Silpheed (Sega CD)
Tied for most recommended of 3 shoot 'em ups
People recommend it for its striking presentation, music and early use of CD hardware, though critics agree the gameplay has aged and is often judged weak.
People recommend it for its striking presentation, music and early use of CD hardware, though critics agree the gameplay has aged and is often judged weak.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 13
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 72%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 13 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Striking presentation, graphics and visuals
“the presentation makes it worth playing at least a few levels of Silpheed even now”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” “loved the graphics, music and artwork from the manual”
Comment from 15 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” “it even had speech(!) during the introduction”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” - Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed”
Soundtrack and sound design
“The soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal.”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” “The sound design is amazing!”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” Showed what CD drives could do
“Silpheed was amazing back in the day. It was one of the first titles that really showcased what CD drives could add to games”
Comment from 14 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” “Unlike most FMV games, Silpheed actually felt like controlling a movie.”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” “Silpheed on Sega CD is a prime example of what can be done.”
Comment from 25 Nov 2025 in “Making Crash Bandicoot (2011)” Still worth replaying
“the presentation makes it worth playing at least a few levels of Silpheed even now”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” “Thank you Game Arts for making a game I still play through a few times a year.”
Comment from 27 Oct 2026 in “Ask HN: T'was the night of Claude Reset and quota left: Funniest app you built?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Gameplay weak or lacking
“the gameplay isn't amazing. But I wouldn't call it awful.”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” “the gameplay left a lot to be desired”
Comment from 14 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” Judged awful as a whole
“as a complete package, it can’t be called a good game.”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” “Silpheed is a genuinely awful game.”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed” “the original is awful too”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “The art and engineering of Sega CD Silpheed”
Other shoot 'em ups people recommend
The two most recommended other shoot 'em ups, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silpheed (Sega CD)This page | 13 | 5 | 72% | 3 | — | — |
| Earthion | 13 | 2 | 87% | 1 | — | — |
| Metal Slug | 6 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
21 of the 22 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Thank you Game Arts for making a game I still play through a few times a year.”
“loved the graphics, music and artwork from the manual”
“Silpheed was amazing back in the day. It was one of the first titles that really showcased what CD drives could add to games”
“the gameplay left a lot to be desired”
“it can be quite hard to keep track of the enemies and projectiles with the background going nuts like that”
“The Apple IIGS version was great!”
“it doesn't hold up by today's standards, but it was stunning in its day”
“This boss fight looks super impressive”
“it even had speech(!) during the introduction”
“I don't think the same adjective should be used to describe both both Trolls on Treasure Island and Silpheed.”
“Silpheed by Sierra On-Line for the PC was similarly good, possibly the first game I played with a proper sound card.”
“The soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal.”
“The sound design is amazing!”
“as a complete package, it can’t be called a good game.”
“Silpheed played fairly well on it”
“the original is awful too”
“the presentation makes it worth playing at least a few levels of Silpheed even now”
“the gameplay isn't amazing. But I wouldn't call it awful.”
“Unlike most FMV games, Silpheed actually felt like controlling a movie.”
“Silpheed is a genuinely awful game.”
“Silpheed on Sega CD is a prime example of what can be done.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.