One thing I love about today’s gaming climate is the fact that you can do whatever you want. Whether you want to make artistic games focused on narrative or create a new game in a tried and true genre, nothing prevents you from doing it. For me, the best example of this would be the developers that are taking long-dead systems and making brand new games for them.
Since the beginning of 2020, for instance, the Sega Genesis has seen a large number of ports and original games being made for it. The output now actually rivals what we might have seen when the Genesis was in its prime. That’s not just in terms of quantity, but quality as well, with some modern games doing things that were often seen as impossible back then.
Earthion is the latest of these punk rock Genesis titles that shows off what can be done if you have an experienced developer, modern tools, and no real concern for rom size.
The game is a sidescrolling shooter with an absolute ton of flair. Developed by Ancient Corp., Yūzō Koshiro’s studio is responsible for classics like Streets of Rage 2, Beyond Oasis, ActRaiser 2, and many others. The talent is there to create a great Genesis game in 2025. I’m happy to say that Earthion turned out really well, though not without a burr or two.
When you start up the game, you’ll get a brief intro outlining the game’s plot. Essentially, we’re being invaded and it’s up to you to deal with the threat. It’s all told through nicely drawn cutscenes, which helps to give the game a nice feeling of polish.
Then, once you start the game, it doesn’t take long to start getting a feel for the mechanics. A shooter needs to be simple enough to pick up while offering a little bit of depth to keep you playing. Earthion does this through its weapon systems. The main resource you’ll pick up is Solrium. These crystals power up your main shot and sub-weapon. Sub-weapons can be stocked and switched between. You have a limited number of slots available at the start, so if you pick up another sub-weapon while your inventory is full, it will swap out the sub-weapon you currently have selected.
If you picked up and held an Adaptation Pod at the end of a level, you will get the opportunity to upgrade your ship. You can add additional sub-weapon slots, improve your shield, get an extra ship, and other helpful assets. Once you pick your upgrade, the Adaptation Pod is spent and you will need to grab another in the next level for an additional upgrade.
It’s an interesting system since it gives the game an extra element of strategy. Do you go into the boss fight down one sub-weapon, or bypass it and grab another weapon instead? It’s the classic risk versus reward choice, and it works well here.
Unlike a lot of shooters, Earthion is not a one-hit-and-you’re-dead affair. You have a shield, allowing you to take several hits before you die. When you inevitably explode, you restart where you left off. This makes Earthion one of the more forgiving shooters out there, but by no means is it easy.
One thing I will point out here is the low-health warning the game has in place. You’ll hear an insistent beeping, as well as a female voice saying “WARNING” whenever you’re low on health. While it does ramp up the tension, it’s just a bit annoying.
Earthion really shows what the Genesis could do in the right hands. Visually, it’s bright, colorful, and very detailed. But all this visual flair comes at a cost to visibility. On some stages, it’s very hard to see what is hell-bent on exploding you. I’m not really sure how you can get around this on limited hardware, though. Maybe an option to have projectiles change color, or just using a contrasting palette on those problematic levels.
Level 2 was bearable in terms of visibility, but level 3 was incredibly difficult because of this. Maybe before the physical release, this is something that could be looked at again. But as it is, I’m just going to grind it out and use my memory as best I can to get through. If you have normal vision, this likely won’t even be an issue for you.
Koshiro is known for his music, and he’s delivered another excellent soundtrack with Earthion. While this game is coming out in 2025, the music sounds like the sort of top quality shooter themed music you would get back in the ’90s. It makes great use of the Genesis hardware, which should not be that surprising given Koshiro has decades of experience with it.
The final thing I want to mention here is the technical issues I ran into with the Steam version: I had all kinds of controller problems with my Xbox Series controller. I have no idea why, but I kept getting unresponsive inputs, missed inputs, stuck inputs, and strange random disconnects. It was pretty much unplayable for me with that controller. I used the same controller for my playthrough of Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and didn’t have a problem, so I know there is nothing wrong with the controller itself. I got around this by using my Retro-Bit BIG6 controller, which worked flawlessly. Your mileage may vary with controllers, in other words.
