Space Harrier

Space Harrier is a third-person rail shooter released by Sega in 1985, directed by Yu Suzuki. Set in a surreal "Fantasy Zone" of checkerboard landscapes, floating stone heads, and prehistoric creatures, it puts the player in control of a jet-propelled, cannon-wielding hero who runs and flies through wave after wave of enemies toward an end-of-stage boss. Like Hang-On before it, the game ran on Sega's Super Scaler technology, throwing huge, rapidly scaling sprites across the screen at speed to create a sensation of rushing into the distance that arcade hardware of the era could rarely match. Its deluxe cabinet was a hydraulically moving seat that pitched and rolled with the action. Space Harrier's striking art direction and relentless pace made it an arcade landmark and a showcase for what Suzuki's AM2 could do with sprite scaling. It was ported to many home platforms, became a recurring favourite in Sega retrospectives, and its imagery and music remain among the most recognisable of the company's golden arcade age.