Space Harrier II

aka: Space Harrier II Classic
Moby ID: 8065
Genesis Specs
Buy on Genesis
$29.95 used on eBay
Buy on Windows
$0.99 new on Steam
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Description official descriptions

Space Harrier II follows (very closely) in the footsteps of its predecessor and involves you (a Space Harrier) going off to save "Fantasy Land". This combined with the many flashing gaudy colors the game throws at you leads me to believe that it was born out of a bad acid trip.

There are 13 stages to complete by jetting around and blasting bad guys and bosses as they approach. The game is played from behind the main character and the landscape rushes up in 3D similar to the effect used in many car games such as Outrun.

The game uses many of the enemies and bosses from the first Space Harrier, but adds an array of new ones as well.

Spellings

  • スペースハリアーII - Japanese spelling

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Credits (Genesis version)

10 People

Planner
Lead Programmer
Assistant Programmer
Monster Programmer
Program Coordinator
Monster Design
Graphic Coordinator
Game Tester
Sound Composer
Sound Programming
Presented by
  • Sega
Cover Artwork by

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 63% (based on 21 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.1 out of 5 (based on 61 ratings with 1 reviews)

A Great Game To Begin A System With.

The Good
Space Harrier was all about action and shooting. There's nothing more or less to it. The game sends the Harrier flying into action, and provides smooth scrolling backgrounds, catchy music and multiple targets to hit. For a shooter enthusiast, that's generally enough to work with.

The game provides sharp graphics, smooth animation and fast gameplay. For one of the first Genesis titles inspired (but not directly ported from a previous title) by an arcade classic, this game made the feeling of bringing the arcade home shine like never before at the time. The bosses presented in the game also had a more otherworldly feel from the first game. Very imaginative and darkly surreal.

A nice amount of challenge and plenty of diversity to sort through for a very straightforward ride.

The Bad
The game offers little in the way of advancement over the original title. Even with the levels that provide a ceiling overhead for a more 3D effect, this ground has been tread before. I do admit to missing the original game's gun-toting robots and one-eyed mammoths.

The music is still quite good, but does not have the catchy familiarity of the original game's tune. And there's something missing about the appeal of replacing the first game's dragon with a jet sled for the sequel. With a sequel, one would expect a better and more imaginative bonus level vehicle.

Space Harrier II is also a short ride. Once you learn all the nuances of Space Harrier II, prepare to blow through it fairly quickly, however fun it is.

The Bottom Line
The original Space Harrier was always one of my favorite shooters, perhaps my favorite shooter of all time. When the Genesis was announced and Space Harrier II was listed as one of the the first-run titles, that was enough for me. I wasn't disappointed with the sequel, and even then loved the excitement this game generated.

As it stands, Space Harrier II remains one of my fondest memories for the Genesis, and one of the few original games I would return to. My original copy disappeared over the years, and playing this on a PC emulator is just lacking. With the Wii set to re-release this classic, I will finally be reunited with an old friend of gaming gone by.

For one of the first games to showcase the potential of a new system, this did an excellent job of highlighting the difference between 8 and 16-bit games. Recommended.

Genesis · by Guy Chapman (1748) · 2007

Trivia

Mega Drive Japanese launch title

Space Harrier II, along with Super Thunder Blade, was one of the two titles available for the Sega Mega Drive upon its original Japanese launch in October 1988.

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  • MobyGames ID: 8065
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Tibes80.

Wii added by Corn Popper. Android added by GTramp. Arcade added by Michael Cassidy. Amstrad CPC added by Hello X). Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amiga added by John Scott. Nintendo Switch added by Rik Hideto. iPhone, iPad added by Sciere. Linux, Macintosh, Windows added by Foxhack. ZX Spectrum added by Kohler 86.

Additional contributors: Alaka, Luis Silva, j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】, GTramp.

Game added January 3, 2003. Last modified February 1, 2024.