Space Harrier (Rev A, 8751 315-5163A) is a Shooter / Flying (chase view) game developed by Sega in 1985 for the Arcade.

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Overall 8.8    Graphics 9    Sound 8    Addictive 10    Depth 5.5    Difficulty 6.5


Welcome to the Fantasy Zone. Get Ready   becerra95
This shall be a more simple review and one that is a classic on its own. This was another game I didn’t give a second look until later on in my life. Once I started playing it, I never looked back. This was an instant hit during its hey day and it holds up really well these days. Through multiple releases through the years as a bonus or stand alone (or part of a compilation) in multiple consoles and handhelds, this is Space Harrier for the Arcade Graphics: 10 Beautiful graphics and scenery. Everything looks so great and crisp for its time and the models are nothing short of spectacular. Being 1985, this was a marvel of things to come for Sega, as they keep bringing hit after hit. The checkered floors and lively colored stages, mixed with a pseudo 3-D landscape with stones, trees, and clouds and a third person perspective destroying robotic enemies and stone faces, It holds up well today and you never get tired of this art of a game. And overall ten, perfect score. Sound: 9 Soundtrack is memorable for a reason. It gives life to the game and from the blasts sound effects and the screaming “noooo” when you die. Second you drop that quarter in and here the chime, gotta hit that start and hear “welcome to the fantasy zone! Get ready!” And you know the experience be bopping fun. Game over music is somber yet pleasant the the ears tho one small complaint is some sound effects enemies give out, especially planes. They tend to be a bit of an ear wrecker but other than that, it almost got a perfect score but a nine will suffice Addictive: 10 This game will get you playing for hours on end. A simple concept with so much potential and a high score system to try and beat your own records. Levels hook you with interest and it always keeps you on your toes, not knowing what will happen next. There’s a reason why it was such a popular game and a classic. A perfect ten Story: N/A There’s really no story in this game as it’s just you shooting through the levels with just a gun and a jet pack… nothing to see here folks Depth: 7 The black sheep. As a rail shooter you must navigate constantly around your screen as the game scrolls to the boss of each level. There are eighteen levels total. With two being bonuses to gain extra points without enemies and fifteen having bosses at the end to destroy to the next stage, this game has a personality that has yet been seen at that time. With no story in this game the eighteenth level is just a boss rush, facing the bosses once more before encountering the final boss. There’s really not much else to say since this is 1985 and arcades didn’t have much content back then but this was more than sufficient to grab a player’s attention and not mind what this game has to offer. What it offered was more than enough for people who enjoy this type of genre. Depth will be a seven. Difficulty: 8 At first you’ll think “oh this game is simple and easy” but as you go farther in the levels you’ll realize that the speed and enemies coming at you become overwhelming and the constant movement to avoid enemies and their blasts can stress you out at times. This isn’t a game that would baby you, okay maybe the first two levels, after that it spikes up a bit. One thing about it though, with memorization and proper placements to avoid shots, it is a rather simple game that needs time to master, or spam the shoot button over and over until your hand is cramping. Overall and eight. Overall Sega dominated the scene in the 80s and games like space harrier are the reason why. This was innovative and fun, with many colorful sprites and a simple concept mixed with the difficulty and memorization of how to dodge. I had my first experience of this game through the Sega Arcade Gallery for the Gameboy Advance and it branched out to the actual arcade game I found in a local bar years later. Collecting the game as much as I can from Shenmue, Switch, 3DS and even Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection, I’ve grown so fond of this game and has been one of my staples of gaming to this day. Overall: 8.8 My rating: 9.2
  Graphics 10   Sound 9   Addictive 10   Depth 7   Difficulty 8
      Review Rating: 3/5     Submitted: 07-10-22     Updated: 07-10-22     Review Replies: 0


