Gley Lancer

Gley Lancer is a scrolling shooter game. The plot revolves around 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. Upon hearing about the disappearance of her father, Lucia is joined by her friend Teim and steals the titular starfighter to save him. The player takes control of the Gley Lancer space fighter craft through nine stages over a constantly scrolling background, populated with an assortment of enemies and obstacles, and the scenery never stops moving until a boss is reached, which must be fought in order to progress further.

A key gameplay mechanic to Gley Lancer are satellite options called "Gunners", which are activated by shooting silver and blue pods in order to pick up various types of weapons. The player can have up to two Gunners and both will always have the same weapon, with subsequent power-ups overwriting them both. At the beginning of the game, the player chooses one of seven formations to use for the Movers that the Gunners are mounted on. During gameplay, the Gley Lancer can toggle through four different speeds in a "1-2-3-4-3-2-repeat" order, although the starting point can be chosen in the options menu.

Gley Lancer was developed by NCS Corporation, a Japanese computer software developer founded in 1980 by Masaya Fujita, which entered the video game industry in 1985 under the brand Masaya. They are best known for series such as Assault Suit, Langrisser, Kaizō Chōjin Shubibinman, and Cho Aniki. It was produced by Toshiro Tsuchida, who created the Front Mission and Arc the Lad franchises at G-Craft, a company he founded in 1993 after leaving Masaya. Hikaru Satō acted as planner, with Yukihiro Higuchi serving as main programmer, while Hiroshi Aizawa was responsible for the character illustrations.

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. Several staff members within NCS also collaborated in the game's development process.

Gley Lancer garnered mixed reception from critics upon release, 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. MegaTech's Thomas Guise and Paul Glancey highlighted the game's presentation for its story introduction and cutscenes. While they found the sound aspect to be okay, both Guise and Glancey criticized the uninteresting sprites and overall longevity, recommending Thunder Force IV and Twinkle Tale instead.

Sega Force's Mat Yeo and Adrian Pitt concurred with Davison, Guise, and Glancey about the presentation and difficulty. However, both Yeo and Pitt disagreed with Guise and Glancey in regards to the game's visuals, giving positive remarks to its colorful bosses and detailed sprites, while also commending the audio.