pretty fucking fiendishly difficult!
this game tends to get a bad rap for reasons i don't feel are entirely justified. it's hard as fuck and certainly slower paced than other run 'n' gun sidescrollers, but i kinda love it because of that
i'd liken target earth's design philosophy to something more akin to a 2d armored core than metal slug. surviving shootouts boils down more to strategy than reflexes and enemies are consistently threatening regardless of quantity
knowing the continue code is absolutely mandatory, however. you're not going to win without it:
press start on the options menu
when you have exactly 2 lives left
if you can endure the cbt, you'll be treated to one of the cooler action plots of the 16 bit era (in spite of translation hiccups) and an incredible ending theme that still gets stuck in my head over two years later
...you'll also get to suffer through one of the most excruciating final stages in gaming. have fun!
