Ancient released a trailer for Earthion, a new 16‑bit style shmup. Set after Earth’s resources collapse, humanity fled to Mars; hostile forces attack Earth, and the player as researcher Azusa Takanashi pilots the YK‑IIA fighter. The campaign mixes tight scrolling mechanics with power‑up variety, recalling classics like Gradius while pushing pixel art limits. Players also unlock hidden boss encounters by mastering dodge timing.

The soundtrack, composed by legendary Yuzo Koshiro, was created on actual Genesis hardware and is available on vinyl and cassette. Physical editions for Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC will ship via Limited Run Games. Pre‑orders run until Aug 10, 2025, with Standard and Collector’s options, plus a custom 8BitDo controller that features Earthion branding. The soundtrack also includes unreleased tracks that echo Koshiro’s earlier Mega Drive work.

Collector’s sets include a transparent‑red cartridge exclusive to Limited Run Games, while transparent‑blue runs worldwide via Black Screen Records. Offering both nostalgic aesthetics and modern polish, Earthion targets fans of classic arcade shooters and developers interested in authentic retro audio pipelines. It also bundles a digital artbook, showing how indie studios can leverage legacy tech for contemporary releases.