Space Harrier II Review (Sega Genesis, 1989)

In my opinion Space Harrier represents the absolute pinnacle of the classic Sega magic. It was such a unique and ‘out there’ game for its time, but had the gameplay and graphics to back it up. Unfortunately the console scene wasn’t kind to it. At the time 8-bit consoles were still prevalent, and porting such an advanced arcade title to such limited hardware was a huge undertaking. Unfortunately concessions had to be made, and the game was barely playable in this state. With the launch of the Sega Genesis console the company decided to make an original sequel for it. This wasn’t a simple arcade port. Space Harrier II was released to much fanfare. By now it has mostly been forgotten. Today I’m here to remind you of why this Sega classic is worth playing. Let’s check it out.

Far in the distant future the various worlds are protected by a superhuman named Harrier. Armed with a jet pack and arm cannon he answers the call to all of those in need. Fantasy Land is once again overrun with monsters, and using his cosmic gate he warps in to save the day. It’s a pretty basic premise and mostly a re-tread of the original title in all respects to story. That doesn’t matter much to me because plot has never been a fine point in shooters like this. I was surprised that there actually is some story exposition here in Space Harrier II, but it’s almost entirely at the end. It’s okay, but let’s move on to more important points.

Gameplay has also been largely recycled here. It worked so why fix it, am I right? Space Harrier II is a 3D behind the back rail shooter wherein you play as the aforementioned character. You can fly in all directions but your attack is limited. Pressing any of the three face buttons on the Genesis controller shoots the same ball of energy from Harrier’s cannon. There are no bombs, or even power-ups. You do gain points which grant you additional lives, but that’s pretty basic for the genre. At first I was expecting something more and was left a little disappointed. Something new would have made this one feel more refreshing. As it stands Space Harrier II kind of feels like less of a sequel than an expansion from the original. The formula could have used some spicing up.

What is does have is thirteen different stages filled to the brim with enemies and obstacles. Space Harrier II uses the same checkerboard pattern floor as the original, as well as the same pastel color scheme. Besides enemies and a variety of different obstacles the major differences in each level are the visual designs. Each stage uses different colors for the floor and background, as well as different sprites off in the distance. It sounds simple and it is, but the graphics leave an impression. Enemies are dispatched with the handy arm cannon Harrier carries. Most are destroyed with one shot but some are a little more pesky and require multiple hits before going down. You can also opt to just dodge everything but you’ll get less points. Enemies only approach from the background so you’re safe from sneak attacks.

Space Harrier II is a very challenging game. The classic one hit and you die mechanic is in full force here, and you’ll lose a lot of lives. This game throws a lot of enemies as well as projectiles your way at once. All the while you’ll have obstacles of varying heights on the ground to contend with. Thankfully it’s difficult in a fun way. It’s the type of game that you want to keep retrying to see how much further you can get. Mostly I just wanted to see all the surreal enemies and scenery. If you’re like me then you’re in luck because the big new feature here is the stage select option. You can only choose your starting level however, and will have to play through them all out of order if you don’t begin with the first one. Still, it’s at least one new thing.

One thing I found disappointing was that several enemies are recycled from the first game. It’s not a big deal, but again, makes this feel less like a real sequel. Thankfully the bosses are all new. They’re also really interesting. You’ll battle against such creatures as Medusa, a weird angular orb, a space wizard, and more. I found these encounters were fun because the hit boxes and attack patterns are vastly different in each encounter. Unfortunately the game follows the trend of early 90s titles wherein the final stage is a boss rush. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn’t. I found myself a little annoyed with it here in Space Harrier II because of the difficulty.

Another minor complaint is that some of the areas in the game are too based on dodging terrain for my tastes. There are too many sequences where you have to guide Harrier through gaps in the indestructible pillars. This required some twitch reflexes and it didn’t feel like there was enough warning the first time I played. Some of these sequences even throw enemies at you. It makes for a very busy and chaotic screen with too much to pay attention to. These sections took some actual practice to get past. I can’t imagine being a child in the late 80s and trying to contend with this gameplay element. I blame it on the series’ arcade roots.

Because this isn’t an arcade port, and the Sega Genesis was a very capable machine at the time the graphics engine is actually decent. Home ports of the first Space Harrier suffered from major scaling issues to the point where it felt like everything simply warped around you. That’s not the case here. Enemies and terrain scale in decently now. There is some choppiness, but truth be told it’s not that bad. It’s actually impressive for the hardware, and even moreso considering this was a launch title. I never felt like I lost because the console couldn’t keep up with the action. Some sequences even change Harrier’s speed which makes enemies approach more rapidly. After playing Space Harrier II I was left wishing Sega had ported the original to the Sega Genesis.

Probably the game’s biggest weakness is its lack of content. There are no additional play modes, nor is there any support for multiplayer. You do have an options menu but oddly enough it’s kind of hidden away. To access it you have to press the A button on the title screen. I didn’t even notice this until after I completed the game. Here you can change the difficulty, enable rapid fire, change vertical directions to reverse, as well as access a sound test. Considering the fact that Space Harrier II can be completed in less than thirty minutes if you know what you’re doing it’s kind of barebones. It needed something else in my opinion. For a full priced release it really needed something to help with the longevity issue.

I absolutely love the way Space Harrier II looks. At just a glance it’s instantly recognizable for anyone even vaguely familiar with the original. Everything from the checkerboard pattern on the ground to Harrier himself is a perfect representation. The new enemy and boss designs fit the series well. Unfortunately the explosions have been toned down and are now tiny. That’s a minor complaint though. One of the new effects this title introduces is ceilings. Some stages mirror the floor on the top of the screen which it look like you’re flying through a corridor. It’s nothing major but still worth noting. Unfortunately I just wasn’t a fan of the soundtrack this time around. The Sega Genesis had a quirky sound chip which lead to a lot of screeching sounds and overly low tones. This game suffers from that issue. The music is okay but nothing special.