Developer: Ancient Publisher: Limited Run Games Release: 07/31/25 Genre: Shooter Also on: Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series (09/25), Genesis (2026)
Windows version reviewed
There are many modern titles that are inspired by classic retro games. Even still certain platforms enjoy a robust home brew scene, chief among them the Sega Genesis. There have been enough new releases in the last few years you would think the system was still active on the market thirty years later. You do not get to see the developers that worked on those old platforms revisit them often but that is what we have with Earthion from Ancient. Earthion shows what a developer with a rich history on a platform can do with modern tools and near unlimited time: create a modern classic.
Earthion keeps its weapons system simple while offering flexibility through upgrades. There are eight weapons and in the beginning you can carry two. Both your main weapon and subweapon are powered by solarium crystals dropped by enemies. As you collect these crystals both weapons become more powerful. However taking hits will reduce their strength. If you find an adaptation pod and keep it at the end of the level you can upgrade various facets of your ship. You can increase your weapon slots, shields and shot power, increase weapon power or even buy extra lives. You have to balance these however as say increasing shields to five slots means you can only hold two weapons. Likewise the maximum weapon allotment encroaches and limits your shields. While it may not be an issue early on the latter portion of the game will force hard choices.
The shield mechanic is the most interesting. Earthion not only gives you a shield meter that you can expand it also regenerates like Halo. On its own your shield is very resilient, able to take multiple shots before losing a bar. But thanks to the regenerating mechanic it is an incredible tool for your survival. I cannot think of any shooters that play with this mechanic and I can kind of see why. Most shooters do away with a life bar to create tension. It has the potential to break the game. But Earthion would be damn near impossible without it. It also has a level of intense action that demands its presence.
It would be easy to compare Earthion to Thunder Force, the biggest shooter series on the platform. However Earthion, despite some surface similarities feels unique. As I said you can hold multiple weapons and switch freely. Here you can fire your main and subweapons independently. This is key as taking a hit while using a subweapon destroys it. The levels are not a patchwork of video game tropes but a natural journey that tells its story without words. At eight levels it is one of the longer shooters on average. There are passwords but these save your lives, credits, power levels, and expansion slots. Saving level progression would trivialize the game so this is a decent middle ground.
The developers of Earthion had decades to study all the shooters released since the 16-bit era. As such the game is incredibly accessible in terms of difficulty with a wide range of options. The four difficulty options tailor the experience to players of all skill levels out of the gate. Between the recharging shield and upgrade system the normal setting manages the difficult task of being easy to pick up and hard to master. The curve and pacing is near perfect. The first few levels ease you in as things move at a measured pace. But it picks up considerably but never becomes too much. My only complaint is that the various explosions and effects make projectiles blend in to the background. That is unfair but these situations are outliers. It is good to play a new shooter that is not bullet hell for once.
If Earthion were released during the 16-bit era it would easily have been one of its best looking games. The game excels on every technical level. The intricate pixel art is immaculate and insanely detailed and practically defies the hardware. The artists make expert use of the color palette to appear more vivid than reality. Special effects abound like scaling, rotation, layers of parallax scrolling and even some light polygonal usage. The game drops a ridiculous number of sprites and never, ever slows down either. This applies to the Steam version I am reviewing, the jury is still out on the Genesis version. The music is also fantastic but that goes without saying. Yuzo Koshiro is arguably one of the best composers on the platform and turns in another masterpiece.
There are a number of extra that make this a fully featured package. Earthion’s dedication to its retro aesthetic goes beyond being designed around the Sega Genesis’ hardware limitations. The Steam release includes a raft of display options, from scanlines to options that replicate a CRT TV. There is also a music player to listen to the game’s fantastic soundtrack and online leaderboards to compare high scores. For those interested there are also multiple playable prototype builds of the game. These are interesting to chart the game’s evolution since it had such a long development time.
In Closing
Earthion delivers on its ambitious homage to retro gaming, blending fast-paced, strategic shmup action with modern luxuries like customizable filters, progression systems, and online leaderboards. Its art and soundtrack shine, and while some levels suffer from visual clutter, and PC controller quirks remain isolated cases, they don’t undermine the overall experience. If you are a fan of Genesis-era shooters, or just love thoughtful, stylish 2D arcade action, Earthion is one of the most authentic and polished retro revivals of 2025.
