Earthion: A New Mega Drive-Style Shoot-Em-Up

I bought this on Steam last year and it is a great game! A lot of pace and impressive graphics and sound. The music is made by Yuzo Koshiro of Streets of Rage II fame.

You don't even need to buy the cartridge version if you own an SD card adapter.

Does anyone have a video of it on an actual CRT TV? Looking at the youtube gameplay, it looks like it would have some problems with text on the overscan getting cropped.

I am curious how some of the effects look on a CRT.

I was personally put off by the fact that the MegaDrive limitations actually negatively impact the gameplay, while there are little gains that I see in that "limited space fostering creativity" that you would expect from the pitch. In particular, there are bullet visibility issues (see the Electric Underground's review [0] for a more detailed analysis) which I think show how the console limitations would need a much deeper mastery to properly support such modern game design thinking.

However, "a Mega Drive game!" is a great sales point to the majority of people invested in the nostalgia market, with only a surface-level interest of what these games are. It's why it made it to the font page of hn, and not it's perfect 'traditional' sprite art, or its Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack.

I like shmups because they are pretty much "pure game design"; games are such a complete package of story, interactive experience, etc that it's hard to separate what comes from where. This is what makes design experimentation so interesting and rich.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELcS_IyXygs&t=2788s

It is also an actual Mega Drive game

Tried to watch trailer but auto-scrolling carousel won't allow it.

I tried to watch the video on the website, but it auto scrolls to the next video whilst playing

isn't this just R-Type?

I tried to watch the video on the website, but it auto scrolls to the next video whilst playing

isn't this just R-Type?

Does anyone have a video of it on an actual CRT TV? Looking at the youtube gameplay, it looks like it would have some problems with text on the overscan getting cropped.

I am curious how some of the effects look on a CRT.

There's a bunch on Youtube. The art has the typical issues of modern 16-bit and 8-bit games where the designers and artists are not targeting the full hardware stack of the era. Rather, they're targeting simulated machines (emulators) and sometimes also flash carts on original hardware but rendered on modern display hardware.

What I notice is that the highly detailed sprite work doesn't produce the elegant artifacting of the era, where pixel bleeding and whatnot would merge nearby colours together to produce desired artistic effects. More often what I see is a smudged mess with noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWlprFDAobs

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELcS_IyXygs&t=2788s

I was always put off by the color palette of the Mega Drive. Every game looks a little sad and drab compared to the SNES or NeoGeo.

It is also an actual Mega Drive game

They said they were going to release actual cartridges in 2026. I'm not sure if it has happened yet.

Tried to watch trailer but auto-scrolling carousel won't allow it.

Same here. When you click on the video to ply the trailer the carousel keeps spinning it away.

They said they were going to release actual cartridges in 2026. I'm not sure if it has happened yet.

Same here. When you click on the video to ply the trailer the carousel keeps spinning it away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWlprFDAobs

It doesn't seem that bad to me? Most of the problems that I see in that video look like recording issues where the camera isn't handling max brightness well. Recording CRTs is notoriously difficult!

Generally pixel art created for LCDs also looks good on CRTs, with tiny text being an obvious exception.

It bothers me when a new creative work tries to adopt a distinct historical style without understanding its form, structure, context, constraints and motivation. Without that understanding it's just derivative imitation which might evoke echoes of the original but can never match, add to it or take it new directions.

While it may sound odd to want new pixel art to be "authentic" in the same way as new music should respect the structure and form of styles like ragtime, blues or jazz, I think it applies equally. The skilled artists who hand-crafted pixels to look their best on CRTs did specific things to leverage CRT bloom and blending, scanlines, composite color artifacting and interlace dithering.

I was always put off by the color palette of the Mega Drive. Every game looks a little sad and drab compared to the SNES or NeoGeo.

Specifically the SMD global palette had limitations around desaturated/pastel colours, with choice in saturated colours. And with no sprite blending, opportunities for subtle tones are further limited.

It doesn't seem that bad to me? Most of the problems that I see in that video look like recording issues where the camera isn't handling max brightness well. Recording CRTs is notoriously difficult!

Generally pixel art created for LCDs also looks good on CRTs, with tiny text being an obvious exception.

I bought this on Steam last year and it is a great game! A lot of pace and impressive graphics and sound. The music is made by Yuzo Koshiro of Streets of Rage II fame.

You don't even need to buy the cartridge version if you own an SD card adapter.

Watch the trailer!

Earthion | Digital Release Date Trailer

Earthion Announcement Trailer

YK2A

Return to the genesis of 16-bit gaming with Ancient’s brand new shoot ’em up, Earthion!

With Earth’s resources depleted and its environment in ruin, most of humanity has fled to Mars. But when hostile invaders launch an attack on Earth, mankind has no choice but to fight back. As environmental researcher Azusa Takanashi, you’ll pilot the state-of-the-art space fighter YK-IIA and mount the most important counterattack in human history. Losing is not an option!

Featuring eight action-packed stages full of stunning visuals, frenetic gameplay, and amazing special effects—not to mention an incredible soundtrack composed by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro—Earthion will have you on the edge of your seat as you fight to save humanity’s future.

Countdown Image

Screenshots

Akari

Physical Editions

Physical editions of Earthion are coming to North America! Pre-order the Standard or Collector’s Editions at Limited Run Games through August 10, 2025. Coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and DRM-free PC DVD.

Earthion 8bitDo M30 Bluetooth Gamepad Controller

Featuring a special Earthion design crafted by 8BitDo, Ancient and Limited Run.

8BitDo M30

Physical Soundtracks

The acclaimed Yuzo Koshiro is back with an incredible score for Earthion! Listen to the sounds of this modern classic shmup, composed entirely on actual Genesis hardware, on vinyl or cassette tape!

Transparent Red variants are exclusive to Limited Run Games, while Transparent Blue variants are available worldwide through Black Screen Records.

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