This game is pure dopamine and my primitive brain loves it.
Only thing that keeps it from achieving the perfect score are the controls which are a product of their time and therefore a bit unwieldy. An option to assign a dedicated dash button and quicker weapon switching would go a long way.
Only thing that keeps it from achieving the perfect score are the controls which are a product of their time and therefore a bit unwieldy. An option to assign a dedicated dash button and quicker weapon switching would go a long way.
holy shit
THE SUPEREASY MODE SPEED CONTROL FEATURE IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE IN EVERY GAME EVER MADE!!!!!!!!
muito bonito, dificil pra krl e gostoso de jogar, nem sabia q dava pra aproveitar tanta mecanica de um controle de 3 botoes, zika
Cleared on June 17th, 2023 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 12/160)
This game is a very strong contender for my favorite Sega Genesis game. I won't say that it is until I've cleared my challenge, but I would be surprised if anything else could even top it.
You play as Epsilion and as you'd expect from a game like this, you run, you gun, you jump, and you maneuver against enemies. This game is brought to you by the same developers of Gunstar Heroes which is considered their own take on Contra. You might think they should've just made a Gunstar Heroes sequel, but Alien Soldier is a lot more different than just another Contra competitor, and dare I say, I don't think I've run into another game quite like it.
On top of the traditional abilities that you have, you can also dash across the screen which will give you a brief window of invincibility while letting you reposition against the enemies, and you will need it. The game was built with this mechanic in mind.
You can hover in the air which lets you get better precision against the enemies although you can't move unless you dash which then cancels the hover. Pressing the hover button again will let you double jump. You can move on ceilings, and when your health is full, you can dash to unleash a devastating Phoenix Force except it takes a small chunk of your health. It's really negligible and only applied so you can't use it repeatedly.
On top of that, you can use a "Counter" which lets you convert most projectiles into health orbs. While they also drop from enemies, they won't usually be present in bosses and thus learning this mechanic is crucial to survive.
And guess what? The Treasure developers actually corrected the issue Gunstar had that didn't let you switch between Free or Fixed mode on a whim, and here, they have a combination that lets you switch although it's more complicated than what Contra Hard Corps would simply have you do. In fact, the controls in this game are actually very complex for a Sega Genesis game.
Some things are simple enough to understand like Jump, Shoot, Run, Hover, and Weapon Switch. However, to switch between Free and Fixed mode, you need to press the Weapon Switch button + Down. To dash, you need to press Down + Jump at the same time. To counter, you need to tap the Shoot button twice.
Keep in mind that you need to factor all of this in, master the mechanics, all while managing the four weapons you have active at a time because they aren't unlimited, so switching between the weapons you got is mandatory, but what are the weapons?
Buster Force is the standard straight line shot that fires repeatedly. It's not a bad weapon to end up with although you may have trouble getting it to connect with some of the bosses in the game.
Ranger Force is the spread shot weapon that's damage is so lacking that you should definitely avoid using above all else, especially in the mid and late game.
Flame Force is the close ranged high damage dealing shot and pretty useful if you can afford to get up close.
Homing Force is a weapon that, as the name suggests, homes projectiles at nearby enemies making it quite possibly the most versatile weapon in the game and it's not bad at dealing with bosses as long as you aren't playing Superhard Difficulty.
Sword Force is a thin beam of light that is similar to the Flamethrower that getting up close deals more damage, but the difference is that it deals more damage up close while being weaker the farther you are. I never realized it in my playthrough.
Lancer Force is my favorite weapon as it just a beam of light that deals immense damage and a must have to be able to clear out bosses much easier although it has very low ammunition count, so it's more high risk high reward.
So there is a lot you need to understand and it's not just your character you need to understand, but the bosses as well because there are 25 stages and each of them has a boss at the end. Yes, there are 25 bosses in this game and that's what the game's primary focus is on since it doesn't usually take long for you to get from one boss to the next and during these intermission periods, you're just shooting up lesser enemies to collect health orbs and countering their projectiles for that same reason, all while finding these weapon capsules which can either let you swap weapons or, by shooting it, you can force rotate it to the weapon you shot with and upgrade the ammo count.