I've Never Been in a Harrier Situation Before   yoshirulez!
I'll start this off by being honest, I had no idea what Space Harrier was like for the longest time. Sure, I heard the name in passing, but I had no idea what it was, what it was like, or if it was even still relevant. I think that a lot of people might have had a similar experience too, with how there's subtle hints at it in a few modern titles that Sega has given us over the years, but they often go unnoticed for way too long. Nevertheless, just like everyone else, I had my chance to play the game for a decent amount of time, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Space Harrier has stood the test of time, which is why I'm here to tell you why you should play this game, even in an age where graphics, gameplay, and overall content was improved upon drastically.Space Harrier was made in 1985 by Sega, and is a third-person rail shooter involving some guy with a really neat gun and an entire universe to blow up in high-speed, high-action shooting that's sure to get you in the mood for destruction. If you're looking for casual flight, then you're better off looking somewhere else. But if you're looking for an adrenaline rush, look no further, because Space Harrier is your kind of game.Graphics: 8/10. Now, I'll have to explain something to you really quickly. The year was 1985, and Space Harrier was one of the most advanced games of its year. For perspective, the NES was released in North America the same year. What was special about Space Harrier is that it utilized a special arcade system board that allowed pseudo-3D sprite scaling at very high frame rates, creating an experience like no other of its time. Although a lot of the sprites have fairly basic colors, they're still put together very nicely and I think it works for the game in question. Overall it's hard to find such good graphics on an arcade machine given the year, considering the superior Neo Geo wasn't released until a full 5 years later. Needless to say, Space Harrier was a graphical wonderland in comparison to the average game.Sound: 7/10. We all know how catchy arcade music can be, but during the day things weren't always too easy to listen to. Arcade music could be fairly loud and, during the time, still used a lot of 8-Bit sound effects. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but Space Harrier had nice and clean sounds, catchy toons, and even some really compressed voice clips. It's not a stretch to say it was some of the best back then, but all I know is that the music is absolutely wonderful. At the time of writing this review, I've looped the main theme countless times and I'm absolutely in love with it. Your ears will be pleased, as were mine.Addictiveness: 10/10. When I started playing Space Harrier, I was all about it. I just goofed off and played it over and over, wasting a lot of time on it. I never, ever got bored of it. I'm currently thinking about ditching the review right now and going to play it instead, but I'll make an attempt to control myself. But what's more is that I had been playing it in Shenmue to the point where I had more progress in Space Harrier than Shenmue, the actual game I was supposed to be playing. If Space Harrier can be more addicting than Shenmue, then that's really saying something, I think. I have trouble thinking of a game I've been more addicted to in the past. Another great thing about Space Harrier is that in the middle of shooting through a few stages, you're given a bonus round that doesn't require you to mash the shoot button at all, but rather relax and rest your hands in preperation for the upcoming level. It's perfect.Story: N/A. Space Harrier has no story, feel free to make it up yourself. Depth: 4/10. Now, I will admit, this is a wonderful game. But in terms of depth, like many arcade games back in the day, there wasn't much depth. The entire point of the game is to shoot things and make them explode, and that's what you do. You don't differentiate from that at all. Shooting and exploding things is great, but if you're looking for depth, then you might want to save the rest of your quarters for a different machine. I will give it one thing though, there's definitely a LOT of things to shoot, so they have that covered.Difficulty: 5/10. I was a bit conflicted as to whether it was easy or hard, but I only made it past a few stages so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. The game is easy to get the hang of, and from my understanding, is fairly hard to master. If you're like me, you'll probably spend a few credits on it trying to get through the game. Regardless, I found easy and hard periods of the game and I think a nice balance is exactly what a game like this needs.Overall: 8/10. I'd definitely recommend this game to anyone. No, not just people who like arcade games or like shooters, but genuinely anyone. It's perfect for people who aren't used to games, it's perfect for hardcore gamers, and it's honestly just perfect to waste time on. Space Harrier is an adrenaline rush you might not be able to find anywhere else in modern-day gaming. Whether you're looking for a thrill or a classic experience, Space Harrier should fit just about anyone's expectations. One of the best arcade games of its time deserves it's own little spotlight and I sincerely somewhat hope that it returns to popularity among retro gamers, and perhaps even modern day gamers.
  Graphics 8   Sound 7   Addictive 10   Depth 4   Difficulty 5
      Review Rating: 3/5     Submitted: 11-27-16     Review Replies: 1

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