The Mega Drive port of Task Force Harrier EX, an NMK arcade vertical shooter. Technically dated, lovely for shmup fans.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player7+
Description
Task Force Harrier fighters battle enemy formations in this UPL Mega Drive shoot'em up. Published by UPL, released in Japan in August 1991. Vertical shoot'em up with varied combat fighters, armament power-ups and difficult enemy formation bosses.
Task Force Harrier EX review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Short"
Technical info
💾0,56 MB📅02/08/1991
Published by Treco
Task Force Harrier EX (Mega Drive) price, value & rarity
Vertical shooter from UPL, ported from the arcade by NMK and released by Treco in Japan only, never appearing on Genesis. Its value rests on that exclusivity and a modest print run on a platform where vertical shooters were scarce. Fans of UPL's catalogue file it alongside Atomic Robo-Kid, sustaining steady demand despite a middling score.
Is Task Force Harrier EX still worth playing in 2026?
A vertical shoot-em-up from UPL, Task Force Harrier EX sends a fighter against dense enemy formations across snappy military levels, in the tradition of 1990s plane shmups. The shooting, the power-ups and the sustained pace stay effective, without revolutionizing the genre. The presentation stays decent and the difficulty arcade-tough. An honest pick for fans of retro vertical shooting and the curious about the plane-shmup catalog on the Mega Drive.
