Space Harrier

From Sega Retro

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Space Harrier Title.png

Space Harrier
System(s): Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Gear, NEC PC-8801, Nintendo Famicom, Sega 32X, Sega Master System, Sega Saturn, Sharp X1, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-16, Virtual Console, ZX Spectrum
Publisher: Sega
Developer:

Space Harrier (スペースハリアー) is a successful rail shoot 'em up game developed by Yu Suzuki and Sega AM2 which makes use of Super Scaler technology. It has inspired numerous sequels.

In Space Harrier the player controls a blonde haired man with a jetpack and laser shooting at various objects and enemies while making sure not to get hit. There are 18 levels, each with a boss at the end, excluding the 5th and 12th levels which are bonus stages, and the 18th which is essentially a boss rush.

Space Harrier and its sequels are set in the "Fantasy Zone", the same setting as the arcade game with the same name. This relationship was explored further with the Sharp X68000 port of Fantasy Zone, which includes a Space Harrier level, and the cancelled TurbografX-16 title Space Fantasy Zone, which was a hybrid between the two games.

Space Harrier was ported to numerous consoles and computers including the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Gear, NEC PC-8801, Nintendo Famicom, Sega 32X, Sega Master System, Sega Saturn, Sharp X1, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-16, Virtual Console, ZX Spectrum. Most of the western computer ports were handled by Elite. It has also been included in numerous compilations, inlcuding the Game Boy Advance's Sega Arcade Gallery, the PlayStation 2's Sega Classics Collection and the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360's Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection.

The game was included as a minigame in both Shenmue and Shenmue II. The Master System version of the game was made available via the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2008, followed by a Virtual Console Arcade release a year later.