Thexder Neo

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

Thexder Neo is a 2009 remake of the classic 1985 arcade-style shooter originally developed by Game Arts¹. The game features a transforming robot protagonist that can switch between mech and jet fighter modes, navigating through maze-like levels while battling enemy robots². Originally created as the first title ever released by Game Arts in 1985, the series was brought to Western audiences through Sierra On-Line’s publishing deal with Ken Williams, who purchased the rights from GameArts for US distribution in the mid-1980s³⁴.

This modern revival represents Square Enix’s attempt to revitalize the classic franchise with updated graphics, new gameplay modes, and contemporary features while maintaining the challenging gameplay that defined the original⁵. The remake includes revamped graphics, a novice mode, six-player online races, and other new features designed to introduce the classic game to modern audiences⁶.

Game Info

Developer: Game Arts Co., Ltd.¹ Designer: Hibiki Godai, Satoshi Uesaka¹ Publisher: Square Enix⁵ Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Switch⁷ Release Year: 2009 Series: Thexder Sierra Lineage: Licensed

Story Summary

Thexder Neo follows the narrative established in the original game, where “During a routine survey, the interstellar weapons platform Laevina detects Nedium, an asteroid of unknown origin, and soon finds itself in the grip of the planetoid’s ultramagnetic field”⁸. Shipwrecked atop an impregnable fortress of rock, the starship turns to its last resort—the Hyper Dual Armor prototype Thexder⁹. The player takes control of this transforming combat robot to infiltrate the planetoid Nedium and destroy the ultramagnetic field generator¹⁰. As one reviewer noted, “When you’re a transforming combat robot, I don’t suppose you really need a reason to kill stuff”¹¹.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Thexder Neo is a side-scrolling action game where players control a transforming robot through a series of maze-like levels². The core mechanic revolves around the robot’s ability to transform between two modes: a walking robot form and a jet fighter form for flight¹². The player must destroy enemy robots along the way by shooting them with laser beams, utilizing an auto-targeting laser system¹.

Structure and Progression

The game features two distinct modes with different level structures. The Neo mode contains 10 levels, while the Classic mode offers 16 levels, staying true to the original game’s design¹³. The remake includes both Easy and Normal difficulty settings, along with a novice mode designed to make the challenging gameplay more accessible to modern players¹⁴.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The game maintains the original’s challenging design philosophy, with “no continues, no saves, no lives”¹⁵. Players navigate through tile-based playfields designed for smooth scrolling, encountering gradually increasing difficulty and diverse enemies¹⁶. The transforming mechanic is central to gameplay, as players must strategically switch between robot and jet modes to navigate different terrain and combat situations effectively.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Publication	Score	Notes
Destructoid	3.0/10	”Below mediocre shooter that shouldn’t have been brought back”11
GamesRadar+	50/100	”Repetitive gameplay and limited scope”17
Gaming Age	33/100	Noted difficulty and $10 price point18
PlayStation Trophies	7.5/10	Focused on trophy hunting gameplay13
GameSpot User Review	7.5/10	”Trophy hunting is the best way to play this game”19

Modern Assessment

The game received generally poor critical reception, with Metacritic aggregating mostly negative professional reviews¹⁷. Critics frequently cited the game’s failure to modernize the gameplay beyond visual updates, with Destructoid’s James Stephanie Sterling stating “Thexder Neo has no point. It’s a below mediocre shooter that shouldn’t have been brought back if the developers had no intention of improving it”¹¹. However, some players appreciated it as “a pure adaption of the original game” that maintained the series’ challenging nature²⁰.

Development

Origins

Thexder Neo represents Square Enix’s effort to revive classic gaming properties, as noted by one observer: “Now, remakes of 15-year-old games are Square-Enix’s bread and butter”²¹. The project aimed to reactivate the original THEXDER game with revamped graphics while maintaining the core gameplay that defined the 1985 original²².

Production

The remake was rebuilt from the ground up with modern graphics and gameplay systems²³. The development team included composers Christopher Barker, Christopher Stevens, Craig Utterback, and Don Latarski, alongside original composer Hibiki Godai who created the opening music²³. The game notably features Ludwig van Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata as ending music, a callback to the original game’s classical music usage²⁴.

Technical Achievements

The game was built using Microsoft’s Game SDK and features 3D modeled graphics in a 2D side-scrolling format²⁵. Technical specifications include support for up to 4K resolution, 60 fps frame rate, and comprehensive trophy support with 20 total trophies¹³. The online functionality includes LAN, modem, and same/split-screen multiplayer options, though the online mode was noted as “completely abandoned” by the community¹³.

Legacy

Thexder Neo stands as an example of the challenges faced when reviving classic gaming properties without significant modernization. The game’s reception highlighted the difficulty of translating 1980s arcade sensibilities to modern gaming expectations. Despite its poor critical reception, the game served to introduce the Thexder franchise to a new generation of players and demonstrated Square Enix’s commitment to preserving classic gaming heritage, even if the execution fell short of contemporary standards.

The title’s connection to Sierra’s gaming legacy through the original game’s Western distribution deal with Ken Williams represents an important piece of gaming history, showing how Japanese developers and American publishers collaborated to bring innovative games to Western markets in the 1980s⁴.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG Dreamlist - Community wishlist
• PlayStation Network (PS3/PSP versions)
• Nintendo eShop (Switch version)

Download / Preservation

• Game preservation efforts limited due to recent release and active copyright

Series Continuity

• Previous: Thexder 95 (1995)
• Next: No announced sequels

References

Footnotes

1. MobyGames – - Developer and designer information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. ESRB – - Game mechanics description ↩ ↩²

3. TV Tropes – - Game Arts origin information ↩

4. Sierra Gamers Forum – - Sierra publishing history ↩ ↩²

5. Wikipedia – - Square Enix development details ↩ ↩²

6. Wikipedia – - New features announcement ↩

7. MobyGames Releases – - Platform information ↩

8. Download Game PSP – - Story description ↩

9. GameFAQs – - Plot setup ↩

10. GameSpot – - Game objective ↩

11. Destructoid – - Review quotes ↩ ↩² ↩³

12. Altered Gamer – - Transformation mechanics ↩

13. PlayStation Trophies – - Level structure information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

14. Cheat CC – - Difficulty modes ↩

15. PlayStation Trophies Guide – - Gameplay restrictions ↩

16. MobyGames – - Platform and enemy design ↩

17. Metacritic – - Review scores and quotes ↩ ↩²

18. Metacritic PS3 – - Gaming Age review details ↩

19. GameSpot User Review – - User review details ↩

20. MobyGames Reviews – - Player perspective on adaptation ↩

21. TV Tropes Forum – - Square Enix remake strategy ↩

22. Archive Today – - Development goals ↩

23. Downloads KH Insider – - Rebuild details ↩ ↩²

24. GOG Dreamlist – - Moonlight Sonata reference ↩

25. Games DB – - Engine and graphics details ↩