Space Harrier/Stage 1: MOOT

You begin in Moot, where you will be introduced to the mechanics of the game. There are a couple of threats to watch out for. Along the ground you will encounter bushes and trees. You will merely trip over bushes, but hitting a tree will kill you. Above the ground, rocks hover in the air. If you don't shoot them out of your way and fly into them, you will lose a life. Two different enemies will challenge you throughout the stage; the flying ships known as Mukadensu, and a trio of black orbs known as Tomos.


 * After running or flying through the stage for a bit, six Mukadensu ships will fly in far away from the upper left side of the screen, cross to the right, and then approach you as they cross back to the left.
 * Three more ships will appear, one on the left, one in the middle, and one on the right. They will hover up and down at a distance, and fire at you.  Then they will approach you one at a time.
 * Four ships will appear from behind you in the lower right corner, and cross to the far left corner. Before they reach their destination, four more ships will appear from behind you in the lower left corner.  Each group will reach the back and disappear into the distance.  You can destroy most of them by staying right in the middle.
 * At this time, a trio of Tomos will appear in the distance, and split up into three positions: lower left, upper middle, and lower right. Tomos are only vulnerable to attack when they fully open up to fire at you.  If not destroyed, they will fire at you and advance closer to you three times, before receding to the background.
 * Four ships will appear from behind you to the left, fly off to the distance, fly to the left edge of the screen, and then fly back toward you.
 * After a pause eight ships will appear from behind you, four on the left and four on the right. Each group will travel into the distance, cross side of the screen, and then fly back toward you.
 * One more trio of Tomos will appear, repeating the same behavior a their previous appearance.

Boss: Squilla
Squilla is a large flying dragon who appears from the distance. He winds all around the sky, switching between advancing towards you and retreating. As he approaches, he breathes fireballs which appear in groups that fly toward the camera. Dodge them to avoid losing a life during this battle. The only vulnerable part of Squilla's body is his head. Although shots will bounce off any other part of his body, it is actually possible to shoot his head even when he's retreating. Successfully shooting him in the head will cause him to change color. You must shoot him five times in order to change his color enough to destroy him. When he is red, it only takes one more successful shot to his head to win the battle and advance to the next stage.