《艾莉西亞·少女龍騎兵》（Alisia Dragoon）是1992年由Game Arts製作、Sega發行的橫向卷軸動作遊戲，最初於北美上市，之後才在日本推出。雖然在當時並沒有受到大規模宣傳，但憑藉其獨特的世界觀、精緻的美術與別具特色的戰鬥設計，成為許多玩家心中的隱藏名作。後來被收錄於Mega Drive Mini，也在任天堂的復刻服務上再次登場，使這款曾被忽略的作品重新受到關注。

主角艾莉西亞是一名年輕的女性魔法戰士，她的父親曾封印宇宙邪惡之王巴拉達爾，但因此遭到巴拉達爾的手下折磨致死。父親在她眼前被殺的畫面深深烙印在心中，使她立誓有一天要親手摧毀這股邪惡勢力。多年後，巴拉達爾的繭隨著墜落地球的銀色隕星一同降臨，邪惡力量即將甦醒。艾莉西亞在得知危機迫在眉睫後，帶著她的魔法力量與四隻忠實的魔獸踏上討伐之旅，試圖在巴拉達爾完全復活之前終結他帶來的災厄。值得一提的是，西方版本的設定與日本版略有不同，美版將艾莉西亞設定為更加接近野性戰士的角色，並重新改寫故事背景，使她的冒險看起來更接近劍與魔法的西方奇幻風格。

在玩法結構上，共有八個橫向卷軸關卡，節奏明快且敵人種類多變。能從雙手釋放帶有自動追蹤效果的雷電，這種攻擊方式不需要精準瞄準，但其威力會隨著連續發射而逐漸下降。當她停止攻擊時，力量會迅速回復，一旦能量蓄滿便能釋放全畫面範圍的多重雷擊，將所有敵人一舉殲滅。這套能量管理系統讓玩家必須考量何時爆發、何時保留火力，讓看似簡單的操作中增添一層策略深度。

陪伴艾莉西亞的四隻魔獸則是本作的另一大特色，它們各自擁有獨特的攻擊方式與用途。有能吐出火球的火龍、能投出迴旋彈的蜥蜴、能釋放全畫面雷擊的雷鳥，以及能以自身燃燒體撞擊敵人的火球精靈。一次只能召喚一隻魔獸同行，但可隨時在四者之間切換，使戰鬥策略更趨多元。魔獸與艾莉西亞一樣有生命條，若遭受過多攻擊便會退出戰鬥，直到玩家取得復活的道具才能重新召喚。

遊戲中散布許多隱藏道具，能提升角色的最大生命、加強攻擊力、讓魔獸變得更強，甚至提供短時間無敵效果。這些獎勵大多藏在岔路與隱蔽區域，使探索成為相當重要的元素。若玩家在關卡中失去全部生命，可使用續關重新挑戰，但當續關次數耗盡，所有進度便會歸零。本作沒有存檔功能，因此必須一次通關才能看到最後的結局動畫。

開發方面，這部作品是一個罕見的跨界合作。Game Arts負責遊戲系統設計，而知名動畫公司Gainax則協助美術與設定構思。Gainax的團隊成員曾參與宮崎駿的作品，因此本作在科技與奇幻交織、蒸汽與自然共存的背景上，可以感受到《風之谷》風格的影響。除了機械與龍族並存的世界觀之外，場景與角色造型也保留強烈的日本動畫風格，形成當時極為獨特的視覺表現。

上市後，雖然在日本的銷量不佳，但在歐美地區獲得相當高的專業評價。評論普遍認為遊戲操作流暢、節奏刺激，畫面細緻且關卡構圖具有藝術美感。與主角一同行動的魔獸系統被視為創新的設計，使戰鬥變得更具層次與策略性。《Mean Machines》、《GamePro》等媒體都讚揚本作具備優秀的動作設計，甚至有評論認為它是Mega Drive上最佳的奇幻動作平台作之一。然而，因為Sega當時並未替本作投入大量行銷，加上封面在西方市場被改成過度強調性感的風格，使遊戲未能吸引到正確的受眾，最終銷量未能反映其品質。

