Space Hard

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Space Hard
System(s): Cyber Dome
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Developer: Sega AM5
Genre: Shoot 'em up
Number of players: 1-8
Release Date RRP Code JP 1990-12-17 ¥? ?

Space Hard (スペースハード), originally known as Star Liner (スターライナー), is a first person shooting arcade game developed by Sega for the Cyber Dome theatre enclosure attraction. Released alongside it in late 1990, it is the only game known to be made for the system.

Designed foremostly as an interactive ride experience rather than game, Space Hard stands as an early forerunner of more expansive examples made by Sega during the 1990s. Like the Cyber Dome system itself, little documentation of it appears to have survived, with the exception of remixed music composed by S.Z.K, Tohru Nakabayashi, and Keisuke Tsukahara featured in Formula.

Story

“	You are on the "FORTRESS," a space ship travelling in the vastness of the universe. Very soon you are expected to reach the Aldebaran area and land at the CX Space Station. All of a sudden, an emergency message is received from the station, saying, "We are being invaded by GLOSTIN and their forces have totally destroyed us. They are going to blow up our station." All of the crew were notified of the critical situation and ordered to go to their battle stations, whereupon, every laser system "Anatomizer" gun was filled with energy. "Now, let's start firing." Annihilate GLOSTIN, the evil enemy from outer space.	„
— Promotional flyer

Gameplay

Space Hard is a first person on-rails Super Scaler shooter specifically designed for the Cyber Dome theatre attraction. In it, one to eight players partake in a competitive three minute-long score attack game. Designed foremostly as a ride experience with basic interactivity, there is no "game over" or differing outcomes; each playthrough effectively results in the same narrative outcome every time.

Each game begins with a one minute-long introductory sequence, laying out the game scenario. Once concluded, players traverse through a number of on-rails outer space environments, using their augmented reality guns to dispose of various enemy types across the theater's 300-inch screen. At the end of each fixed game, the player with the highest score's lighting system flashes to indicate their victory.

History

Release

Space Hard was first seen under the working title of Star Liner, when showcased publicly for the first time alongside the Cyber Dome enclosure at Amusement Machine Show 1990. The following month, it had received a name change and been installed more permanently at the Carnival amusement center in Tokyo Dome City's Korakuen Amusement Park, then known as Big Egg City.

Following its late 1990 debuts, Sega shipped a small amount of other Cyber Dome theatres with Space Hard out to other large amusement facilities in Japan during the early 1990s, including in a cut-down six player version. Further known installations would appear at Sega Charlie One, Sega World Cospal, and Komaki Corona World. One would later find its way into a New Park arcade in Spain during 1997.

Archival status

No ROM sets have been dumped for Space Hard, nor are there believed to be any remaining Cyber Dome theatres in existence, rendering it currently unplayable. Remixed music from the game composed by Keisuke Tsukahara, S.Z.K and Tohru Nakabayashi appears in the Formula compilation album.

Production credits

• Music: デルモつかちゃん, S.Z.K, マスター

Source:

Official soundtracks

Screenshots

Main article: Screenshots

Promotional material

PDF

Appearance in Cyber Dome promotional flyer