Vertically scrolling shoot 'em up Canyon Warrior

Canyon Warrior is a vertically scrolling shoot-em-up game released in 1989 by Mastertronic Plus. Developed by Stephen Cork with sound effects by Tiny Williams, the game is a clone of Xecutor from The Edge. Players navigate through space, shooting enemies while avoiding obstacles and collecting power-ups.

The game is set during a prolonged interstellar war, where players must find and destroy the alien High Command's mothership located on a canyon-filled planetoid. To achieve this, players traverse four heavily defended canyons, each guarded by sentinels that require multiple shots to destroy.

Players can collect various items, such as fuel drums to boost fuel levels and different types of missiles like Alien Trackers and Turret Trackers. Smart bombs are also available, which destroy all enemies on the screen except weapon pods and missiles in flight. The number of force-fields, weapons, and fuel is displayed on-screen.

Canyon Warrior features a built-in map editor that allows customization of the first three levels. Players can edit maps by placing objects and ensuring no color clashes. The game emphasizes strategic navigation and shooting skills, with a focus on overcoming increasingly difficult challenges.