Space Harrier (1985)

Sega AM2

Arcade · Legacy Mobile Device · Sega 32X · Sega Saturn · Wii

3.18 from 110 ratings

266 members have it in their collection · 6 playing now · 50 backlogged · 24 wish listed

How long? Main story 1h · 100% 1h (from 2 logged playthroughs)

Run… fly… dodge those obstacles, but return fire on wave after wave of attacking aliens. Armed with a really big gun, you have to defend yourself against the alien hordes using your wits to navigate around the screen. But watch out for those end of level bosses! Originating in the arcades, Space Harrier is a third-person rail shooter with pseudo-3D … Read more
Run… fly… dodge those obstacles, but return fire on wave after wave of attacking aliens. Armed with a really big gun, you have to defend yourself against the alien hordes using your wits to navigate around the screen. But watch out for those end of level bosses! Originating in the arcades, Space Harrier is a third-person rail shooter with pseudo-3D graphics, set in the same world as Fantasy Zone. The lone titular hero fights aliens with a fireball-launching cannon, which can also be used to transform the hero into a flying rocket. The protagonist is constantly in motion, but the speed of his movement can be regulated by the player. Read less
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Details

Developers
Sega AM2
Publishers
Sega, Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Genres
Arcade, Shooter
Themes
Action, Science fiction
Series
Space Harrier

Release dates

  • Oct 02, 1985 (Full Release) (Japan) Arcade
  • Dec 03, 1994 (Full Release) (Japan) Sega 32X
  • 1994 (Full Release) (Europe) Sega 32X
  • 1994 (Full Release) (North_America) Sega 32X
  • Jul 17, 1996 (Full Release) (Japan) Sega Saturn
  • 2006 (Full Release) (Japan) Legacy Mobile Device
  • Mar 26, 2009 (Full Release) (Japan) Wii
  • May 29, 2009 (Full Release) (Europe) Wii
  • Jun 15, 2009 (Full Release) (North_America) Wii

Also available on

Related

Bundled in

Remakes

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Rating distribution

5 stars
7
4 stars
27
3 stars
56
2 stars
15
1 star
4
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Community All Reviews Statuses

Chovus

Status Chovus Jun 26, 2025

Beat NES version. Another game that I didn't need to slow down. It was pretty much the same as Animal Attack Gakuken only it felt much better to aim and control. The turbo button actually fired constantly, which made it much easier to wreck enemies and aim. I died plenty of times but it still felt easier to dodge, and …

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Beat NES version. Another game that I didn't need to slow down. It was pretty much the same as Animal Attack Gakuken only it felt much better to aim and control. The turbo button actually fired constantly, which made it much easier to wreck enemies and aim. I died plenty of times but it still felt easier to dodge, and there were no cheap unavoidable shots like in Animal Attack. The stages were very short and many of the "bosses" were just groups of normal enemies. There were a couple bosses that Animal Attack copied, with the orbiting regular enemies that moved back and forth. I wrecked these bosses in seconds for some reason. There was a lot of sprite flicker and slowdown when too much was on screen, especially during the dragon bosses. This seriously limited my rate of fire since the game would not let me shoot too many projectiles depending on how much system resources the boss was using. This went to the extreme during stage 15 where that dragon kept freezing the game. I guess the sheer amount of stuff happening made the emulator think a real NES would be on fire. It took several exits of the entire emulator and slower paced shooting to scrape by. The final boss had this issue too but either not as bad or I kept the shooting manageable after the 1st freeze. Despite the technical problems this game was more fun and better made than Animal Attack.

6.5/10

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scoopings

Status scoopings Jun 13, 2023

When I read rail shooter, I alwayyyys think of a light gun with it. This has joystick with a fire button though so it should be readily playable via MAME! (since none of my local retro arcades have it sadly)

thegameistobesold

Status thegameistobesold May 10, 2021

Played this on Shenmue and Yakuza 0 then finally got the MAME version. Beat it with auto-fire settings! The bonus levels are fun because it reminds me of riding Falkor from Neverending Story!

Jusfei

Status Jusfei Dec 30, 2020

Reached the goal... with a lot of continues.

Final Thoughts: I went ahead to visit this game as I'm aware of the game's references in Bayonetta, and really all I can say is that this has got to be one of the weirdest looking game / design ideas I've ever played (A flying human with a minigun beating up …

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Reached the goal... with a lot of continues.

Final Thoughts: I went ahead to visit this game as I'm aware of the game's references in Bayonetta, and really all I can say is that this has got to be one of the weirdest looking game / design ideas I've ever played (A flying human with a minigun beating up aliens huh). The game seems incredibly difficult on my playthrough, and I can imagine it would take a lot of practice and memorizing to beat this normally (as with all 80's arcade games).

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Reset_Tears

Status Reset_Tears Apr 27, 2020

"Get ready!" Space Harrier is one of those classic arcade games that I always thought was just okay, but the more I play it now (in Yakuza 0), the more I find myself digging it. I think it's a game that you gotta give some time -- once you start getting past the first couple levels, you'll start to see …

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"Get ready!" Space Harrier is one of those classic arcade games that I always thought was just okay, but the more I play it now (in Yakuza 0), the more I find myself digging it. I think it's a game that you gotta give some time -- once you start getting past the first couple levels, you'll start to see what a gem this one is.

Space Harrier had to blow everyone's minds back when it released in 1985. It looks fantastic even now, 35 years later. But beneath all the frantic fast-paced dazzling "3D" pixel art graphics, there's some substance to be found in its gameplay. You're flying forward, shooting at everything flying at you -- some obstacles you can't shoot down, so you have to avoid them. It's exciting, and the game only just barely gives you enough time to dodge everything. But that key word -- barely -- is vital for this game's success. The deaths actually don't feel cheap here. Most of the times I die in this game, I feel "yeah, that was my bad." You can pretty much always see the enemy, obstacle, or projectile coming -- but were you quick enough to properly shoot or avoid it? I imagine this game required a ton of fine-tuning to get the timing of everything just right. A little slower, or a little faster, and Space Harrier probably wouldn't have been any fun.

I'm a big fan of this game's aesthetic, and I think it's a bummer that there weren't all that many forward-flying pixel art rail shooters of this sort ever made. I imagine it was tough to pull off, and for many gamers the novelty perhaps wore off quickly. But Space Harrier stands the test of time, as evidenced by its steady re-releases over the years. Lots of great enemies (space ships, alien creatures, mammoths, robots, Gundams), some memorable tunes and sound effects, and really simple yet addictive gameplay.

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