Razing Core brings a new 8-bit shmup to the SEGA Master System

Independent developer Bad Computer has released the full version of Razing Core, a new vertical shoot 'em up built natively for the SEGA Master System and Mark III. The game is available today on itch.io as a digital ROM for $7.99, following an initial alpha demo that surfaced in July 2025. Bad Computer also published a release trailer confirming a physical cartridge edition is planned for 2027.

Squeezing mechanics into two buttons

Razing Core puts players in control of the starship Horizon across seven stages in the solar system. The developer managed to pack a surprising amount of combat complexity into the Master System's standard two-button controller. The control scheme maps standard shooting and a melee attack to the primary buttons, while pressing both simultaneously triggers a bomb.

There's also a five-level Burst Charge weapon and an upgrade path for primary, secondary, and Core weapons. I want to see how the melee combat actually flows during a screen-filling boss fight, since getting close in a vertical shmup usually ends poorly. Genesis controller owners get a slightly more comfortable setup, with the three actions split across the A, B, and C buttons.

Bad Computer also included modern quality-of-life features that were rare in the 8-bit era. Razing Core features boss checkpoints and infinite continues, meaning you don't have to restart the entire game every time a stray bullet clips your ship. It's a welcome concession for a genre known for brutal difficulty spikes.

Built for real hardware

The game is distributed as a 960 kB ROM file (version 1.1) designed specifically for 60Hz displays. It runs on standard emulators like Emulicious or Mesen, FPGA devices like the MiSTer, and original Sega hardware. Bad Computer notes that MiSTer users might need to disable the BIOS to get the ROM to boot properly.

Bad Computer has been a prolific creator in the Master System homebrew scene since 2020. They built Razing Core using custom engine tools, following up their previous 8-bit releases like Frontier Force and Blast Arena. The soundtrack was composed by chiptune artist LovePenguin, who tailored the audio specifically for the console's legacy sound chip, while the cover illustrations were handled by Danmakuman.

The Master System has a fascinating legacy. It struggled against Nintendo in the United States, but it dominated markets in Europe and Brazil. That international footprint is a big reason why the console still has such an active development community today. Tools like devkitSMS have made it easier for independent creators to push the hardware further than many commercial releases did in the late 1980s.

Cartridges take time

While the digital version is playable right now, the physical release won't arrive until 2027. Producing new cartridges for a console that launched in 1985 involves sourcing custom PCBs, shells, and packaging, which always adds lead time to these homebrew projects.

In the meantime, the itch.io download includes a printable manual and the illustrated cover art for anyone building their own cases. A free demo covering the first stage is also available on the store page. The Master System might have lost the North American console war to the NES four decades ago, but its active homebrew community clearly never got the memo.