Super Aleste / Space Megaforce (SFC) (1992)
Developer: Compile

Review by Faididi and Co.

"Gunhed 2"

Story: Average

Evil alien forces are invading Earth, so the heroes must pilot the Aleste starfighter and destroy them to save our world. The story here sees quite a few changes between the original and the exported versions of the game, even if the plot never becomes anything fancy, but the endings look really nice across all the versions.

Gameplay: Excellent

Compile's Super Aleste (Space Megaforce) is the SFC/SNES-exclusive installment in the vertically scrolling space shooter series, and it's also a follow-up to Gunhed (Blazing Lazers). Careful not to repeat that earlier game's problems of the weird lateral shifting effects and the wide-hanging shields, it greatly expands on the weaponry and other aspects to become one of the finest entries in the genre.

The heroes' firepower is definitely the biggest highlight. There are 8 weapons, but they each come with at least two different usage modes that may be switched at any time. For instance, the laser cannons can fire either straight bolts or homing energy beams. As another example, the shield-like orbs can either revolve around the ship or lock themselves on one side, absorbing projectiles coming from that direction. Even the default cannons can be reconfigured to fire in alternate patterns. Thanks to these variable modes, Super Aleste feels as though it has sixteen-plus weapons instead.

Better still, the attack power level now doubles as the protective shields. That means the heroes can avoid getting wasted by grabbing generic power-ups as well as weapon pods, which is a lot more convenient than relying on the shield item back in Gunhed. Along with the weapons' multiple modes, this simple change adds immensely to the Aleste's offensive and defensive capabilities.

The substantial level and enemy designs are another strong point. There are an eye-popping 12 areas filled with rather different scenery and obstacle layouts. The open skies in the plains area provide plenty of room, while the enclosed spaces in the caverns area feel like a claustrophobic maze. The bad guys consist of a wide variety of drones, organic monsters, and strange-looking gunships. Perhaps the coolest area is the one entirely devoted to the heroes attacking a massive, multiple-screen boss (like a fancier version of that one scene in GG Aleste).

If there's an element that hasn't been changed, that's the two-type life system. Similar to the setup in Gunhed, the heroes normally restart from a checkpoint if they get wasted, and they must grab certain power-ups to convert regular spare lives into special lives that let them resume from where they've died instead. In any case, there are infinite credits.

Controls: Excellent

The highly responsive, fully customizable controls are perfect. Moving, attacking, and changing weapon modes are all a breeze to do, and the speed of the ship (relative to the screen) can be adjusted.

Graphics: Excellent

Super Aleste's visuals are full of rich, dazzling colors. The characters are fluidly animated, the explosions are large and fiery, and the heavily multilayered backgrounds are gorgeously textured. In the plains area, a bright morning mist blankets a green landscape covered by lush jungles and ruins. In the nebula area, stellar gases roll about over a field of shining stars. In the wrecked ship area, clouds of debris threaten to smash into the heroes from every side. The screen can be flooded with projectiles and explosions without any slowdown, and the battle platform scene makes clever use of zooming and rotation effects to always keep the gigantic boss in view.

Audio: Above Average

One problem left over from Gunhed is the heroes' virtually silent gunfire. Fortunately, the rest of the audio effects are great. The bad guys go out with forceful booms, and the vocal effects are further extended. Not only are the weapons' names called out, but the bosses give messages upon facing the heroes, too. The music leaves the hectic beats heard in the previous installments in favor of a gentler, lighter style that even incorporates piano-like sounds, lending the tunes an unusual, memorable quality.

Overall: Excellent

More than merely learning from Gunhed, Super Aleste delivers a deeply polished experience unmatched by its predecessors, thanks to its delightfully flexible weaponry, flawless controls, ultra-glossy graphics, and pleasant music. Whether they're already into the Aleste series or not, space shooter fans should definitely check out this new classic.