Earthion

Earthion is an outstanding achievement – a blissfully retro shmup experience with just enough modern sensibilities to make it appeal to an all-new generation of players. With sublime pixel artwork, a scorching score, and a creative campaign that keeps you on your toes, this is an absolutely outstanding effort from 90s dev Ancient.

Earthion is a terrific piece of work. It's more an accomplished production, arguably, than a shoot 'em up of incredible highs, but at the same time, that's part of its charm. It has a different feel thanks to its shield system and mid-stage upgrade rungs, and this is a refreshing and welcome change from the norm. Much of the fun is in figuring out the order of bolstering your ship and the little tricks that various weaponry affords when faced with tricky junctures. It does some things other shoot 'em ups don't do, and is all the more standout for it.At the same time, it fails to achieve some things that other shoot 'em ups do so well. Nonetheless, Earthion is a treat of a game: a bold new Mega Drive work that sits in the upper echelons of the console's broad catalogue, and shouldn't be passed up by fans of the genre or wonderful 16-bit works.

As is clear from the previous paragraphs, Earthion is an excellent addition to the collection of any fan of shoot ’em ups and 16-bit games in general. It’s accessible even to players who don’t want to spend long hours practicing, offering fun gameplay mechanics and, above all, masterful visuals. Earthion thus also serves as compelling evidence for the claim that consoles nearly 40 years old can still run games that appeal to today’s players.

Earthion is a beautiful love letter to the Sega Genesis and the 16-bit era in general, co-authored by someone who helped define its greatness — Yuzo Koshiro.

Earthion is a title aimed at a specific niche: fans of the 16-bit era and the side-scrolling spaceship genre. The title doesn't seek to expand its reach, but instead delivers a polished experience within its niche. It's certainly a title that not everyone will be able to appreciate, but it should gain a loyal following among those who do.

Earthion delivers on its promise, delivering a true modern classic that manages to engage and entertain despite its obvious nostalgic appeal. Ultimately, fans of 16-bit games will feel right at home with this release, but newcomers and curious gamers will also find enjoyment here. In short, it's worth traveling back in time and saving the planet like we did back in the 1990s.

Ancient presents us with Earthion, a game that delivers a nostalgic experience through fast-paced, dynamic, responsive, and straightforward gameplay. In Earthion, it's the classic-style shoot 'em up mechanics that truly drive the entire experience toward pure fun.

Earthion is a love letter to the golden age of 16-bit shooters. Developed by Ancient and composed by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro, it delivers tight controls, stunning pixel art, and an unforgettable synth soundtrack. Its upgrade system adds real depth to classic shoot ’em up gameplay, balancing accessibility and challenge. Short but perfectly crafted, Earthion proves that pure design and style still matter more than photorealism.

Earthion is a stellar shooter that not only captures the heart of Genesis shooters, but brings the genre forward with stellar visuals, interesting mechanics, and a soundtrack that I could blast on repeat. I love that we live in a world where a game like this can exist. If you grew up loving titles like Hellfire, Truxton, and Musha, this is definitely a game for you. I cannot recommend it enough.

A solid old-school-styled shoot 'em up worht checking out on PS5