Nova 9: Return of Gir Draxon

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

Nova 9: Return of Gir Draxon is a futuristic tank combat game developed by Dynamix and published by Sierra On-Line in 1991¹. As the sequel to Stellar 7, the game continues the story of Captain John Alex’s battle against the villainous Gir Draxon². Set two years after the devastating Stellar 7 war in which the protagonist’s wife Sarah was killed, the game follows Alex as he pilots the experimental Raven II tank to investigate a distress call from the Nova 9 system³.

The game was marketed with the tagline “Dynamix has just redefined state-of-the-art” and promised players action across nine visually distinct worlds⁴. Built using Dynamix’s 3-Space engine, Nova 9 featured impressive polygon graphics for its time and represented part of Sierra’s broader strategy to diversify beyond adventure games into action genres⁵⁶.

Game Info

Developer: Dynamix⁷ Designer: David Selle, Paul Bowman⁸ Publisher: Sierra On-Line⁹ Platforms: DOS, Amiga, IBM PC, MS-DOS, PC¹⁰ Release Year: 1991 Series: Stellar 7 Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

The game takes place two years after the events of Stellar 7, with the evil overlord Gir Draxon having made his return to rebuild his interstellar empire¹. The protagonist, Captain John Alex, is still dealing with the aftermath of the previous war, including the death of his wife Sarah³. When a distress call is issued from the unexplored Nova 9 system, Alex takes command of the experimental Raven II tank, equipped with a cloaking device, to investigate². The mission leads him across nine different star systems in pursuit of Draxon, who awaits in the remote Nova 9 system¹¹.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Nova 9 features first-person tank combat with multiple viewing perspectives available to players¹². The game can be controlled using the numeric keypad, arrow keys, or joystick, providing flexibility for different player preferences¹⁰. Players have access to various camera angles including cockpit view, outside rear view, outside front view, and side views to better navigate the battlefield¹⁰.

Structure and Progression

The game is structured around exploration of nine planets, each with distinct visual characteristics and enemy types¹³. Unlike its predecessor, Nova 9 incorporates significant puzzle-solving elements alongside the traditional tank combat, though this design decision proved controversial among players¹⁴. The game features an arcade-styled power-up system that allows players to store up to nine power-ups, though damage can potentially break power-up slots⁵. Notably, the game includes no save feature, requiring players to complete it in single sessions¹⁰.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The Raven II tank is equipped with various weapons systems and a cloaking device that distinguishes it from previous games in the series². The game’s shift toward puzzle-solving mechanics was criticized by some reviewers who felt it broke up the action rhythm and had little connection to the plot¹⁴. Players must navigate through different star systems while engaging in both combat and problem-solving scenarios to progress through the story.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Publication	Score	Notes
Dragon	4.5/5	Positive review from April 19925
Amiga Games	83%	October 1992 review by Kult Boy15
Datormagazin	87%	November 1992 review by Göran Fröjdh15
Amiga Mania	77%	November 1992 review by Tony Jones15
Amiga Joker	68%	October 1992 review by Max Magenauer15
The One Amiga	59%	October 1992 review by Simon Byron15

Computer Gaming World praised the game as “an excellent offering for arcade fans everywhere… a thoroughly professional effort”⁵.

Modern Assessment

Modern reviews have been more mixed, with players frequently citing the game’s extreme difficulty as a significant barrier. On MobyGames, one reviewer stated it was “Hard as a frickin’ rock” and compared its difficulty level to Shadow of the Beast¹⁶. Another reviewer criticized the puzzle elements, asking “What’s with all the puzzles? This is a tank, not Mario and Luigi!”⁷ However, some players appreciated the technical presentation, with one noting that “both the music (Roland/LAPC-1) and graphics were incredible at the time”⁷. Current aggregate scores include 4.18/5 on Abandonware DOS and 4.33/5 on MyAbandonware¹³¹².

Development

Origins

Nova 9 was developed during Dynamix’s productive period under Sierra On-Line, when the company was creating both adventure and simulator games⁶. The game emerged as a direct sequel to Stellar 7, continuing that game’s story and characters while attempting to expand the gameplay formula¹⁷.

Production

The development team included David Selle and Paul Bowman as designers, with music composed by Christopher Stevens and Dale Cooper⁸. The game was built using Dynamix’s 3-Space engine, which enabled the impressive polygon graphics that were considered state-of-the-art for the time period⁵. The game was distributed on multiple floppy disk formats, including 4x 5.25” disks and 6x 3.5” disks¹⁰.

Technical Achievements

Nova 9 featured pseudo-3D graphics that were impressive for early 1990s standards⁵. The game supported EGA graphics mode and included Roland/LAPC-1 sound support for enhanced audio experience¹⁰. The technical presentation included improved graphics and cutscenes compared to its predecessor, representing significant advancement in Dynamix’s game development capabilities⁵.

Legacy

Nova 9’s legacy is complicated by its difficulty and design choices. While the game featured impressive technical achievements for its time, the shift from pure action to puzzle-heavy gameplay alienated some fans of the original Stellar 7¹⁴. Interestingly, evidence suggests there were tentative plans for another sequel called “Nova 9: The Revenge of Raf Torin,” though it’s unclear whether any actual development occurred on this project¹⁸. The game remains available through various abandonware preservation sites and continues to be discussed among retro gaming enthusiasts¹².

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG Dreamlist - Community wishlist
• Not currently available on modern digital platforms

Download / Preservation

• MyAbandonware
• Internet Archive

Series Continuity

• Previous: Stellar 7
• Next: No direct sequel (Nova 9: The Revenge of Raf Torin was planned but never released)

References

Footnotes

1. Amiga Fandom Wiki – - Release year and basic game information ↩ ↩²

2. Archive.org – - Game story and character details ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Sierra Chest – - Background story setup and character information ↩ ↩²

4. Archive.org Demo – - Marketing tagline and game description ↩

5. Wikipedia – - Engine information and technical details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

6. Sierra Fandom – - Context of Sierra’s diversification strategy ↩ ↩²

7. MobyGames – - Developer information ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. Archive.org – - Designer credits ↩ ↩²

9. Wikidata – - Publisher information ↩

10. OpenRetro – - Platform information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

11. Metacritic – - Game setting description ↩

12. MyAbandonware – - Perspective and gameplay information ↩ ↩² ↩³

13. Abandonware DOS – - Planet exploration details ↩ ↩²

14. MobyGames Review – - Design criticism regarding puzzles ↩ ↩² ↩³

15. AMR Reviews – - Amiga Games review score and reviewer ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

16. MobyGames Reviews – - Difficulty assessment ↩

17. GOG Dreamlist – - Sequel relationship to Stellar 7 ↩

18. Games That Weren’t – - Planned sequel information ↩