Earthion is an excellent game for the Genesis. Even with the issues I had with it, I’m still going to keep playing it. I also will be picking up the cartridge release next year — it’s just that good of a game. If you like shooters, give Earthion a go on your favorite modern platform. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
One thing I love about today’s gaming climate is the fact that you can do whatever you want. Whether you want to make artistic games focused on narrative or create a new game in a tried and true genre, nothing…
One thing I love about today’s gaming climate is the fact that you can do whatever you want. Whether you want to make artistic games focused on narrative or create a new game in a tried and true genre, nothing prevents you from doing it. For me, the best example of this would be the developers that are taking long-dead systems and making brand new games for them.
Since the beginning of 2020, for instance, the Sega Genesis has seen a large number of ports and original games being made for it. The output now actually rivals what we might have seen when the Genesis was in its prime. That’s not just in terms of quantity, but quality as well, with some modern games doing things that were often seen as impossible back then.
Earthion is the latest of these punk rock Genesis titles that shows off what can be done if you have an experienced developer, modern tools, and no real concern for rom size.
The game is a sidescrolling shooter with an absolute ton of flair. Developed by Ancient Corp., Yūzō Koshiro’s studio is responsible for classics like Streets of Rage 2, Beyond Oasis, ActRaiser 2, and many others. The talent is there to create a great Genesis game in 2025. I’m happy to say that Earthion turned out really well, though not without a burr or two.
When you start up the game, you’ll get a brief intro outlining the game’s plot. Essentially, we’re being invaded and it’s up to you to deal with the threat. It’s all told through nicely drawn cutscenes, which helps to give the game a nice feeling of polish.
Then, once you start the game, it doesn’t take long to start getting a feel for the mechanics. A shooter needs to be simple enough to pick up while offering a little bit of depth to keep you playing. Earthion does this through its weapon systems. The main resource you’ll pick up is Solrium. These crystals power up your main shot and sub-weapon. Sub-weapons can be stocked and switched between. You have a limited number of slots available at the start, so if you pick up another sub-weapon while your inventory is full, it will swap out the sub-weapon you currently have selected.
If you picked up and held an Adaptation Pod at the end of a level, you will get the opportunity to upgrade your ship. You can add additional sub-weapon slots, improve your shield, get an extra ship, and other helpful assets. Once you pick your upgrade, the Adaptation Pod is spent and you will need to grab another in the next level for an additional upgrade.
It’s an interesting system since it gives the game an extra element of strategy. Do you go into the boss fight down one sub-weapon, or bypass it and grab another weapon instead? It’s the classic risk versus reward choice, and it works well here.
Unlike a lot of shooters, Earthion is not a one-hit-and-you’re-dead affair. You have a shield, allowing you to take several hits before you die. When you inevitably explode, you restart where you left off. This makes Earthion one of the more forgiving shooters out there, but by no means is it easy.
One thing I will point out here is the low-health warning the game has in place. You’ll hear an insistent beeping, as well as a female voice saying “WARNING” whenever you’re low on health. While it does ramp up the tension, it’s just a bit annoying.
Earthion really shows what the Genesis could do in the right hands. Visually, it’s bright, colorful, and very detailed. But all this visual flair comes at a cost to visibility. On some stages, it’s very hard to see what is hell-bent on exploding you. I’m not really sure how you can get around this on limited hardware, though. Maybe an option to have projectiles change color, or just using a contrasting palette on those problematic levels.
Level 2 was bearable in terms of visibility, but level 3 was incredibly difficult because of this. Maybe before the physical release, this is something that could be looked at again. But as it is, I’m just going to grind it out and use my memory as best I can to get through. If you have normal vision, this likely won’t even be an issue for you.
Koshiro is known for his music, and he’s delivered another excellent soundtrack with Earthion. While this game is coming out in 2025, the music sounds like the sort of top quality shooter themed music you would get back in the ’90s. It makes great use of the Genesis hardware, which should not be that surprising given Koshiro has decades of experience with it.
The final thing I want to mention here is the technical issues I ran into with the Steam version: I had all kinds of controller problems with my Xbox Series controller. I have no idea why, but I kept getting unresponsive inputs, missed inputs, stuck inputs, and strange random disconnects. It was pretty much unplayable for me with that controller. I used the same controller for my playthrough of Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and didn’t have a problem, so I know there is nothing wrong with the controller itself. I got around this by using my Retro-Bit BIG6 controller, which worked flawlessly. Your mileage may vary with controllers, in other words.
Earthion is an excellent game for the Genesis. Even with the issues I had with it, I’m still going to keep playing it. I also will be picking up the cartridge release next year — it’s just that good of a game. If you like shooters, give Earthion a go on your favorite modern platform. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
by Filippo Dinolfo
