Growing up, one of my most favorite games on the Sega Master System was Space Harrier, then it went to the Sega Genesis as well. Not many people I grew up with talked about the arcade game port. This is where it all started. Most say the arcade was the best version of the game which I would have to agree. I am so glad this version is on the iiRcade. I can now play the original way it was meant to play. The music in this game is fabulous and is a true bonus while playing some of the chaotic levels.
Space Harrier is a third person flying shoot em up game that broke grounds at the time with its 3D graphics and colorful backgrounds. Space Harrier was one of the first arcade releases to use 16-bit graphics and scaled sprite technology.
In Space Harrier you control a man with a jet-pack/laser cannon. The opening of the game is iconic when it says “”Welcome to the Fantasy Zone. Get ready!”. The object of the game is to destroy all enemies, who range from animals and flying dragons to robots, statue heads and alien pods.
The first level alone is as tough as any other. Along the ground you will encounter bushes and trees. You will merely trip over bushes, but hitting a tree will kill you. Above the ground, rocks hover in the air. If you don’t shoot them out of your way and fly into them, you will lose a life. The boss, Squilla is a large flying dragon who appears from the distance. He winds all around the sky, switching between advancing towards you and retreating.
There are a total of 18 Stages, where 15 of them have a boss at the end to beat before you move on to the next stage. This game is very difficult to beat with just 3 lives. With the iiRcade you can add as many lives as you want, but I typically do 6 lives as a standard to keep high scores consistent.
This is a great addition to the iiRcade family of games. this one can be played by all ages and the high score can be broken at anytime with all the different scoring opportunities.
For more information on iiRcade: go to https://www.iircade.com/
Todd Friedman is heavily involved in the retro gaming community and has co-promoted the Video Game Summit in Chicago, IL for the past 16 years. He also has published 2 books and written for various different gaming magazines including Old School Gamer.
