SEGA AGES Space Harrier review for Nintendo Switch

So here?s SEGA AGES Space Harrier for the Nintendo Switch and if you?re familiar with this beloved game then you know you?re in for a good time. But if you?re not familiar then you?re still in for a good time because this is a classic Sega shooter from the arcades brought into the SEGA AGES collection by M2!

And if you still have no idea what I?m talking about then let?s get the technical stuff out of the way by saying this is another amazing effort by M2 and the game is here in all its glory just like you remember. The game runs flawlessly and brings the arcade experience to Switch and this means the classic M2 Bardot quality is indeed met.

The game is one where you play as Harrier flying and shooting with glee as you fight to save the planet from monsters! While the game does not feature 3D graphics it makes use of pseudo-3D by scaling 2D elements to simulate a 3D playfield and well it may look dated today but it also still works and holds up great. And if you?re like me then you?ll think it looks beautiful in both handheld and docked modes.

You will fight your way through different environments and take down a boss at the end of each stage. And if you?re like me then you?ll be blowing a ton of fake quarters as you repeatedly die and buy your way through multiple credits just trying to get your groove back! But the core game is all here and it?s all good and in typical AGES fashion there?s some gameplay tweaks in the Komainu Barrier Attack mode which gives you the help of two fuzzy Komainu who will grant Harrier their protection.

This mode is a nice addition and it also adds text before each level so that you get some chatter with the Komainu. If they do take a hit then their barrier is temporarily disabled but it does come back so don?t worry. I also noticed that this mode allows for unlimited lives so you can just keep trying and playing without regrets!

You can still change things like difficulty, lives, and other things such as display settings which gives a widescreen mode or one that fills the screen which looks amazing! The vintage screens on here also look to be some of the best in the AGES line so far and can be used in a widescreen or 4:3 option.

The game also has a option to use a single Joy-Con upright like the arcade cabinet joystick and while it is interesting I found myself choosing to just play normally. A couple other things to mention are a stage select which lets you start the game at any completed stage and also a music player which is very welcome because the music here is just awesome.

So if you?re looking for a very classic and fun arcade game then you will be very satisfied with what SEGA AGES Space Harrier has on offer because this is one that should not be missed. And I love that we have it on the Switch and my only wish is that M2 will start to bring new games instead of these greatest hits we?ve seen on multiple platforms already!

Sega provided us with a SEGA AGES Space Harrier Switch code for review purposes.