Space Harrier II GENESIS

Space Harrier II is Sega’s 1988 Genesis launch-window sequel to the 1985 arcade pseudo-3D shooter Space Harrier. You fly forward over a surreal, checkerboard-floored fantasy landscape, blasting waves of enemies and dodging obstacles in a fixed into-the-screen perspective, using the same sprite-scaling approach as the original.

Unlike the arcade original’s dedicated “Super Scaler” cabinet hardware, this was a from-scratch home conversion built specifically to show off the new Genesis, released in Japan alongside the console itself. It swaps out the arcade version’s stage lineup for entirely new levels rather than porting the original’s, making it a stand-alone sequel more than a straight port.