Galaxy Force II

Galaxy Force II is a sci-fi space shoot-em-up created by SEGA initially as a coin-op and then converted to many home platforms. Releases started in 1991 and include Mega Drive/Genesis, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and others.

While some consider Galaxy Force II a full sequel to the original Galaxy Force, the truth is that this is an expanded version of the original. It contains a revision for the old levels, which were developed and rebalanced. At the same time, it also integrates two new levels and a system where you can fire four missiles with a single button press.

Galaxy Force II was overseen by Takoyaki Tomo, and it was a Sega production released in 1988. This title was created by the same devs who later established the Sega AM1. The main focus of this game was to show off what the Sega Y hardware would do. There were many detailed backgrounds, and the third-person view added a lot of exciting ideas to the table. Galaxy Force II was a part of the Super Scaler arcade cabinet line for SEGA, alongside Space Harrier and OutRun. It’s said that Star Wars had a lot of influence on the development of this game. The console version was fully updated; it had many refreshes and additions, but nothing too major.

Galaxy Force 2 is a third-person shooter; you control a ship and have to vanquish the Fourth Empire that is overtaking the galaxy. The game has 6 stages/worlds in total, and you have different objectives to fulfill as you play. Your ship has two weapons, a laser shot,41, and heat-seeking missiles, but the latter are in a meager supply. You also have a shield that would evaporate based on the number of attacks you get. The gameplay becomes incredibly challenging as you progress, so there is an excellent replay value. You have a "game over" screen when your energy meter is 0.

As mentioned earlier, this game's main focus was to show all kinds of unique tech advancements for the new Sega Y hardware. The developers brought in many unique ideas, like on-screen sprites, that were unseen then. Moreover, the backgrounds were a lot larger and more detailed. They even polished the previous version of the game and integrated some new content with it.

Unfortunately, the game was too massive to be ported completely to home platforms. The Amiga version is probably a bit better in graphics, but the Genesis version is better in gameplay.

Anyway, if you’re looking for insane, action-packed retro action, you can’t go wrong with Galaxy Force II. This is an intense, fun game, and it has great replay value. Some levels towards the end of the game are very hard, but that only encourages you to play repeatedly as you try to rack up the highest score. You should consider trying it, especially if you love fast-paced and immersive arcade games.