My Played Video Games Review: Target Earth for the Sega Genesis

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Target Earth (known as Assault Suit Leynos in Asia) is a run and gun shooter video game developed by Masaya Games in 1990 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

A friend made me borrowed this game of his in exchange for my Spiderman Genesis game during the early 1990s. I was thrilled back then to be playing anything that look like mechs from the Robotech anime TV series.

Awesome Japanese version cover (image source)

The Story

Earth and its space bases are being attacked by enemy Chron cyborgs with lightning fury. Everyone is about to be captured and turned into cyborgs by Chron unless you come to Earth's defense.

You are Rex, the Earth Defense League assault suit units' commander. Use the Assault Suit's powerful weapons to complete all eight missions and you will save Earth and uncover the true legacy of Chron. If you fail, Earth will become a robotic nightmare. The power to prevail is in your hands!

Sega Genesis cartridge of the game (image source)

The Graphics and Sound

Graphics are average. It is to be expected as it was released in 1990. Still, the sprite designs are quite nicely done in anime style. The anime-style intro and the look of the pilots look fine too.

The sound is not impressive. But the basic explosion and weapon sounds are accompanied by a soundtrack superior to what you find on Nintendo NES games.

Gameplay sample of Target Earth on the Sega Genesis

The Gameplay

The gameplay is simple. You pilot a mech and walk (sometimes hover) across landscapes destroying many enemy mecha and warships.

You are rewarded with new weapons and armor as you progress in the game. So the better you are, the more firepower you acquire.

The difficulty is kinda high. It is one of the most difficult games to grace the Genesis console. If you are not a hardcore gamer, using the state save feature when playing on an emulator might help your progress.

Controls are good. The d-pad is used for moving, C selects weapons, B is for jumping, and A for shooting.

Having only two continues and the high difficulty guarantees you'll be challenged. So replay value is good.

My Verdict

Target Earth on the Sega Genesis is a very entertaining but very hard game. It is not made for casual gamers. If you like 2D run and gun shooting games, then you should definitely check this game out. Casual, whiny gamers need not apply.

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

Let's keep on gaming in the free world!