Elemental Master

Elemental Master is a vertically scrolling shooter developed and published by Technosoft for the Sega Mega Drive, released in Japan on December 14, 1990 and in North America in 1993. The game is set in the fantasy kingdom of Lorelei, where an evil being called Gyra was sealed beneath the castle long ago. A seemingly heroic sorcerer named Aryaag betrays the king, unleashing Gyra's power to spread evil across the land. Laden, the strongest sorcerer in the kingdom, prepares to attack Aryaag but discovers that Aryaag is actually his brother Roki. Backed by Gyra's followers, Roki banishes Laden, who vows to stop Gyra's ambitions. The player controls Laden through seven levels of automatic upward scrolling. Unlike many vertical shooters, the player can shoot both forward and backward. The first four levels—Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water—can be played in any order. After defeating a level's boss, Laden gains that elemental magic, each with unique attack patterns. A charged "bomb" attack is performed by holding the fire button. A fairy companion named Neena assists the player.

Megadrive

The soundtrack was composed by Toshiharu Yamanishi, known for his work on Thunder Force III and IV, featuring a synthrock style with classical influences. Contemporary critical reception was positive. Reviewers praised the perfect balance between graphics, music and gameplay, calling it an excellent shooter. Some critics noted that the game was fairly short and the difficulty relatively low compared to other shooters, with the final level representing a significant spike in challenge. The North American release was delayed until 1993, three years after its Japanese debut.