{{Short description|1990 video game}} {{Infobox video game | title = Target Earth | image = Target Earth.jpg | caption = North American box art | developer = Masaya | publisher = {{vgrelease|JP|Masaya|NA|DreamWorks}} | designer = | released = {{vgrelease|JP|March 16, 1990|NA|June 1990<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=July 1990 |title=''Target Earth'' |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/a/a1/EGM_US_012.pdf |access-date=October 6, 2024 |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |pages=18}}</ref>}} | genre = [[Run and gun video game|Run and gun]] | modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]] | platforms = [[Sega Genesis]] }}
'''''Target Earth''''', released in Japan as {{Nihongo foot|'''''Assault Suit Leynos'''''|重装機兵レイノス|Jūsō Kihei Reinosu|group=lower-alpha|lead=yes}} is a [[run and gun video game]] developed by Masaya in 1990 for the [[Sega Genesis]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=7114|title=重装機兵レイノス [メガドライブ] / ファミ通.com|website=www.famitsu.com|access-date=2018-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727020447/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=7114|archive-date=2018-07-27|url-status=live}}</ref> It was re-released on the [[Wii]]’s [[Virtual Console]], and on the [[Nintendo Switch]]'s [[Nintendo Classics]].<ref name=":0" /> It is the first game in the [[Assault Suit|''Assault Suits'' series]].
== Plot == In 2201, expanding technologies have given man the power to live anywhere in space. With this backdrop, the story begins with a war between [[Earth]] (and its colonies) fighting a cyborg army returning from deep space. In the early stages, the nature or purpose of these cybernetic adversaries, named Chron, is unknown. However, it is later revealed that Chron are the survivors of a failed space expedition (Outer Space Expeditionary Party) sent by Earth one hundred years earlier.
The Earth Defense League fights to defend Earth. Its core is the Assault Suit—a twelve-foot-tall armored battle machine with powerful fighting capabilities. The player is Rex, an Assault Suit Wing commander and master at Assault Suit combat. The battle begins on [[Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede]] and shifts to battles in space, on the Earth, and inside enemy outposts.
==Gameplay== ''Target Earth'' offers 8 stages. Much of the game's mechanics fall in line with those of [[shoot 'em up|horizontal shooters]] with some subdued platforming elements. The player's performance after completing a stage dictates the weapons, armor, and accessories that are unlocked in the next stage. The game features 14 weapons, a lot of firepower in the early 1990s. The assortment of armaments increased replay value by encouraging the player to experiment with ways to defeat enemies.
While the official information for the game indicates that it is only single-player, it is possible for a second player to have limited control over enemy movement and attacks on screen.{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}}
==Release== Certain scenes in ''Target Earth'' were censored. For example, a scene in which a comrade does not make it back to the ship in time and burns up in the planet's atmosphere was removed. The romantic relationship between Rex and Leana was downplayed. These scenes were restored in the remake. The Western [[Video game localization|localization]] of the second game in the [[Assault Suits series]], ''[[Cybernator]]'', was subject to censorship. The game is included on the Japanese [[Mega Drive Mini]]. The US version is accessible if the system is set to English.
