Space Harrier
System: TG-16
Release Date: February 1990
Developer: Dempa
Publisher: NEC
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
Hey it’s Space Harrier… again. If you forget what this is about, the beautiful Dragon Land is full of strange and wonderful creatures. Unfortunately, evil interplanetary invaders have taken over and the liberation of the planet is up to one man. It’s you, the Space Harrier, equipped with your jet pack and energy cannon.
This is the same game that I played on the Master System, seriously. You maneuver around the screen as you run away from the camera. Press the I and II Buttons to shoot. Levels are short and filled with enemies and obstacles. At the end, you get to take on a huge boss. Just move around to avoid the projectiles and blast away to win. Where’s my tacked on RPG mode?
Graphics: 1.0
The frame rate is much better than the Master System version, but the graphics themselves don’t look much better.
Sound: 1.0
The music is alright, but doesn’t sound as good as I would expect and the death scream is back to sounding terrible.
Gameplay: 1.0
Still as plain as ever. Shoot and avoid and die.
Difficulty: 1.0
The better frame rate makes the stages feel quicker and more playable.
Fun Factor: 1.0
It’s still not really that fun. I hope that Space Harrier is given up on now. I don’t need another one.
Overall Grade: 1.0
Space Harrier earns a D. It’s unfortunate that Space Harrier II came out on Genesis already, because it makes this look absolutely dated in comparison.