Yuzo Koshiro is making new MD shmup.

[spmbx]

Nice cat! I'd say the 8/10 is a good ballpark figure, basically a must-buy to play on md but not perfect

[evil_ash_xero]

Good review from Sky Kid.

Holy mackerel, this guy is our Skykid?!

Yes sir. Nice cat, too.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Good review from Sky Kid.

Holy mackerel, this guy is our Skykid?!

Yes sir. Nice cat, too.

It is a nice cat, no question about it.

[Lord British]

Just got Earthion this weekend, I think it's brilliant. Because I suck, I like 1cc'ing the game on my first playthrough on Easy.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

On Stage 3 of Earthion (Steam, Switch, PS4 , PS5 & Mega Drive/Sega Genesis), when you approach the iconic "Statue of Liberty" section/area, to the immediate left-side of it nets you a temporary force-field power-up (that disappears after a few seconds upon snatching it) and to the immediate right-side of it, is a medium sized green crystal -- grab 'em both quickly. This applies to versions 1.8.0 (first version), 2.2.0 (second updated version) and 3.3.0 (latest third updated version) of Earthion indeed.

Just got the awesome MD/SG arcade stick controller listed here: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568066 ... 4itemAdapt It has a very responsive Sanwa clone-based arcade stick + a 6-button layout with generic Sanwa-clone push buttons -- upon taking it out for "a spin" with the MD/SG rom of Earthion, using buttons 1, 2 & 3 feels quite natural and responsive. Of course, you could upgrade the internal arcade components to either Sanwa-Denshi or Seimitsu parts through-and-through for that unmistakable "premium arcade-grade" feel to it. The slick retro vibe with the Sega Astro City styling has it's positive merits on the MD/SG arcade stick controller itself. It's available in both green and pink colored variant versions -- I bought the "green" colored version myself.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[xEbb1993x]

Honestly, in a game that has a lot of digitized voice samples, Azusa could have really used some more dialogue. "Entering the atmosphere" is the only line I heard.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Honestly, in a game that has a lot of digitized voice samples, Azusa could have really used some more dialogue. "Entering the atmosphere" is the only line I heard.

With developer/publisher Ancient, there's always room to improve/add on to the existing Earthion MD/SG game itself as it's "not set in stone as of yet."

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[xEbb1993x]

I also want the final boss's speech to happen regardless of whether you lost lives or not.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

sorry to the forum ops i think i need to setup something on shmups forum for these releases but as a kicker here is Thunderforce IV highsaver

https://archive.org/details/thunderforce-iv-hi-trex

i will create a new board subject here for any more. i have done shinobi III and Thunderforce III but they onmly have a high ... i want to create a high table for them so will take longer.

For Enemy,

Just wanted to say that your Thunderforce IV S-Ram high score saving patch works flawlessly on a Krikzz Everdrive X7 setup (with it's back-up battery on-board). Of course, the real geniune carts of Thunderforce IV/Lightening Force can't save either high scores nor high score initials and are lost upon powering down the MD/SG console itself (considering there's no "on-board" back-up battery setup to begin with).

Thanks again,

Back to the OP's Earthion thread at hand.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[FunktionJCB]

For those that are yet to buy it, the game is currently 25% off on Steam.
It's a great price, for such a solid, fun game.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Even shmupper Enemy's MD/SG Earthion v3.3.0 S-Ram setup works as well -- great to save your scores & high score initials for posterity.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[FunktionJCB]

Version 4.0 is out on Steam.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Version 4.0 is out on Steam.

What's new with the Steam Version 4.0 of Earthion? That means the Mega Drive/Sega Genesis romset will have to be updated to reflect the newest Ver. 4.0 change from the older Ver. 3.3.0 romset that has S-Ram functionality if used with a Mega Drive X7/Mega Drive Pro setup.

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The Earthion rom versions: v1.8.0, v2.01, v3.3.0 & now v4.0.
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[FunktionJCB]

What's new with the Steam Version 4.0 of Earthion? That means the Mega Drive/Sega Genesis romset will have to be updated to reflect the newest Ver. 4.0 change from the older Ver. 3.30 romset that has S-Ram functionality if used with a Mega Drive X7/Mega Drive Pro setup.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

I haven't tested the game in detail, I just fired it up for a few minutes. I tried the password functionality, and my existing password didn't work.
Here's what the update notes say:


-Updated to Earthion ROM 4.0.

-Fixed issue in ROM that prevented player from making progress.

-Numerous technical fixes in menus.

-Challenge Leaderboards No. 7 and 8 added.

-Earthion icon added to PC executable file.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Yep, it's a mere 23.9mb d/l for the Steam Earthion Version 4.0 patch indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[copy-paster]

4.0 removes the green flash on the enemy bullets, making the visibility much better and on par with Exa's. It's wild to see the difference with green flash removed is a night and day comparison.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

4.0 removes the green flash on the enemy bullets, making the visibility much better and on par with Exa's. It's wild to see the difference with green flash removed is a night and day comparison.

