Sky Target was negatively received by critics. Reviewing the arcade version,
Next Generation called the game "a fancy-shmantzy
remake of
After Burner, and a lot less fun". The reviewer praised the visuals for their cutting edge level of detail, lack of
draw in, and strong design, but said the gameplay is so simplistic and repetitive that the average player will have mastered it by the end of the first two levels. He noted that the game was even simpler than its predecessor
After Burner, since it lacks a means of controlling acceleration. The Saturn version was also primarily criticized for its generally shallow gameplay, In Japan,
Famitsu gave it a score of 26 out of 40. Most critics also disapproved of the Saturn version's graphics.
GamePro described them as "only marginally better" than
After Burner (which was by then a decade old), and Ken "Sushi-X" Williams of
Electronic Gaming Monthly said they "are fast and furious, but look rough and blocky in spots. Although it isn't a big distraction, it gives the game an unpolished feel." Sushi-X's co-reviewer Crispin Boyer and Lee Nutter of
Sega Saturn Magazine both said the huge bosses are impressive. The music was derided; Nutter described it as "standard soft-rock tunes occasionally interrupted by a deranged keyboard player on speed" and
EGMs Dan Hsu and Crispin Boyer called it "corny" and "ridiculous". == See also ==