Screenshots from VG Museum

Year released: 1987 (SEGA Master System)

Number of Players: 1

Space Harrier is a guy with really creepy psychic abilities and a huge laser gun. He uses the combo to take out the invaders of Dragon Land.

Graphics: "Awesome!! Everything is strange and colorful! There are even points of view! Only bad thing is that graphics can sometimes fail to represent collision detection properly (that is, to the untrained eye) and that when some of the sprites come to the screen they are a tad pixelated." That's from my Space Harrier II review, and it holds true here. However, one must keep in mind the lower color abilites of the SEGA Master System. Also, collision detection works just the same way as it does in Space Harrier II.

Play control: "You can move in eight directions with the control pad, and use any of the three buttons to shoot (you can only shoot forward) (start to pause--the action never stops otherwise). Space Harrier (the guy you play as) moves perfectly in sinc with your control pad, and with the speed necessary to avoid objects coming at him, too." Space Harrier II review again, save for the fact that the SEGA Master System controller only has two buttons aside from the Start button.

Sound: Compelling stuff for stage music. I could listen to it all day, and it's really catchy. Boss music isn't that great, but it isn't bad. Shooting stuff is a normal shooting stuff sound. Ooh, this game shines in its voice clips. When you die, Harrier goes, "AAAAAHHHH!" and then gets up and says, "GET READY!" Both clips are crystal clear.

Challenge: "You start out moving slow, but even at first trying to get out of the way of everything on the screen is a big challenge. However, soon you get the hang of it, and the first two stages come easily. Past the first three stages, Space Harrier starts moving faster, and obstacles are harder to avoid. You have twelve stages to beat... by the time you get to the end, the enemies, the obstacles, and the great speed at which you are moving will all be a great challenge to overcome!" Taken again from the Space Harrier II review. Imagine that quote... plus some stages that are a bit harder... and add six more stages of increasing difficulty!! Not to mention that lives come once in a blue moon (that is, earning them through getting so many points will take forever). Luckily, Harrier starts out with twelve lives (when he dies three times and hits "GAME OVER," press down-left and button 1 to kick him back up again; this can be done three times). Even with this little code, the game will take a while to surmount.

Gameplay: "Awesome! It's a railed shooter--you automatically move forward at a set rate, and avoid/shoot at stuff in front of you. You can only shoot forward. However, one hit and you're done for--no health meter! That's okay, because only the bosses survive after one hit (they take a LOT of hits, but the standard enemy takes one hit and dies). This makes the game so fast-paced it gets to be addicting." Yep, Space Harrier II review again. Fits perfectly for the first Space Harrier.

Bottom line: "After a few five-minute sessions, you can get the hang of Space Harrier II and how to dodge things. No matter what level gamer you are, you can still experience the fast-paced action. The weird graphics and great music come together to make Space Harrier II one of my favorite games." That's the last Space Harrier II review quote. Space Harrier the first has wonderfully solid gameplay matched with equally solid challenge. If you're looking for something new, and you're a fan of the Sonic games and/or Starfox games, Space Harrier may be for you. Even if you don't like those games, if you like sugar rushes, or if you like getting into tight spots you'll like Space Harrier. Or... heck... I can't think of anyone who wouldn't like this game! If you've played Space Harrier 3-D or Space Harrier II a lot, this game will hit you as familiar while still fresh.

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