The SEGA Mega Drive was my first-ever home console and was my first experience with some pretty awesome games such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Dynamite Headdy. Though, because I was young in the 90s I didn't get to explore the harder, more mature games for the console until later in my life, such as Earthion.
It's a retro-style side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Ancient Corporation and created by the well-known composer Yuzo Koshiro. To this day, many retro gamers love this game, especially since it was recently rereleased on modern hardware.
Now it's getting a new piece of hardware, inspired by the cockpit of the infamous YK-IIAF fighter, specifically built for the SEGA Mega Drive and SEGA Genesis. A new arcade controller that looks like the cockpit and will undoubtedly make your Earthion experience feel more... futuristic.
It was officially announced by Games Care, who is also in collaboration with Versao Ltda to bring this controller to reality. It features an arcade stick and a bunch of buttons wrapped in vinyl to more closely resemble the games and cockpit's aesthetics.
A promotional video was uploaded to their YouTube channel, and it was the moment I lost a little bit of interest, seeing as they have used a bunch of generative AI art to promote this device, and if you're a long-time reader, you know how we feel about that; it's unprofessional and sloppy. Heck, the AI even ruins the Earthion logo, and the controller itself changes constantly throughout the video; it's comical when you see the text "down to the last detail" in the video.
AI aside, this will be handmade and built specifically for the retro consoles, allowing gamers to re-experience this awesome game in a modern way with new, more natural controls. As of now, no release date or retail price has been announced, but we'll share that information once it's announced.
