Assault Suit Leynos
A classic reawakens – Assault Suit Leynos is back and in high definition! Get ready for all-out robotic war as the fan-favourite Mega Drive classic is reworked with all new HD visuals for the ultimate alien-blasting experience!
SCREENSHOTS
PHYSICAL
HISTORY
Assault Suit Leynos is a side-scrolling run and gun video game and a remake of the eponymous 1990 game, formerly called Target Earth in North America. It is part of the Assault Suit series. Developed by Dracue, it was published by EXTREME Co., Ltd in Japan and Rising Star Games elsewhere. It was released on December 23, 2015, in Japan and July 14, 2016, in North America and Europe for PlayStation 4, with its Steam release being on August 30, 2016. As with the original, the plot revolves around humanity being attacked by an unknown force and retaliating with the Assault Suit Squadron.
Reception
The game's PS4 version received an aggregate score of 67/100 on Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Jeremy Peeples of Hardcore Gamer rated the game 4/5 points, saying that "it takes everything that worked about the original and improves upon it with modern flourishes". Expressing surprise that the original game was even playable without a modern stick setup, he called the remake more forgiving, yet still challenging. He praised the new graphics as a "huge upgrade", but criticized the explosions as too large. He also called the soundtrack unexciting.
Ramón Nafria of Vandal rated the game 7.5/10, calling it "difficult, intense and epic", but said that it would most appeal to older retro gamers. He praised the dramatic, space opera story, and called the graphics visually excellent and much better than the original game.
Robert Ramsey of Push Square rated the game 7/10 stars, calling it a "solid mech shooter" and praising the fact that the entire original Genesis title was included. Calling the gameplay satisfying and accurate to being a large mech, he further described it as "uncompromising", but, on Easy or Normal difficulties, "far from being soul-crushingly brutal". He criticized the game for sometimes being overwhelming when its important dialog overlays intense gameplay.
References
1CC RUNS
One-credit clears we point to as the benchmark for this game.
TRAILERS
STORES best right now: Fanatical −88%
Prices are cached from each storefront and may be out of date. Last checked 24 Sept 2026.
PRICE HISTORY
Every price change we know of, per shop. Flat means the price held; PC shops reach back through IsThereAnyDeal's archive, console shops start when this site started watching.
Fanatical low: $1 (8 Jan 2021) , Humble Store low: $0.99 (30 May 2025) , PlayStation Store low: $2.99 (10 Sep 2026) , Steam low: $1.19 (10 Apr 2026)
REVIEWS
Published elsewhere, collected here. Every score is the outlet's own, on the outlet's own scale. Follow the link for the full review.
“If you’re a fan of the shoot ’em up genre, then you have to add this game to your collection. The HD look is great for the game, and the challenge is still as good as it was back when it released on the SEGA Genesis. I died a lot in order to write this Assault Suit Leynos review, but I always kept coming back for more!”
“If you haven’t realized it by now, I loved my time with the game for my Assault Suit Leynos review. There’s a lot of objectives to complete in each level, especially if you’re aiming for the Platinum trophy, and this will keep you coming back for more. I suggest that you first play the game in its HD mode to then do a second run in Classic mode so that you can truly appreciate all that was done to give us this great version on PlayStation 4.”
“Assault Suit Leynos is exactly what a remake should be.”
“Assault Suit Leynos is a solid return to a classic game series, especially for players in North America that haven't seen the series since the sequel in 1993.”
“Assault Suit Leynos is very much an arcade title, plain and simple. With only a handful of levels, the grueling difficulty of Classic Mode gives the game more worth. Honestly, it feels like those old arcade classics that were nearly unbeatable, eating up all of your quarters.”
“Assault Suit Leynos is an odd game to both be modernized and ported to the west.”
“In terms of retro re-releases, you can do a lot worse than Assault Suit Leynos. I would recommend it to any gamers wanting a change of pace from their normal library, and especially if they’ve been getting a little bit nostalgic lately. It’s not perfectly suited, but it’s hard to think that a better homage wouldn’t come straight off the source.”
“At its core, Assault Suit Leynos is an extremely simple yet satisfying game. And while it has been remastered to meet the ‘modern standards’, it fails to tick any of the contemporary boxes. Some will dislike it for the cheap, retro difficulty spikes, designed to make player’s life a living hell. Others will detest it for its far eastern art style”
“Sporting a varied campaign that's bolstered by satisfyingly weighty gameplay, Assault Suit Leynos is a good way to enjoy a hardcore classic. It isn't especially friendly to newcomers and at times its overwhelming mission design can be a burden, but it still stands strong as a solid mech shooter that'll put your piloting skills to the test – even 26 years after its original release.”
“Assault Suit Leynos, simply put, is an updated version of a 1990 game. I do believe that it is worth the cost to upgrade for fans of the original game and also for fans of 2D shoot 'em ups in general. However, the game simply will not appeal to the vast majority of gamers in 2016.”
“Assault Suit Leynos comes back with renewed visuals and the same entertaining method as it had 26 years ago. Even though its duration is too short, the fams of the shoot 'em up genre will be really pleased with this game and its difficulty.”
“The oft-overused phrase "It's not for everyone" can be applied to Assault Suit Leynos. While this game has been made more accessible, it hasn't been given a massive re-envisioning. Aside from some relatively minor tweaks and additions, this is still the same game as it was back in 1990. Some people might be put off by its "bland" mission structure, the lack of a complex scoring system, and controls that simply aren't designed for "Kickin' Rad!" combos. It's an ugly game in more ways than one, but its unique and well-constructed qualities have helped it endure all these years.”
“Assault Suit Leynos is a fun game and a decent remake of a title that a lot of people may not have even heard of. It oozes with retroness with its great soundtrack, character designs, and overall feel. It’s just unfortunate that its exploitable boss fights and confusing controls (which will take you the entire hour length of the game to learn how to use) hold it back. Keeping a game’s purity is always a plus in my book, but the lack of content once finished will make you question the $19.99 price tag.”
“Fans of 'Target Earth' will find a lot to like in 'Assault Suit Leynos.' It's just as rewarding as the Genesis original, and the game has never looked better. Those without a sense of nostalgia won't find as much here to appreciate though, as even on easy difficulty its extremely difficult. This is one remake that has stayed too true to the original, as it plays harsh by modern day standards.”
“Overall the game was entertaining for a bit, though I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as a true fan. It does have some minor issues, but with a price tag of around $20 it isn't too bad to spend a few hours if you are an existing fan or mech fan.”
Reviews are the work of the outlets named. Titles, scores and quoted excerpts are reproduced for identification and criticism; each links to the original.
SCORES
RELEASES 2 systems
PHYSICAL RELEASES 1 box
