A gorgeous vertical shooter from NCS with a brilliant secondary weapon system and an unforgettable soundtrack. One of the console's finest shooters, long kept hidden.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player7+
Description
The Gley Lancer ship battles enemy hordes in this high-quality NCS vertical shoot'em up for Mega Drive. Published by NCS/Masaya, released in Japan in September 1992. Vertical shoot'em up with nine different firing configurations, spectacular bosses and demanding gameplay.
Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Short"
Technical info
💾0,75 MB📅25/09/1992
Published by NCS
Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer (Mega Drive) price, value & rarity
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
Compare prices
Loading eBay listings…
Alert active — budget
$
Collector interest
Horizontal shoot'em up by NCS and Masaya, long held among the Mega Drive's finest and kept exclusive to Japan. Its desirability is firmly set: an ingenious aimable-weapon system, a celebrated soundtrack and a relatively short Japanese print pushed its value among the peaks of shmups on the machine. Never released in the West at the time, it is one of the grails sought by Mega Drive shooter fans, and complete copies trade dear.
An underrated gem
Long before the reissues that brought it recognition, this vertical shooter from NCS had a clever idea: freely choosing your firing direction from nine configurations to match each wave of enemies. Trapped in Japan, it stayed under the radar for years. Its briskness and generosity will delight fans of demanding yet readable shooters.
Is Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer still worth playing in 2026?
Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer is a horizontal shoot'em up by NCS/Masaya regarded as one of the genre's peaks on Mega Drive. Its Gunner Option system, which lets you lock the firing direction of satellite modules across nine configurations, offers remarkable tactical depth. The snappy scrolling, imposing bosses and a presentation sumptuous for the machine have lost none of their shine. For fans of demanding shmups and long-confidential Japanese gems, it is an essential success worth rediscovering.
