An Asmik horizontal shooter with very technical gameplay and an original rotating-weapon system. Rare and demanding, underrated but beautifully executed.
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Category
Shooter1 player7+
Description
Combat ships battle enemy waves in this exceptional Aprinet vertical shoot'em up for Mega Drive. Published by Aprinet, released in Japan in July 1993. Very high quality vertical shoot'em up, exceptional visuals, colossal bosses and intense very demanding gameplay.
Eliminate Down review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The horizontal shooter takes particular care over its backgrounds: metal structures scrolling across several planes, gradient skies, caverns crossed by luminous veins. The projectiles are drawn in bright colours over a dark base, a choice that lets the sprays of fire be followed even when the screen fills completely.
The pieces work the chip in thick layers: saturated bass, held chords, high melodies piercing above. The tempo stays fast without ever falling into plain pulsation, and the transitions between stages are handled by short motifs that announce the change of scenery before it arrives.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Punishing"
Little known but formidable, this horizontal shoot-'em-up drowns the screen in fire and enemies from the very first stages. Everything rests on precise positioning, managing your shot options and reading assaults ahead of time so as not to be overwhelmed. Stern and dense, it demands perseverance, yet offers an exhilarating climb in mastery that makes it a treasure for collectors and scorers.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Eliminate Down is the Japan-exclusive edition of the Soft Vision horizontal shooter, released only in Japan in an extremely limited print run. Its collector value is exceptional: it is one of the rarest and most expensive Megadrive shmups on the secondary market, the game never having been released in the West in original physical form.
An underrated gem
Technically dazzling, this horizontal shooter pushed the Mega Drive with rare mastery: detailed backdrops, multi-layered scrolling, and colossal bosses. Released in Japan at the very end of the generation and printed in few copies, it went almost unnoticed. Demanding and brisk, it will satisfy shooter purists hunting for a little-known technical showcase.
Is Eliminate Down still worth playing in 2026?
A horizontal shoot by Aprinet and Soft Vision exclusive to Japan, Eliminate Down offers an extremely nervy mecha shoot with impressive technical production for the Mega Drive. The fluidity, pattern density and unforgiving difficulty make this title one of the most demanding and technically impressive horizontal shoots on the machine. Its rarity has made it a coveted collector piece. For anyone fond of demanding horizontal shoots and technical showcases, an absolutely essential recommendation today still truly indeed here.