It'd be awesome to see an S-Ram patch released for the MD/SG rom of Earthion v4.0 via a Krikzz Mega Everdrive X7 or Mega Everdrive Pro setup. The very last S-Ram patch was for the MD/SG rom of Eathion v3.3.0 a while back.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[evil_ash_xero]

4.0 removes the green flash on the enemy bullets, making the visibility much better and on par with Exa's. It's wild to see the difference with green flash removed is a night and day comparison.

It's definitely an improvement.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The Switch port of Earthion received an auto-update from version 1.0.0 to version 1.0.5. (this applies to the Switch "digital download" version of Earthion, of course) rather just very recently, 11/09/2025, to be exact. Am not sure what changes were implemented with this particular update patch though.

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It's well known that the Switch Earthion at the prior then current version 1.0.0. which was at version 3.3.0 "rom-wise" at the time of of it's initial debut on the USA region Nintendo Switch eShop portal indeed.
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[SavagePencil]

The Switch port of Earthion received an auto-update from version 1.0.0 to version 1.0.5. (this applies to the Switch "digital download" version of Earthion, of course) rather just very recently, 11/09/2025, to be exact. Am not sure what changes were implemented with this particular update patch though.

----------
It's well known that the Switch Earthion at the prior then current version 1.0.0. which was at version 3.3.0 "rom-wise" at the time of of it's initial debut on the USA region Nintendo Switch eShop portal indeed.
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Had it already gotten the ROM 4.0 ver, or is this the bump to 4.0?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The Switch port of Earthion received an auto-update from version 1.0.0 to version 1.0.5. (this applies to the Switch "digital download" version of Earthion, of course) rather just very recently, 11/09/2025, to be exact. Am not sure what changes were implemented with this particular update patch though.

----------
It's well known that the Switch Earthion at the prior then current version 1.0.0. which was at version 3.3.0 "rom-wise" at the time of of it's initial debut on the USA region Nintendo Switch eShop portal indeed.
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Had it already gotten the ROM 4.0 ver, or is this the bump to 4.0?

This recent update to version 1.0.5 with the Switch port of Earthion could very well be the highly-regarded "version 4.0" as intended.

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What specific button presses are used to show the current firmware on the Switch port of Earthion (as shown listed at the bottom portion of the "Options" sub-screen itself)?
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[MommysBestGames]

Played for a while on PS5.
Loving it, made it to level 7 on Normal.
The thrill of keeping an item-slot powerup and getting to pick something after beating the boss is intense. Feels like you really did something.
I'm enjoying finding the little extra powerups and crystals if you shoot some secret spots.
I love blowing up mid-boss dead-chunks and turning them into big crystals, that's a great idea.
I do find some bullets pretty hard to see (especially the clouds-sky level) but otherwise it's wonderful.

[xEbb1993x]

The best shmup of the year? Hopefully.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

It's quite a treat to play the first three earlier releases of MD/SG Earthion (v.1.8.0, v2.2.0 & v3.3.0) on a low-res 15.7kHz candy cab setup with a jamma-based Sega Genesis II console setup even though the latest MD/SG rom is at v4.0.0 nowadays.

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Do any of the Japanese game centers currently have the MD rom of Earthion up & running on a standard-jamma candy cab setup (aside from the Exa-Arcadia version of the same name)?
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PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[xEbb1993x]

Honestly, I'm glad we got this game. Because if not, I'd be left with Sonic Wings Reunion. Of course, we all know how that turned out...

[evil_ash_xero]

I saw earlier in the thread where a fellow had made a patch where you could save your score.

Any patch for the 4.0 (Title Fixed) version of this rom? It would be appreciated.

The best shmup of the year? Hopefully.

I would say so, yes. They tightened up some of the messiness of it, in the patches, and it has everything else going for it (graphics, music, gameplay). I hope Ancient make another game, if everyone didn't pirate it. I bought it 3 times, and will buy it a fourth when the MD Cart comes out. So, I did my part.

The box art is pretty generic, though.

[xEbb1993x]

I think the only pet peeves I have with the game is the dialogue that only happens if you beat the game without losing a single life, as well as Azusa having only one voiced line when she should have more ("Entering the atmosphere." "Copy that.")

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I saw earlier in the thread where a fellow had made a patch where you could save your score.

Any patch for the 4.0 (Title Fixed) version of this rom? It would be appreciated.

Yes, fellow shmupper Enemy did release two patches for the MD/SG roms of Earthion for v2.2.0 and v3.3.0 earlier this year running 100% correctly on both Mega Everdrive Pro and Mega Everdrive X7 setups.

I don't think I've seen a patch for S-Ram functionality for the MD/SG port of Earthion at v4.0 as of yet.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_^

[xEbb1993x]

Honestly, we need more shmups where the final stage is just the final boss of the game. This isn't the only game to do that.

[xEbb1993x]

Game has been patched so that the villain's dying speech in the final stage happens regardless of you losing lives or not. And thank God for that, because it's impossible for me to beat Hotshot Mode without losing a life.