The bosses can range from fairly easy once you get it down, notably the earlier fights, to being really tough and in general, this game is just really hard. However, there is a mercy aspect to the game called "Supereasy mode". If you are put off with being forced back to the beginning after 3 game overs, I feel you. It can be quite tedious, but given this is developed by Treasure, they took a page from Gunstar Heroes unlimited continues and incorporate it here although they don't do so by default. In order to access Supereasy mode, you need to go into the settings. On top of that, they slightly nerfed the health of the bosses which is considered a boon given how bosses all have a time limit, yeah, I did not mention that part. Plus, you can even slow down the game to give you time to react to the boss mechanics or otherwise give some extra time to switch between weapons because it's not like Ratchet and Clank where the whole game pauses to let you switch weapons.
Backed up with amazing gameplay is the space anthropomorphic aesthetic that reminds me a lot of Star Fox, and many of the bosses have impressive and creative designs. There is one I really want to gush over, but it comes too late in the game, and I don't want to spoil it even though the game came out in 1995. But let's just say you'll want to look out for Level 23.
The music itself is also pretty good and really fits the badass feel of the overall game. Charging through the enemy lines and barraging aliens in your wake. There is also a Gunstar Heroes track that was used in this game which I thought was kinda cool.
And the thing that surprised me is that the majority of the game was done by one person. He eventually had to get help to meet the deadlines and they originally planned to have 100 bosses (if it did, then this would've really been the Dark Souls of the 90s), but for what they were able to get in the game, it's impressive. I'd say I'd recommend this game to anyone looking for something really exciting, but even with the unlimited continues, I understand that the complicated controls may be too much if you aren't familiar with the Contra style of games. My advice, in this case, is to play Gunstar Heroes first and then go into this game. Even if it seems too much still, just know that the game will let you get accustom to the controls as long as it takes before you even get to the first level.
This game is a very strong contender for my favorite Sega Genesis game. I won't say that it is until I've cleared my challenge, but I would be surprised if anything else could even top it.
You play as Epsilion and as you'd expect from a game like this, you run, you gun, you jump, and you maneuver against enemies. This game is brought to you by the same developers of Gunstar Heroes which is considered their own take on Contra. You might think they should've just made a Gunstar Heroes sequel, but Alien Soldier is a lot more different than just another Contra competitor, and dare I say, I don't think I've run into another game quite like it.
On top of the traditional abilities that you have, you can also dash across the screen which will give you a brief window of invincibility while letting you reposition against the enemies, and you will need it. The game was built with this mechanic in mind.
You can hover in the air which lets you get better precision against the enemies although you can't move unless you dash which then cancels the hover. Pressing the hover button again will let you double jump. You can move on ceilings, and when your health is full, you can dash to unleash a devastating Phoenix Force except it takes a small chunk of your health. It's really negligible and only applied so you can't use it repeatedly.
On top of that, you can use a "Counter" which lets you convert most projectiles into health orbs. While they also drop from enemies, they won't usually be present in bosses and thus learning this mechanic is crucial to survive.
And guess what? The Treasure developers actually corrected the issue Gunstar had that didn't let you switch between Free or Fixed mode on a whim, and here, they have a combination that lets you switch although it's more complicated than what Contra Hard Corps would simply have you do. In fact, the controls in this game are actually very complex for a Sega Genesis game.
Some things are simple enough to understand like Jump, Shoot, Run, Hover, and Weapon Switch. However, to switch between Free and Fixed mode, you need to press the Weapon Switch button + Down. To dash, you need to press Down + Jump at the same time. To counter, you need to tap the Shoot button twice.
Keep in mind that you need to factor all of this in, master the mechanics, all while managing the four weapons you have active at a time because they aren't unlimited, so switching between the weapons you got is mandatory, but what are the weapons?
Buster Force is the standard straight line shot that fires repeatedly. It's not a bad weapon to end up with although you may have trouble getting it to connect with some of the bosses in the game.
Ranger Force is the spread shot weapon that's damage is so lacking that you should definitely avoid using above all else, especially in the mid and late game.
Flame Force is the close ranged high damage dealing shot and pretty useful if you can afford to get up close.
Homing Force is a weapon that, as the name suggests, homes projectiles at nearby enemies making it quite possibly the most versatile weapon in the game and it's not bad at dealing with bosses as long as you aren't playing Superhard Difficulty.
Sword Force is a thin beam of light that is similar to the Flamethrower that getting up close deals more damage, but the difference is that it deals more damage up close while being weaker the farther you are. I never realized it in my playthrough.
