Space Harrier II

About Space Harrier II

Space Harrier II (1988) is Sega's Mega Drive launch-title sequel to Space Harrier, in which Harrier returns to Fantasy Land through his cosmic gate to fight across 13 stages and face the Dark Harrier.

Space Harrier II in Depth

Harrier receives another call for help, this time from the 214th sector, light-years from his cruiser, and travels there quickly through his "cosmic gate" to find Fantasy Land once again overrun by hostile forces, resolving to fight them off single-handed. As in the original, the superhuman hero runs and flies towards a distant horizon over a chequerboard ground, firing his large laser cannon four shots at a time, with an optional auto-fire.

Enemies attack from behind and from the distance, firing projectiles or trying to ram him, often in uniform clusters along fixed pseudo-3D paths, and a tone warns when a moving enemy appears. Large objects must be dodged; some, such as trees, can be destroyed, while ionic columns and pylons cannot. A hit or crash costs a life, and smaller objects such as foliage only trip Harrier, leaving him vulnerable for two seconds. There are 13 stages, each with its own boss, varying in landscape and speed, and some, such as Stuna Area, with a mid-boss. Players can start at any stage, but all twelve must be completed before the Final Chapter, where every main boss is fought again before the Dark Harrier.

Making Space Harrier II

Sega developed and published it in 1988 as the sequel to 1985's Space Harrier, launching it with the Mega Drive in Japan and with the Genesis in the US the following year. It is an example of the console's early sound, and it was later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in December 2006 and Nintendo Classics in April 2022.