Space phantoms, multi-headed reptiles and wicked wizards are just a few of the targets to set your sights on.
"HELP! Deep in the 214th sector of the universe, a distress signal is sent from a land in turmoil. Under attack and besieged by countless monstrous beings, Fantasyland is fighting a losing battle. But wait, help is on the way! The heroic Space Harrier has jettisoned into their time warp via intergalactic teleportation. Armed with the same laser blaster that made Space Harrier victorious in the Land of the Dragons, you've got a host of vicious enemies to destroy."
— Back of the English box
The game is a sequel to the first Space Harrier and surrounds the protagonist facing off against a new threat to the Fantasy Zone.
The game was a launch title for the Sega Genesis in all regions.
Space Harrier II has tropes like:
- Attack Its Weak Point: Many of the bosses in SHII have limited targetable areas. The biggest example is the Binzbean, a One-Hit-Point Wonder that can only be destroyed when it opens up to shoot.
- Big Bad: The closest one to the status is the Dark Harrier and he is ultimate threat to the peace of the Fantasy Zone in this outing.
- Bittersweet Ending: In Space Harrier II, The Hero has defeated his Evil Counterpart and peace is restored on Fantasy Land. However, there is a chance that another evil being like the Dark Harrier will rise to threaten the peace in the galaxy, so our hero resolves to keep fighting.
- Boss Rush: In Space Harrier II, after you complete all 12 stages, you face a rush of the stage bosses, followed by the unexpected appearance of the Dark Harrier.
- Captain Ersatz: Trimuller, the first boss from Space Harrier II is a stand-in for Gamera, right down to looking just like a giant tortoise monster and its spinning movement. There's also the MS-09(r Rick) Doms from Mobile Suit Gundam who appear to harass our hero.
- Evil Counterpart: The Dark Harrier from Space Harrier II, who's got the same abilities as The Hero. Bonus points because he's the Final Boss.
- Final Boss: The last boss of the game is the Dark Harrier, an evil counterpart to the player.
- The Flatwoods Monster: The Flatwoods Monster is the boss of Stage 02: Fors Yard in Space Harrier II. It is known as Paranoia and upon approach is encircled by ten red orbs resembling its head. These orbs serve as a barrier and need to be taken out before Paranoia can be harmed. In the meantime, Paranoia shoots fireballs at the protagonist and sometimes there's a flash of facial features on its head.
- Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: In SHII, the Dark Harrier is unmentioned in the game’s instruction manual and appears completely out of nowhere as a surprise final boss fight.
- Sinister Geometry: The boss of level 10 in Space Harrier II, Bins Been, is an animated icosahedron that tries to kill you.
- Updated Re-release: In 2022, M2 created an improved version of the game for the Sega Genesis Mini 2, with better frame rate and sprite scaling capabilities, albeit at the cost of some sprite flickering.