Lancer Force is my favorite weapon as it just a beam of light that deals immense damage and a must have to be able to clear out bosses much easier although it has very low ammunition count, so it's more high risk high reward.
So there is a lot you need to understand and it's not just your character you need to understand, but the bosses as well because there are 25 stages and each of them has a boss at the end. Yes, there are 25 bosses in this game and that's what the game's primary focus is on since it doesn't usually take long for you to get from one boss to the next and during these intermission periods, you're just shooting up lesser enemies to collect health orbs and countering their projectiles for that same reason, all while finding these weapon capsules which can either let you swap weapons or, by shooting it, you can force rotate it to the weapon you shot with and upgrade the ammo count.
The bosses can range from fairly easy once you get it down, notably the earlier fights, to being really tough and in general, this game is just really hard. However, there is a mercy aspect to the game called "Supereasy mode". If you are put off with being forced back to the beginning after 3 game overs, I feel you. It can be quite tedious, but given this is developed by Treasure, they took a page from Gunstar Heroes unlimited continues and incorporate it here although they don't do so by default. In order to access Supereasy mode, you need to go into the settings. On top of that, they slightly nerfed the health of the bosses which is considered a boon given how bosses all have a time limit, yeah, I did not mention that part. Plus, you can even slow down the game to give you time to react to the boss mechanics or otherwise give some extra time to switch between weapons because it's not like Ratchet and Clank where the whole game pauses to let you switch weapons.
Backed up with amazing gameplay is the space anthropomorphic aesthetic that reminds me a lot of Star Fox, and many of the bosses have impressive and creative designs. There is one I really want to gush over, but it comes too late in the game, and I don't want to spoil it even though the game came out in 1995. But let's just say you'll want to look out for Level 23.
The music itself is also pretty good and really fits the badass feel of the overall game. Charging through the enemy lines and barraging aliens in your wake. There is also a Gunstar Heroes track that was used in this game which I thought was kinda cool.
And the thing that surprised me is that the majority of the game was done by one person. He eventually had to get help to meet the deadlines and they originally planned to have 100 bosses (if it did, then this would've really been the Dark Souls of the 90s), but for what they were able to get in the game, it's impressive. I'd say I'd recommend this game to anyone looking for something really exciting, but even with the unlimited continues, I understand that the complicated controls may be too much if you aren't familiar with the Contra style of games. My advice, in this case, is to play Gunstar Heroes first and then go into this game. Even if it seems too much still, just know that the game will let you get accustom to the controls as long as it takes before you even get to the first level.
Alien Soldier was good. I liked how the game gave you a tutorial within a menu and you can actually move the character around whilst in said menu. Great for beginners like me, but it was very chaotic at times where you'd end up walking on the ceiling, having to switch weapons on the fly, and how intense some moments get. It was very fun.
This game is so goddamn cool. Genuinely, about five minutes of playing it were enough for the thought to cross my mind that “holy shit, sega was the better console maker all along”. I guess thats wrong since it took a Nintendo console for us burgers to even get this game, but in spirit, my mind may have had a point…
One of the hardest games ive played but i kind of liked this game.
Cool but difficult
The only thing holding this game back is the Genesis controller.
This game is insanely difficult for the wrong reasons. It’s constant barrage of enemies mixed with an extremely strict time limit AND having to swap weapons through a weapon wheel ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Is a perfect example of bad game design. It’s probably one of the worst games on the Sega Genesis Classics collection
o jogo mais dificil do mundo
Most experienced people know of Treasure, the game company that brought us Radiant Silvergun, Dynamite Headdy, Gunstar Heroes, Ikagura, Wario World, Mischief Makers, the list goes on. They are somewhat of a legendary companies for hardcore gamers. Yet their game barely crosses the obscure when speaking of titles such as Alien Soldier, an action-packed side-scrolling with speed that rivals even the Contra series itself with its persistent tension, the game is notoriously one of the hardest game on the Genesis and could best be described as one hour of boss rush with intermissions. There is little recycled content, each 25 stages unique and lasting only less than one minute each, save for the final boss. Alien Soldier ranks as one of my favorite exclusive on the system
El juego puede ser algo complicado de entender los controles al principio, pero se pasa rápido y tienes acción por do quier, jefes increíbles, una presentación genial, un estilo artístico muy bueno y una dificultad desafiante. Aunque, como todos aquí, lo jugamos en super fácil, porque no me creo que alguien se pase el superhard salvo muy pocos en este mundo, y se nota, solo puedes morir una vez. En super fácil sigue siendo desafíante, y recompensador y sumamente divertido, pero el reto y el verdadero final, solo está reservado a un nicho muy profundo, y lastimosamente no soy uno de esos, pero igualmente en super easy (que no es fácil, para nada) es igualmente un desafío.