== Reception == {{Video game reviews | Allgame = 3/5<ref name="AllgameSGte">{{cite web|last=Weiss|first=Brett Alan|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=1726&tab=review|title=Target Earth (Sega Genesis) - Review|work=[[AllGame]]|publisher=[[All Media Network]]|date=1998|access-date=2025-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116034527/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=1726&tab=review|archive-date=2014-11-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> | BMD = 5.8/10<ref name="BMDasl">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/beep-megadrive-1990-04/page/106/mode/1up|title=BEメガ･ドッグレース: 重装機兵レイノス|magazine=[[Beep! Mega Drive]]|volume=6|issue=3|publisher=[[SoftBank Creative]]|date=April 1990|page=106|language=ja}}</ref> | CVG = 73%<ref name="CVGasl">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Complete_Guide_to_Consoles_Volume_IV_1990_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n26/mode/1up|title=The Complete Games Guide: Megadrive|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|type=special|volume=4|edition=Complete Guide To Consoles|publisher=[[EMAP]]|date=November 1990|pages=26–39}}<br/>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Complete_Guide_to_Sega_The_1990_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n43/mode/1up|title=The Complete Guide To Sega Games Buyer's Guide: Megadrive|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|type=special|edition=Complete Guide To Sega|publisher=[[EMAP]]|date=May 1991|pages=44–51}}</ref> | Fam = 5/10, 8/10,<br/>7/10, 6/10<ref name="FamASL">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/famitsu-0097/page/17/mode/1up|title=新作ゲームクロスレビュー: 重装機兵レイノス|magazine=[[Famitsu]]|issue=97|publisher=[[ASCII Corporation]]|date=March 30, 1990|page=17|language=ja}} ([http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=7114 Transcription] by [[Famitsu.com]]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621081332/http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=7114|date=2015-06-21}}).</ref> | GI = 8/10<ref name="GISGte">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/game-informer-issue-50-june-1997/page/n54/mode/1up|title=Classic Game Informer|magazine=[[Game Informer]]|issue=50|publisher=[[Sunrise Publications]]|date=June 1997|page=53}}</ref> | MMS = 73%<ref name="MMSasl">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/mean-machines-sega-issue-01-october-1992/page/n136/mode/1up|title=Games Index: Megadrive|magazine=[[Mean Machines Sega]]|issue=1|publisher=[[EMAP]]|date=October 1992|pages=137–143}}</ref> | VGCE = 6/10<ref name="VGCESGte">{{cite magazine|last=Eva|first=Frank|url=https://archive.org/details/vgce_90-09/page/n58/mode/1up|title=Video-Game Reviews: Target Eart - For the Sega Genesis|magazine=[[VideoGames & Computer Entertainment]]|issue=20|publisher=[[Larry Flynt Publications]]|date=September 1990|page=61}}</ref> | rev1 = ''[[Console XS]]'' | rev1Score = 69/100<ref name="CXSasl">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/console-xs-01/page/127/mode/1up|title=Software A-Z: Mega Drive|magazine=[[Console XS]]|issue=1|publisher=[[Paragon Publishing]]|date=June–July 1992|pages=126–137}}</ref> | rev2 = ''[[MegaTech]]'' | rev2Score = 73%<ref name="MegaTechASL">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/mega-tech-uk-01/page/n75/mode/1up|title=Game Index|magazine=[[MegaTech]]|issue=1|publisher=[[EMAP]]|date=Christmas 1991|pages=76–81}}</ref> | rev3 = ''[[Sega Power]]'' | rev3Score = 3/5<ref name="SegaPowerASL">{{cite magazine|last=Jarratt|first=Steve|author-link=Steve Jarratt|url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3ASegaPower_UK_23.pdf&page=52|title=The Hard Line: Mega Drive|magazine=[[Sega Power]]|issue=23|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|date=October 1991|pages=52–55}}</ref> | rev4 = ''[[Sega Pro]]'' | rev4Score = 66/100<ref name="SegaProASL">{{cite magazine|url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3ASegaPro_UK_01.pdf&page=37|title=Sega Software Showndown: The A-Z of Sega Games|magazine=[[Sega Pro]]|issue=1|publisher=[[Paragon Publishing]]|date=November 1991|pages=18–19, 23, 37, 39}}</ref> }} {{Expand section|date=July 2025}} The Japanese publication ''Micom BASIC Magazine'' ranked ''Assault Suit Leynos'' fourth in popularity in its June 1990 issue, and it received a 8.0967/10 score in a 1995 readers' poll conducted by the Japanese ''[[Gemaga|Sega Saturn Magazine]]'', ranking among Sega Mega Drive titles at the number 97 spot.