Play Venus Senki - Back the City (Japan) [En by J2e v2.0] (~Venus Wars, The) Online

Venus Senki, known in English as The Venus Wars, is a 1990 Nintendo Entertainment System game based on the anime film of the same name. It was developed and published by Varie, and it stands as one of the more unusual licensed titles from that era, blending strategy and action in a way few other NES games attempted. The fan translation by J2e makes the game's narrative and mission briefings accessible, which helps clarify objectives that were originally obscured for non-Japanese players.

You alternate control between a hoverbike pilot and ground infantry, completing missions across a map of the war-torn planet. The hoverbike sections play like a fast, side-scrolling shooter where you dodge enemy fire and return missiles, while the ground missions are turn-based tactical affairs where you position soldiers and manage limited ammunition. The main goal is to repel an invading force by capturing key cities and surviving increasingly difficult enemy counterattacks. The pacing is uneven, with tense, reflex-driven bike segments followed by slower, methodical troop movements, and the difficulty can spike without much warning. Playing it feels like juggling two different games at once, and pulling off a successful mission brings a real sense of relief.