Earthion, the upcoming shoot-’em-up being developed by Yuzo Koshiro, will get a Mega Drive, Genesis and current-gen release by Limited Run Games.
Formally unveiled in June, Earthion is a horizontally-scrolling shoot-’em-up developed to run on original Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis) hardware. That design legend Yuzo Koshiro – best known for his music for the likes of Streets of Rage and Revenge of Shinobi – is going to the effort of making the game work on a 36 year-old console gave us hope that it will eventually get a physical release. And it is!
In a tweet that went live on 23 September, Limited Run Games announced that it’s handling a physical release for Koshiro’s upcoming shooter. And best of all, it’ll be available to order in the west, so you won’t have to worry about figuring out how to import the thing from Japan. It’ll be made available for both the Mega Drive and Genesis as well as current-gen systems, though which platforms will be supported hasn’t been announced.
Judging by the footage Koshiro has shown so far – recorded from an old CRT screen to heighten the retro feel – Earthion is a spaceship shooter firmly in the vein of such genre staples as Gradius, R-Type and Thunder Force IV.
Read more: Yuzo Koshiro’s Sonic the Hedgehog
“The release date is still being finalised,” Koshiro wrote on 18 June, “and we anticipate that the development of Earthion will be completed by the second quarter of next year. Additionally, we’re hoping to unveil my next new song this autumn, if circumstances allow.”
The physical releases of Earthion could therefore be available at some point in the spring of 2024, which is rather exciting.
If you want some other shoot-’em-ups to keep you busy in the interim, Steam Shump Fest launches today, 25 September, and runs until 2 October. Expect lots of discounts and demos for everything from top-down bullet-hell shooters, 3D rail shooters, and basically anything that involves pummelling things with ordnance until they explode and/or die.