<ref name="MBM96">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/micom-basic-1990-06-ozidual/Micom%20Basic%201990%2006%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/243/mode/1up|title=Super Soft Hot Information: Mega Drive|magazine={{ill|Micom BASIC Magazine|lt=Micom BASIC Magazine|ja|マイコンBASICマガジン}}|issue=96|publisher={{ill|The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation|lt=The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation|ja|電波新聞社}}|date=June 1990|page=243|language=ja}}</ref><ref name="SSMjpv11i9">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/sega-saturn-magazine-ja-1995-09-01/page/83/mode/1up|title=メガドラ読者レース|magazine=[[Gemaga|Sega Saturn Magazine]]|volume=11|issue=9|publisher=[[SoftBank Creative]]|date=September 1995|pages=82–85|language=ja}}</ref> It garnered an average reception from critics.<ref name="EGMSGte">{{cite magazine|last1=Harris|first1=Steve|last2=Semrad|first2=Ed|last3=Alessi|first3=Martin|last4=Williams|first4=Ken|url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_12/page/n17/mode/1up|title=Review Crew: Target Earth (Genesis)|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=12|publisher=Sendai Publishing|date=July 1990|page=18}}</ref><ref name="MegaPlaySGte">{{cite magazine|author1=Dave|author2=G.O.G.|author3=Mike|author4=Bart|url=https://archive.org/details/mega-play-issue-1-winter-1990/page/28/mode/1up|title=Mega Reviews!! Target Earth (Genesis)|magazine=Mega Play|volume=1|issue=1|publisher=Sendai Publishing|date=November–December 1990|page=28}}</ref><ref name="MegaASL">{{cite magazine|last=Smith|first=Jon|url=https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AMega_UK_16.pdf&page=87|title=Mega Retro: Platform Shoot-'em-ups|magazine=[[Mega (video game magazine)|Mega]]|issue=16|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|date=January 1994|pages=86–87}}</ref><ref name="S-16SGte">{{cite web|last=Horowitz|first=Ken|url=https://www.sega-16.com/2005/08/target-earth/|title=Target Earth|work=Sega-16|date=August 4, 2005|access-date=2025-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718003840/https://www.sega-16.com/2005/08/target-earth/|archive-date=2014-07-18|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{-}}
==Legacy== ''[[Assault Suit Leynos 2]]'' was released exclusively for the Sega Saturn in 1997, in Japan only.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=June 1997|title=Busy|url=https://archive.org/stream/NextGeneration30Jun1997/Next_Generation_30_Jun_1997#page/n125|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|issue=30|page=124}}</ref> The gameplay is far more challenging as the shield cannot guard infinitely.
A [[Assault Suit Leynos (2015 video game)|remake]] by Dracue Co., Ltd. was released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in December 2015, and in North America/EU in July 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.risingstargames.com/us/games/assault-suit-leynos/|title=Assault Suit Leynos (PS4/PC)|publisher=Rising Star Games|accessdate=2016-09-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923050822/http://www.risingstargames.com/us/games/assault-suit-leynos/|archive-date=2016-09-23|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=30443|title=重装機兵レイノス [PS4] / ファミ通.com|website=www.famitsu.com|access-date=2018-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726234745/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=30443|archive-date=2018-07-26|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2015/06/09/assault-suit-leynos-brings-demo-brings-a-taste-of-robot-shooting-action-to-ps4/|title=Assault Suit Leynos Brings Demo Brings A Taste Of Robot Shooting Action To PS4|date=10 June 2015 |publisher=Curse, Inc.|accessdate=2015-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031190517/http://www.siliconera.com/2015/06/09/assault-suit-leynos-brings-demo-brings-a-taste-of-robot-shooting-action-to-ps4/|archive-date=2015-10-31|url-status=live}}</ref> A Microsoft Windows port of the remake was released in August 2016.
On June 30, 2022, the game was re-released on the Nintendo Switch's [[Nintendo Classics]] service.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nintendo Switch Online adds four more Mega Drive titles |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-switch-online-adds-four-more-mega-drive-titles |website=Eurogamer.net |date=July 2022 |access-date=1 July 2022}}</ref>
==See also== * ''[[Armored Core]]'' * ''[[Front Mission]]'' * ''[[Heavy Gear]]''
==Notes== {{Notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080915132806/http://www.ncs.co.jp/ NCS] *[http://www1.interq.or.jp/yuricat/uja_colony/LEYNOS/LEYNOS_MAIN.HTML Target Earth Translation]
{{Masaya Games}}
[[Category:1990 video games]] [[Category:Assault Suit]] [[Category:Censored video games]] [[Category:Cooperative video games]] [[Category:DreamWorks games]] [[Category:Masaya Games games]] [[Category:Nintendo Classics games]] [[Category:PlayStation 4 games]] [[Category:Run and gun games]] [[Category:Sega Genesis games]] [[Category:Single-player video games]] [[Category:Video games developed in Japan]] [[Category:Video games set in the 23rd century]] [[Category:Virtual Console games]] [[Category:Windows games]]