Southern Invasion: Operation Red Dust is an upcoming military simulation game set to release on the Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16, also known as the PC Engine. Its gameplay is similar to that of Desert Strike, an isometric helicopter shoot ’em up that was quite popular when it launched on the Sega Genesis in 1992.
B.C. Anderson of Darkstorm Interactive developed Southern Invasion, which is already playable for free in web browsers. Players can try the game on Darkstorm Interactive’s itch.io page, but those waiting for the Sega Genesis and PC Engine ports will have to wait a bit longer.
Southern Invasion: Operation Red Dust Announced for Sega Genesis
On October 24, developer Darkstorm Interactive released a new trailer for Southern Invasion, confirming its release on the Sega Genesis and PC Engine. According to the developer, the game has been rebuilt from the ground up for both classic consoles, with eight campaigns and 41 missions. Its gameplay is similar to that of many military shoot ’em ups from the 1990s. Players start at the base, search the map for enemies, and destroy them all to complete the mission.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
Players can control multiple aircraft in Southern Invasion, including the UH-9 Brumby, AH-7 Thylacine, and ARH-3 Magpie. Each helicopter has slightly different specifications, including speed and capacity. However, all three appear to feature some primary weapons: heavy machine guns, rockets, and missiles. The enemies they face range from heavy artillery and tanks to missile-launching bases and machine-gun-equipped trucks. In addition to fighting enemies, players must find and rescue fallen soldiers on each map. Like other classic shmup games, Southern Invasion fills its campaigns with threats lurking around every corner, forcing players to keep moving and stay frosty.
As for its story, Southern Invasion depicts a war-ridden world set in an occupied Australia. The developer says, “Eight campaigns take you from the Red Centre to the Coral Sea and the snow of the high country.” Some of the other locations featured in the game include the Nullarbor Plain and Woomera, both of which are real places in Australia. Campaign lengths depend on how quickly players complete their objectives, but Southern Invasion appears to be a short game with high replay value for fans of the genre.
As of this writing, Southern Invasion‘s Sega Genesis and PC Engine versions have no confirmed release date. The developer has also noted that the footage shown in the trailers was recorded using emulators. Fans of games with aerial combat like Desert Strike who want to get Southern Invasion at launch can follow the developer on social media and visit its official itch.io page for more updates.
