Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Developed and published by Angel in 1993, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is a side-scrolling beat ’em up based primarily on the first season of the hugely popular anime and manga series. Released for the Super Famicom in Japan on August 27, 1993, it later received an official SNES release in France and Spain in 1994 through Bandai, making it one of the relatively few early Sailor Moon games to leave Japan.
Rating: 6.5/10
The game follows the familiar belt-scrolling formula established by titles such as Final Fight. You choose between the five original Inner Sailor Guardians — Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus — and fight through five stages filled with youma and other servants of the Dark Kingdom.
Each Guardian has somewhat different attributes, including attack strength, speed, reach, and jumping ability. Sailor Jupiter functions well as the heavier powerhouse of the group, while characters such as Mercury are quicker but less imposing at close range. These differences aren't dramatic enough to fundamentally change the game, but they provide some welcome replay value.
Combat is deliberately straightforward. Most encounters revolve around basic punch and kick combinations, jumping attacks, grabs, and throws. Interestingly, despite the magical nature of Sailor Moon, much of the fighting is physical, with several throws and attacks inspired by professional wrestling. Each character also has special techniques. Holding the attack button can charge a stronger attack, while another special is performed with attack and jump together, giving the Guardians more powerful ways of dealing with groups of enemies.
The simplicity makes the game immediately accessible, but it is also its biggest weakness. Enemy encounters quickly settle into a predictable rhythm of knocking down opponents, waiting for them to recover, and repeating the same short combinations. The enemy roster relies too heavily on familiar patterns and palette variations, and by the middle of the game the action can become repetitive.
Compared with stronger 16-bit brawlers such as Streets of Rage 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, or Final Fight, there simply isn't much mechanical depth. Movement can also feel somewhat slow, and the hit detection becomes questionable against certain enemies and bosses.
Fortunately, two-player simultaneous co-op makes the experience considerably more enjoyable. Clearing groups of enemies with another Guardian reduces some of the monotony and gives the game a much more convincing arcade-like feel.
There are multiple difficulty settings, although Easy mode comes with an unusual limitation: it only allows you to play the first two of the game's five stages, so Normal or Hard is necessary to see the complete adventure.
Presentation is easily the game's strongest feature. The Guardians are represented by large, colorful sprites with expressive animations that capture the look of the early-1990s television series extremely well. Angel worked with people connected to Sailor Moon itself, including anime character designer Kazuko Tadano, creator Naoko Takeuchi, and Toei Animation artist Yukihiro Kitano. The developers put considerable effort into the character animation, making this feel much more authentic than the average licensed game of its era.
Stages likewise draw upon recognizable settings and imagery from the Dark Kingdom storyline. The environments aren't particularly interactive, but their bright colors and anime-inspired design help compensate for the repetitive gameplay.
The audio is another highlight. Takanori Arisawa, music director of the original anime, contributed to the soundtrack, helping give the game an unmistakably authentic Sailor Moon atmosphere. Short digitized character voices are also included, an impressive touch for a 1993 cartridge game even if the samples inevitably sound compressed.
The adventure itself is quite short. With only five stages, a complete playthrough can generally be finished in roughly an hour once you know what you're doing. There isn't much storytelling between stages either, so most of the appeal comes from seeing familiar characters, enemies, locations, and attacks rather than following an elaborate recreation of the anime.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is ultimately a charming but fairly basic licensed beat ’em up. Its combat lacks the speed, enemy variety, and depth required to compete with the best games in the genre, and repetition sets in relatively quickly. However, its excellent sprite work, authentic music and voices, five playable Guardians, and enjoyable two-player mode make it much easier to appreciate as a Sailor Moon adaptation.
For dedicated brawler fans it is merely average, but for fans of the anime it remains an attractive and surprisingly faithful piece of 16-bit Sailor Moon history.
Developed and published by Angel in 1993, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is a side-scrolling beat ’em up based primarily on the first season of the hugely popular anime and manga series. Released for the Super Famicom in Japan on August 27, 1993, it later received an official SNES release in France and Spain in 1994 through Bandai, making it one of the relatively few early Sailor Moon games to leave Japan.
Rating: 6.5/10
The game follows the familiar belt-scrolling formula established by titles such as Final Fight. You choose between the five original Inner Sailor Guardians — Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus — and fight through five stages filled with youma and other servants of the Dark Kingdom.
Each Guardian has somewhat different attributes, including attack strength, speed, reach, and jumping ability. Sailor Jupiter functions well as the heavier powerhouse of the group, while characters such as Mercury are quicker but less imposing at close range. These differences aren't dramatic enough to fundamentally change the game, but they provide some welcome replay value.
Combat is deliberately straightforward. Most encounters revolve around basic punch and kick combinations, jumping attacks, grabs, and throws. Interestingly, despite the magical nature of Sailor Moon, much of the fighting is physical, with several throws and attacks inspired by professional wrestling. Each character also has special techniques. Holding the attack button can charge a stronger attack, while another special is performed with attack and jump together, giving the Guardians more powerful ways of dealing with groups of enemies.
The simplicity makes the game immediately accessible, but it is also its biggest weakness. Enemy encounters quickly settle into a predictable rhythm of knocking down opponents, waiting for them to recover, and repeating the same short combinations. The enemy roster relies too heavily on familiar patterns and palette variations, and by the middle of the game the action can become repetitive.
Compared with stronger 16-bit brawlers such as Streets of Rage 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, or Final Fight, there simply isn't much mechanical depth. Movement can also feel somewhat slow, and the hit detection becomes questionable against certain enemies and bosses.
Fortunately, two-player simultaneous co-op makes the experience considerably more enjoyable. Clearing groups of enemies with another Guardian reduces some of the monotony and gives the game a much more convincing arcade-like feel.
There are multiple difficulty settings, although Easy mode comes with an unusual limitation: it only allows you to play the first two of the game's five stages, so Normal or Hard is necessary to see the complete adventure.
Presentation is easily the game's strongest feature. The Guardians are represented by large, colorful sprites with expressive animations that capture the look of the early-1990s television series extremely well. Angel worked with people connected to Sailor Moon itself, including anime character designer Kazuko Tadano, creator Naoko Takeuchi, and Toei Animation artist Yukihiro Kitano. The developers put considerable effort into the character animation, making this feel much more authentic than the average licensed game of its era.
Stages likewise draw upon recognizable settings and imagery from the Dark Kingdom storyline. The environments aren't particularly interactive, but their bright colors and anime-inspired design help compensate for the repetitive gameplay.
The audio is another highlight. Takanori Arisawa, music director of the original anime, contributed to the soundtrack, helping give the game an unmistakably authentic Sailor Moon atmosphere. Short digitized character voices are also included, an impressive touch for a 1993 cartridge game even if the samples inevitably sound compressed.
The adventure itself is quite short. With only five stages, a complete playthrough can generally be finished in roughly an hour once you know what you're doing. There isn't much storytelling between stages either, so most of the appeal comes from seeing familiar characters, enemies, locations, and attacks rather than following an elaborate recreation of the anime.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is ultimately a charming but fairly basic licensed beat ’em up. Its combat lacks the speed, enemy variety, and depth required to compete with the best games in the genre, and repetition sets in relatively quickly. However, its excellent sprite work, authentic music and voices, five playable Guardians, and enjoyable two-player mode make it much easier to appreciate as a Sailor Moon adaptation.
For dedicated brawler fans it is merely average, but for fans of the anime it remains an attractive and surprisingly faithful piece of 16-bit Sailor Moon history.
