My Played Video Games Review: Burning Force for the Sega Genesis

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Burning Force is a 3rd-person shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco in Japan in 1989. It was ported to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and was released worldwide a year later.

I think I like this one better than Space Harrier which I posted about before. They both had the same style of gameplay but this was a lot less bit weird.

The Story

The training program at the Earth University is tough and furious! But the title of "Space Fighter" is kind of worth it. You control lady hot shot pilot Hiromi who must undergo five days of intense training before that damn final exam: deep-space combat!

Sega Genesis box, manual and cartridge of the game (image source)

The Graphics and Sound

Graphics in this game are a little bit disorienting because of the weird zig-zag patterns on the sea stages. Enemy boss designs are a bit lacking but the game is still decently bright and colorful. Your craft getting mechanically modded to encounter the enemy bosses looks cool though.

The hitbox detection is quite good. You feel that your shots are hitting the target dead on. This makes the game worth playing to me more than Space Harrier.

The music and sound effects are alright but not memorable enough.

Gameplay sample of Burning Force on the Sega Genesis

The Gameplay

Burning Force's difficulty adjustment is easy to hard. You start the game with 3 ships but you can get 5 in the settings menu. The turbo fire is on by default, and you can arrange the controls to suit your gameplay.

Your craft can take a few hits before you are destroyed. When destroyed/dying, you respawn after 2 seconds right from where you left off.

You have missiles available in case you need them and power-ups you can collect such as the Wave beam. You lose these power-ups when you get destroyed/die. When you use up all your lives you still got some 3 credits which you can use to continue the game.

The game is short and the replay value is mediocre. There are no secrets to unlock after you have beaten the game.

My Verdict

Burning Force is a 2D rail shooter that is decent enough to play and enjoy to this day. If you are weirded out by Space Harrier, then this is a nice alternative.

Go and try to play this one on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive or play it on your favorite emulators.

Let's keep on gaming in the free world!