{"id":985608,"date":"2026-01-06T22:17:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T22:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=457669"},"modified":"2026-01-06T22:17:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T22:17:19","slug":"mirage-feathers-is-an-anime-twist-on-a-neglected-sega-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/mirage-feathers-is-an-anime-twist-on-a-neglected-sega-classic\/","title":{"rendered":"Mirage Feathers is an anime-twist on a neglected Sega classic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In 1987, Sega released After Burner<\/em> and After Burner <\/em>2, a pair of \u201crail shooters\u201d designed to capitalize on the global fascination with fighter jets. Top Gun<\/em> had been released the year prior. Both After Burner entries flew to international success. However, years later, after cultural lust for military planes had cooled, creator and video game icon Yu Suzuki explained how the series \u2014 if he\u2019d had his way, originally \u2014 would have looked totally different. After Burner<\/em> would have been an anime fantasy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2024, indie developer Oyasumi Workshop has created that alternate reality with Mirage Feathers<\/a><\/em>, an eye-meltingly fast, pixelated shooter that (if you can get past the loli character design) harnesses the thrill of the broadly abandoned \u201crail shooter\u201d genre, and smooths the edges to be more pleasurable for modern gamers.\u00a0 Rather than deadly jet planes, you play as deadly anime girls who fly through the sky at breakneck speeds and demolish enemies with laser cannons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But before I diver deeper into Mirage Feathers<\/em>, did Yu Suzuki really want After Burner<\/em> an anime aesthetic? According to translated interviews compiled at shmuplations.com<\/a>, anime and airplanes were part of the formula from the drop. After Burner <\/em>creator Yu Suzuki was inspired by the iconic 1986 Tom Cruise film Top Gun<\/em>, of course, but also Hayao Miyazaki\u2019s Laputa: Castle in the Sky<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Suzuki:<\/p>\n

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Top Gun <\/em>was an influence, but before I saw Top Gun<\/em>, I already had the idea for a fighter jet game taking shape in my mind. In the beginning, I was thinking of something more like Laputa: Castle in the Sky<\/em>, something with that science-fiction anime feel. But Sega\u2019s taikan games were to be sold not only in Japan, but in America, Europe, and all over the world. So we ended up switching things to an F-14 fighter jet, something that would be recognizable and approachable for anyone, no matter what country they were from. Americans, especially, tend to prefer realistic worlds to the fantasy, anime-ish worlds that Japan likes. Although, by now I think Americans largely understand the appeal of those fantasy worlds, too.<\/p>\n

Yu Suzuki<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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