When the Sega Genesis launched it came out of left field for me. There weren’t many video game publications at the time and aside from Nintendo Power I read few of them. But once I got to play Altered Beast and Golden Axe I knew the difference between it and the NES. That being said as impressive as the tech was the launch titles were mostly disappointing. Aside from Golden Axe and Thunder Force 2 the launch lineup needed help. Space Harrier II was the title I wanted to play the most. I spent large amounts of time playing the original in the arcade and the Master System. How could a sequel disappoint? Somehow, they found a way.
It was a pretty gutsy move to create Space Harrier 2 as a Sega Genesis exclusive. The original was a head turner in the arcade and its Super Scaler powered visuals were its selling point. Space Harrier was also ported to nearly every format available, to varying degrees of success. The sequel lacks the insane visuals as its claim to fame and instead relies on its gameplay. Unlike Super Thunder Blade it is at least playable. But the question is it any fun?
Almost nothing has changed in terms of gameplay. Like Sonic the Hedgehog every button does one thing: shoot. You can move freely around the screen and even run along the ground. There are no power-ups which sucks but they aren’t necessary for the most part. What is new this time are the bonus rounds, which see you pilot a hovercraft to shoot down as many enemies as possible to rack up bonus points and extra lives. Trust me, you’ll need them.
I’ll give it credit; Space Harrier II is a pretty expansive game and varied. You can pick any of the first twelve planets as your starting point. You’ll still cycle through every level in order from that point, but it is a nice feature. In many ways your choice influences the game’s curve. Practically every planet has its own pace and it isn’t linear. Yees Land moves at a blistering fast pace that is almost overwhelming. Meanwhile there are few stages that contain the laid-back pace of the initial Stuna Arena. I can see how one bad choice can color your perception of the game but I wouldn’t change a thing.
If there is one critical flaw in Space Harrier II it is that it may be too fast. The game plays like a PAL title running on an American system. Some may enjoy the speed but I found it to be a detriment. The choppy scrolling makes it hard to judge the distance of enemies. It also makes targeting an issue. One moment an armored knight might seem to be in the distance. The next they are right in your face. Trying to dodge projectiles is also incredibly frustrating too. This is especially evident during boss battles. The pace of most boss fights is even faster and is nearly unplayable. You can get around it by constantly rotating in a circle or simply avoiding most enemies but that largely defeats of even playing the game doesn’t it?
It’s a damn shame the absurd pacing gets in the way as there is plenty to like about Space Harrier II. Every planet introduces new enemies and obstacles which is nearly unheard of in most games. As much as I may deride the game’s speed it does make the game intense. There are legions of shooters that lack a fraction of Space Harrier II’s intensity. It will always keep you on your toes; maybe for the wrong reasons at times but still. That drive to see what comes next is pretty strong. You won’t see the end of Space Harrier II without practice either as it is pretty rough. You’ll fight to reach the end only to be confronted by a brutal boss rush, one of my least favorite mechanics. To that all I’ll say is good luck.
There was no possible way Space Harrier II would match or exceed the original arcade game’s graphics. But even taking that into consideration it is a little disappointing. Like Galaxy Force 2 the game uses sprites of different sizes to simulate scaling. The problem is they aren’t animated smoothly and it looks amateurish. This is far from the disaster that game is but still less than ideal. Space Harrier II’s strength comes from its art direction which still remains great. Its just too bad it doesn’t have the tech to back it up.
In Closing
Its hard for me to put a number on this one. There are aspects of Space Harrier II that leave me disappointed. At the same time I still do like it. But enough to recommend it? Not likely.
