Gley Lancer or Advanced Busterhawk Gleylancer[b] is a 1992 scrolling shooter video game originally developed by NCS Corporation, published in Japan by Masaya and in South Korea by Samsung for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It was re-released in 2019 by Japanese publisher Columbus Circle. A port was also released in 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It follows Lucia Cabrock, daughter of Earth Federation Navy admiral Ken, who disappeared while fighting in a war between humans and an unknown alien race that possess the ability to teleport, joined by her friend Teim on a journey to save her father by stealing a starfighter. Controlling the titular fighter ship, the player must fight waves of enemies and bosses, while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The Gley Lancer ship is equipped with two satellites options, whose positions and formations are determined by the player.
Gley Lancer was produced by Toshiro Tsuchida, who left Masaya in 1993 to found G-Craft, a company known for creating the Front Mission and Arc the Lad franchises. Noriyuki Iwadare, best known for his work on the Langrisser, Lunar, and Grandia franchises, was involved in the soundtrack as one of four composers under the music production company Cube. The game garnered mixed reception from critics upon release, most of which reviewed it as an import title. The original Mega Drive version was re-released through download services for other platforms. The Nintendo Switch port received generally favorable response from reviewers.
Reception
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 83/100 (NS)[22] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Beep! MegaDrive | 6.75/10 (SMD)[23] |
| Famitsu | 22/40 (SMD)[24] |
| Mean Machines Sega | 48/100 (SMD)[25] |
| Nintendo Life |   (NS)[26] |
| Push Square | 8/10 (PS5)[27] |
| TouchArcade | 4/5 (NS)[28] |
| Mega | 72% (SMD)[29] |
| Mega Drive Advanced Gaming | 89% (SMD)[30] |
| MegaTech | 72% (SMD)[31] |
| Sega Force | 79% (SMD)[12] |
| Sega Power | 82% (SMD)[32] |
| Sega Pro | 88/100 (SMD)[33] |
Gley Lancer garnered mixed reception from critics upon release,[23][24] most of which reviewed it as an import title. Mega Drive Advanced Gaming‘s John Davison praised the graphics, use of sound samples, and large levels, but noted that the game was occasionally frustrating and expressed disappointment for the lack of an official release outside Japan.[30] MegaTech‘s Thomas Guise and Paul Glancey highlighted the game’s presentation for its story introduction and cutscenes.
