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Star Castle remake - Star Citadel - modern variant - gallery 8

My eighth Star Citadel gallery. How many pictures can there be? More similarities and differences between Star Castle and Star Citadel are highlighted here: notably the ability to get inside the shields, which isn’t present in the original, and the nice shield bouncing feature, which you can use to your advantage.

Note that Star Citadel has two variants: a modern version, from which these screenshots are taken, and a classic version, which is designed to play as much like the original Star Castle as possible.

Click on the images to see larger versions.

PLAY GAME

Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - Despite the shield rings regenerating, I'm heading back in for another aggressive attack.
Despite the setback of the shield ring regeneration - this is one really neat aspect of Star Castle that I wanted to make sure was in there - I'm coming back in for an aggressive attack.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - My shots are landing close to the cannon and I've punched through its shields, though I'm risking getting blown away by pressing the attack.
These shots might not be hitting home, but they're certainly landing dangerously close to the cannon, and I'm definitely laying on the hurt, having punched solidly through its shields. There's a risk I'm going to get blown away here, but this attack may be worth pressing.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - Persistence pays off with a solid kill, which should earn back the life I lost earlier if I can dodge the mines.
In this case persistence pays off. This is a solid kill right here, and if I stay out of the way of those mines I should earn back that life I lost earlier. In Star Citadel, as in Star Castle, you gain an extra life every time you kill the cannon.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - Arcing away from the mines, both to set up another attack and to avoid colliding with the cannon as it rematerializes.
The destruction continues as I arc away to avoid the mines. Actually, apart from putting myself in a good place to make another attack, the other reason I veer away is to avoid colliding with the cannon when it rematerializes, which would destroy my ship.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - More wild shooting as I attack the materializing cannon, though this one probably won't do much damage.
More wild shooting as I come in to attack the materializing cannon. I don't think this is going to result in an easy kill, and possibly not even in that much damage.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - I've flown inside the shield rings again, which is a vulnerable position to be in, especially on higher levels.
This could be bad - I've flown into the inside of the shield rings again. Doing that puts you in a really vulnerable position, particularly on higher levels where the cannon pretty much always has a lock on you.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - Stuck between the inner and middle shield layers with the cannon aiming right at me and a mine dangerously close.
This sucks. I'm stuck between the inner and middle shield layers, the cannon is pointing right at me, and there's a mine barely a ship's length away. I'm going to get my ass kicked.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - The mine is dispatched but it's a Pyrrhic victory - I'm still in serious trouble trapped within the shield layers.
Somehow I manage to dispatch the mine, but this really is a Pyrrhic victory. I am in so much trouble here. This is something that also differs from the arcade version of Star Castle - I'm told by someone who spent quite a lot of time playing it back in the day that you couldn't get trapped within the shield layers. Still, I think it's another quite cool twist so I've left it in there.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - The cannon has fired and I'm about to be hit.
Yep. The cannon's fired and I am hosed.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - My ship is destroyed.
Bye bye.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - A burst of sparks develops into a shattering explosion as the cannon obliterates my ship at point-blank range.
The initial burst of hot sparks quickly develops into an absolutely shattering explosion as the cannon oblierates my ship at point-blank range.
Screenshot of Star Castle/Star Citadel - Back in the game and using a shield bounce to change direction and attack from a more vulnerable point.
Like the Terminator, I am back, and I am not happy. I'm going in for a shield bounce here to change direction, and hopefully attack at a more vulnerable point. Again, the bouncing off the enemy shields is another nice feature that I've lifted from the original Star Castle and, again, I think this is something that's appeared in every conversion, homage, clone, etc.