3D Space Harrier

Genre: On-Rails Shooter

Players: 1

.

Review:

Space Harrier is an On-Rails Shooter originally released in Arcades in 1985 and later ported to numerous other platforms over the years, including a release on Nintendo Switch as a part of the Sega Ages line of games. The 2013 Nintendo 3DS release of the game, meanwhile, adds stereoscopic 3D. For a more modern comparison, think of this as a game in the same vein as Star Fox, albeit released before the age of polygonal 3D graphics.

Given the graphical limitations of the era, to some degree this game’s visual shortcomings are understandable – the landscapes are simple and repetitive, and their only features stick out like a sore thumb. Still, despite the graphics clearly showing their age, they’re also still pretty imaginative, with bright, colorful worlds, unusual enemies, and a fast pace that keeps the action level jacked up. Also, the use of multiple sprites to create dragon-like enemies makes for some memorable boss fights.

The gameplay here mostly holds up pretty well, although not without a few issues here and there. For starters, players may want to mess with the controls in the settings – by default they are reversed, and many may prefer them to be standard. More frustrating are elements built into the gameplay, like your character always returning to dead-center of the screen whenever you’re not pressing a direction. Also, your character is so large that it can block your view of enemies and obstacles, cutting down your reaction time. Finally, the gameplay can get a bit repetitive at times, though the fast pace helps to keep this from becoming too much of an issue.

The Nintendo 3DS release of the game adds a few extra features, such as save states, sound and display settings, the option to use the touchscreen to move and fire instead of the standard controls (which works surprisingly well), and an in-game simulated moving arcade cabinet (which is cute, but gimmicky).

In short, 3D Space Harrier is a top-notch port of a solid On-Rails Shooter, and although the graphical limitations of its time have made for both visuals and gameplay that’s dated by today’s standards, but still fun to play as long as you aren’t put off by the game’s age.

tl;dr – Space Harrier is a classic On-Rails Shooter originally released to arcades in 1985. While the limitations of the time mean that both the visuals and the gameplay show their age, this is nevertheless still a fun game even today, and it’s a solid port too. Definitely worth a look for fans of classic games or those looking for a solid action title.

Grade: B-

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Ben, Andy Miller, Exlene, Homer Simpin, Johannes, Talissa, Eli Goodman, Gabriel Coronado-Medina, Ilya Zverev, Kristoffer Wulff, and Seth Christenfeld. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}