This game kicks my ass and I love it.
Such a weird game, yet its fast paced gameplay is incredibly stellar.
Fuck Seven Force though, I hate that boss fight with almost all of my being. Gonna just skip to Level 21 so I can literally do anything else.
Update: I have decided to stop playing the game. It is by all intents and purposes a good game, hell I'd argue it's a great game, but fuck me man. Hitting Level 20, the boss level with Seven Force... Jesus Fuck. I have spent the past several days just trying to figure this boss out. Eventually I had grown so tired of the boss fight, having played it over and over and achieving the same result, cue some unfunny Far Cry 3 joke, I resorted to using a password to just skip to the next level. After that I played a bit further and realized that I was exhausted from playing this game constantly, and that I needed to stop.
Alien Soldier, at least up until Level 20 for me personally, is a fantastic and fast paced experience. But Seven Force... seriously, never have I fought a boss that made me feel like I was taking years (that being hyperbole) to get through it, and I play RPGs on the regular.
Regardless, you should give this game a try, as it's somehow one of the most obscure Genesis games I've ever heard of (though I could be wrong). There is a lot about this game that is really good, just keep in mind that if you're not like, really into 2D Action Games, this may not be the game for you.
Fuck Seven Force though, I hate that boss fight with almost all of my being. Gonna just skip to Level 21 so I can literally do anything else.
Update: I have decided to stop playing the game. It is by all intents and purposes a good game, hell I'd argue it's a great game, but fuck me man. Hitting Level 20, the boss level with Seven Force... Jesus Fuck. I have spent the past several days just trying to figure this boss out. Eventually I had grown so tired of the boss fight, having played it over and over and achieving the same result, cue some unfunny Far Cry 3 joke, I resorted to using a password to just skip to the next level. After that I played a bit further and realized that I was exhausted from playing this game constantly, and that I needed to stop.
Alien Soldier, at least up until Level 20 for me personally, is a fantastic and fast paced experience. But Seven Force... seriously, never have I fought a boss that made me feel like I was taking years (that being hyperbole) to get through it, and I play RPGs on the regular.
Regardless, you should give this game a try, as it's somehow one of the most obscure Genesis games I've ever heard of (though I could be wrong). There is a lot about this game that is really good, just keep in mind that if you're not like, really into 2D Action Games, this may not be the game for you.
Muy chulo pero dificil de cojones
If this game was given more development time it would probably be the very best of it's genre.
The graphics are amazing, the music is fantastic, and for how little development time this actually had it's genuinely impressive it's this good.
The graphics are amazing, the music is fantastic, and for how little development time this actually had it's genuinely impressive it's this good.
Any game by treasure deserves fucking respect. And this one does, love the sci fi setting (the playable character is cool af!!!) and the game offers a really tense difficult challenge for those willing to face it.
this game grinds u into the dirt u learn it piece by piece it is so rewarding
Absolutely bonkers, and incredibly creative.
It sucks how this was hidden behind a download online service for us Americans.
Outside of that, sick as game with a better Seven Force theme than Gunstar Heroes
Outside of that, sick as game with a better Seven Force theme than Gunstar Heroes
This review contains spoilers
A game that I find is criminally under appreciated is a title by the name of Alien Soldier.
Published by SEGA and developed by Treasure (Other titles they’re responsible for are Gunstar Heroes, Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun, Mischief Makers, and Gradius V too!)
The game is a sidescrolling run’n’gun- it plays quite a lot like Gunstar Heroes, in fact there’s a few returning faces and nods to it in the game itself.
(If i remember correctly the plot is even very loosely tied to Gunstar!)
You play as Epsilon Eagle an alien super soldier bird-person who has some of the most delicious thighs I’ve ever seen.
holy shit
E.E. has a total of six different weapons to choose from. You can equip four at the start of the game, and switch’em to whatever else whenever a weapon capsule pops up.
