an essential feature of all SideQuest Studios titles. The shmup also runs consistently at 60 frames per second on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, both in handheld and TV mode. There’s no dedicated version for Nintendo Switch 2, and we haven’t noticed any improvements on Nintendo’s new hybrid console. Resolution-wise, the game also appears to be identical to the PS3 version and offers no graphical changes whatsoever. In 2008, the PSN title impressed with vibrant effects, beautiufl backgrounds, and a consistently stable frame rate. In 2025, we would’ve liked to see a few improvements, such as a 120 Hz mode on Nintendo Switch 2 or more detailed explosions. While the game is available in English in both voice-overs and text, with the occasional German voice line thrown into the mix. The pulsating electronic music contributed by Rafael Dyll always suits the on-screen action and the retro sci-fi theme of the game.
Final thoughts
On Nintendo Switch, Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer is still a decent and challenging horizontally scrolling shmup with plenty of charm. The monotonous voice-over, the simple story, the scattered German phrases like “Kettenfahrzeug im Anrollen” (tank approaching), and the pulse-driving synthie soundtrack make us feel like we’re playing a sci-fi vision from the 80s. Perks, in exchange for kill streaks, add variety by adjusting our weaponry or the characteristics of our spaceship. Two unlockable difficulty levels, local co-op mode, and online leaderboards also contribute to long-term playability, which is necessary given the short runtime of just a few hours. Eastasiasoft remains true to the fair price on the PSN in 2008 and also sells the shmup on the eShop for €9.99 with a time-limited ten percent launch discount. If you like classic horizontal shooters, feel free to give Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer a try – even though it doesn’t revolutionise the genre and it’s a bit short. Those in favour of this genre can look forward to early next year, when the sequel, Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype, and a retail bundle containing both titles are scheduled to launch for Nintendo Switch. Since Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer was originally released for PC, we can picture a version to be added to PC store fronts in the near future.
eastasiasoft provided us with a Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer copy for Nintendo Switch. We captured the screenshots on Nintendo Switch 2.
