Android Assault is a very high-quality vertical shoot'em up on MegaCD. Impressive visuals, varied power-ups and sumptuous bosses. One of the best shmups available on the console. Essential.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player12+
Description
A ship piloted by an android AI faces extraterrestrial invaders in this polished horizontal shoot'em up. Published by Renovation, released in the United States in May 1993. Horizontal shoot'em up with ship transformation into two modes, titanic bosses, high-quality CD soundtrack. US edition.
Android Assault - The Revenge of Bari-Arm review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The ship shifts form at will, from sleek fighter to humanoid robot, and that switch is drawn frame by frame rather than simulated. The enemies follow the same logic of articulated machinery: arms that unfold, turrets that swivel, bosses whose segments visibly open before firing, against orbital backdrops in cold metallic tones.
The CD tracks pull the shooter towards instrumental rock: saturated guitars doubled by synthesiser pads, drums pushed forward, and themes short enough to loop through a stage without wearing thin. The rhythmic breaks flag the boss phase changes as clearly as the display itself.
A horizontal shoot'em up with polished graphics, the Western version of the Japanese Bari-Arm, released on Sega CD in the US by American Sammy. Its collector interest lies in the rarity of shmups on the format, a thinly represented genre, and the lasting value of good Sega CD shooters, whose complete copies grow sought. The US edition, the most widespread, acts as the standard entry.
Is Android Assault - The Revenge of Bari-Arm still worth playing in 2026?
A horizontal shoot-em-up from Renovation, Android Assault offers a ship piloted by an android AI against waves of invaders, in a polished production leaning on the Mega-CD. The snappy shooting, the ship's transformations and the driving CD soundtrack make it a solid, readable shmup in the genre's good tradition. The content stays a bit short and the difficulty tough. A delightful pick for fans of retro horizontal shooting and the curious about the Mega-CD catalog.
