Shenmue creator’s new game looks like Space Harrier, sounds like Queen

Shenmue and Virtua Fighter creator Yu Suzuki has a new game — essentially a Space Harrier and Panzer Dragoon spiritual successor — coming to Apple Arcade on June 24.

Judging from the trailer released Tuesday, Air Twister closely follows the on-rails shooting formula that delighted fans of Sega’s arcade shooter Space Harrier, albeit with updated graphics and a fantasy space setting. It’s chaotic, colorful, and packed with strange environments to fly through, sometimes on the back of a giant swan. In Air Twister, developed by Suzuki’s YS Net, players take the role of Princess Arch, a hero fighting alien invaders on her home planet.

Space Harrier, which Sega released in 1985 in arcades, is a clear influence, but Suzuki told GameSpot that Air Twister has “a much different feel.” Sega itself hasn’t released a new game in the Space Harrier franchise since 2000’s arcade-only Planet Harriers.

Air Twister will span 12 stages when it’s released at the end of June, with 20 different enemies and 10 bosses. New game modes can be unlocked by collecting “power up” stars, according to YS Net. Air Twister is compatible with both touch controls or an external game controller.

The soundtrack is intense and clearly inspired by Queen, created by Dutch artist Valensia. There are 19 original songs for the game, according to GameSpot.

Apple Arcade is Apple’s subscription-based game service that launched in 2019. It costs $4.99 per month. Air Twister is one of a few games to come to the service from prominent Japanese developers, following Sega’s ChuChu Rocket! Universe, Konami’s Frogger in Toy Town, and Final Fantasy creator Hironubu Sakaguchi and Mistwalker’s Fantasian.