Despite all the good memories that the Strider franchise may have left, Koichi Yotsui never really made a name for himself, for lack of having had the chance to achieve commercial success. Recruited by Capcom in 1986 as an illustrator of the environments, he will only remain three years before packing up in 1989 in the wake of the launch of Strider, whose disappointing sales Capcom apparently blamed on the delay in production. After a whirlwind stint at Takeru, the designer bounced back to Mitchell Corporation, where he would birth Strider’s spiritual successor, Osman. Entitled Cannon Dancer in Japan, this title even stranger and more fascinating than Strider was released in 1996 without ever reaching the same notoriety, for lack of having been entitled to the slightest portage of living room.
When Strider debuted against the backdrop of the futuristic Soviet Union, Osman takes place in a kind of cyberpunk Persian Gulf against the backdrop of a quest for identity that ends against Slaver, a bewitching goddess with dubious intentions. It embodies a mercenary named Kirin in an eight-way gameplay and three buttons (attack, jump and a limited special attack that executes all enemies on the screen). Like its big brother Strider, the character is able to slide and cling everywhere, which takes into account a whimsical level architecture. But instead of inflicting sword swings like his big ninja brother, Kirin furiously delivers powerful kicks in all directions. The 6 levels of the game are dotted with capsules that improve Kirin’s attack power by creating doubles of himself or increase his maximum health.