儘管如此，《艾莉西亞·少女龍騎兵》在後世逐漸成為收藏家與資深玩家推崇的佳作，被許多人提及為“被埋沒的神作”。隨著復刻版的推出，更多玩家開始重新認識這款在16位元時代中，融合魔法、獸伴、探索要素與華麗動畫風格的獨特作品，也讓艾莉西亞這位充滿力量與魅力的女英雄在多年後再次受到喜愛。

Alisia Dragoon, released in 1992 for the Sega Genesis, is a side-scrolling action platformer developed by Game Arts with major artistic and conceptual contributions from the anime studio Gainax. Despite positive critical reception at launch, the game remained relatively unknown for many years, later gaining a cult following and eventually reappearing in collections such as the Sega Genesis Mini.

The game follows Alisia Deena Rain, a young sorceress who sets out on a journey to avenge her father and save the world from the return of the evil entity Baldour. When she was a child, Alisia witnessed her father’s torture and death at the hands of Baldour and his followers. Although Baldour had once been defeated and cast into space in a dormant cocoon, his subordinate Ornah manages to bring the cocoon back to Earth. Realizing that Baldour is close to awakening, Alisia uses her inherited magical powers to confront him and destroy him before he rises again. This simple yet dramatic premise is introduced with minimal exposition during gameplay, with most of the backstory originally described in the Japanese manual.

The gameplay of Alisia Dragoon blends fast-paced action with strategic resource management. Alisia attacks by firing arcs of lightning from her hands, and these automatically lock onto enemies. However, her lightning weakens as her energy gauge depletes, forcing the player to pace their attacks and allow the gauge to recharge. When fully charged, the lightning becomes a wide-area strike capable of hitting all enemies on screen at once, giving combat a distinctive rhythm based on timing and restraint rather than constant button mashing.

Supporting Alisia on her quest are four summonable beast companions, each with its own behavior and attack style. The Dragon Frye breathes fireballs, the Boomerang Lizard throws spinning projectiles, the Thunder Raven produces screen-wide electric blasts, and the Ball O’ Fire deals damage on contact. Only one companion can assist Alisia at a time, and the player can freely switch between them depending on the situation. These creatures not only attack enemies but also shield Alisia from incoming damage, creating a dynamic relationship between the heroine’s abilities and her familiars.

Throughout the game’s eight levels, the player finds power-ups hidden in secret areas or dropped by enemies. These upgrades can increase Alisia’s maximum life, restore her health, enhance her attack strength, revive fallen pets, or temporarily grant invulnerability. Because the game offers no save or password system, mastering its mechanics and carefully managing resources is essential to finishing it. Completion rewards the player with a final cinematic showing Alisia returning home after defeating Baldour.

The development of Alisia Dragoon was shaped by the talents of Game Arts and Gainax. Gainax contributed story concepts, artwork, and world-building, resulting in a unique mixture of fantasy and science fiction: flying battleships, alien creatures, undead monsters, and ancient ruins coexist in a setting influenced by titles like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Game Arts then translated these designs into functioning gameplay systems, levels, and enemy behaviors. The soundtrack, composed by Mecano Associates, continued Game Arts’ tradition of high-energy, synth-driven music found in earlier titles such as Thexder and Silpheed.

Upon release, Alisia Dragoon received praise from Western reviewers for its fluid controls, striking graphics, and balanced challenge. Publications like GamePro highlighted its strong action and smooth targeting system, while reviewers from Mean Machines complimented its level design, enemy variety, and strategic use of pet companions. Despite consistent praise, the game sold poorly, partly due to limited marketing and a lack of brand recognition. Sega reworked box art for the Western release, replacing the original anime-style Alisia with a muscular fantasy warrior reminiscent of Boris Vallejo’s artwork, but the redesign failed to broaden the game’s appeal.

In later years, retrospective evaluations have been far more positive. Critics have noted that the game stands out as one of the most polished action platformers on the Genesis, and some—such as Anime News Network’s Todd Ciolek—have even described it as the best video game Gainax ever worked on. Although it never enjoyed commercial success, its creative world, innovative lightning mechanic, memorable familiars, and distinct blend of anime artistry and high-speed action have earned Alisia Dragoon a lasting reputation among fans of classic 16-bit games.