Eagle also has the ability to perform the Zero-Dash which allows them to quickly warp from one spot to another, completely unscathed in the process allowing for high speed maneuver and evasion.
Activating Zero-Dash at maximum health causes Epsilon to transform into a blazing phoenix throughout the maneuver and wreaking havoc on anything it comes in contact with. It’s incredibly deadly to larger targets, able to even obliterate certain bosses in a single blow.
Another thing Eagle is able to do is parry projectiles.
To either reflect them
imageimage
Or to absorb the bullets, convert them into health, replenish their health gauge and quickly counterattack with a flaming zero-dash.
And of course, being a Treasure game, there’s always usually a plethora of boss fights. There’s thirty in this one and they’ve all got incredible designs. I love them all to bits.
Please play Alien Soldier, it like the company responsible for it are an absolute Treasure.
Published by SEGA and developed by Treasure (Other titles they’re responsible for are Gunstar Heroes, Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun, Mischief Makers, and Gradius V too!)
The game is a sidescrolling run’n’gun- it plays quite a lot like Gunstar Heroes, in fact there’s a few returning faces and nods to it in the game itself.
(If i remember correctly the plot is even very loosely tied to Gunstar!)
You play as Epsilon Eagle an alien super soldier bird-person who has some of the most delicious thighs I’ve ever seen.
holy shit
E.E. has a total of six different weapons to choose from. You can equip four at the start of the game, and switch’em to whatever else whenever a weapon capsule pops up.
Eagle also has the ability to perform the Zero-Dash which allows them to quickly warp from one spot to another, completely unscathed in the process allowing for high speed maneuver and evasion.
Activating Zero-Dash at maximum health causes Epsilon to transform into a blazing phoenix throughout the maneuver and wreaking havoc on anything it comes in contact with. It’s incredibly deadly to larger targets, able to even obliterate certain bosses in a single blow.
Another thing Eagle is able to do is parry projectiles.
To either reflect them
imageimage
Or to absorb the bullets, convert them into health, replenish their health gauge and quickly counterattack with a flaming zero-dash.
And of course, being a Treasure game, there’s always usually a plethora of boss fights. There’s thirty in this one and they’ve all got incredible designs. I love them all to bits.
Please play Alien Soldier, it like the company responsible for it are an absolute Treasure.
Abandonado en el nivel 20, no me apetece seguir.
Todo está enredado de más. Gráficamente es como jugar a través de un cristal translúcido, el doble salto es en realidad triple con una parada a mitad (se intuye que es el muñeco flotando pero se siente como colgarlo de un perchero) y hasta cambiar de arma requiere un proceso de varios pasos. Barreras y barreras en un juego complejo antes que profundo. Un juego que exige atención, dedicación y aprendizaje sin dar satisfacción a cambio. Jugarlo en paralelo a Kung-Fu Master es revelador.
Todo está enredado de más. Gráficamente es como jugar a través de un cristal translúcido, el doble salto es en realidad triple con una parada a mitad (se intuye que es el muñeco flotando pero se siente como colgarlo de un perchero) y hasta cambiar de arma requiere un proceso de varios pasos. Barreras y barreras en un juego complejo antes que profundo. Un juego que exige atención, dedicación y aprendizaje sin dar satisfacción a cambio. Jugarlo en paralelo a Kung-Fu Master es revelador.
Incredibly cool, feels great, but I do think Gunstar Heroes is a the better run n gun. No one made them like treasure though
Cool moveset but ultimately somewhat one-note
Das beste Videospiel auf der Mega Drive
a really fucking hard run and gun that was unfortunately cut short by a rocky dev cycle; its unorthodox gameplay style really challenges you to learn the ins and outs of how to play it effectively.
Cool game. Boss rushes are fun and I appreciate all the variety brought to the table. The weapons feel pretty good to use and the birdman main character is cool. Only problem is I don't like fighting half the bosses. Too many can only be damaged in small weak spots that are infuriatingly guarded by their invincible limbs and even certain weapons just don't work on some bosses for some reason. Yeah I get that a flame weapon wouldn't work underwater but if you're suddenly going to make the last part of an already annoying 5-phase boss underwater I'd really appreciate if you didn't lock away half my weapons. Not to say there aren't fun fights but the annoying ones really dominated my experience since they took the longest to beat. The visuals are impressive given the system but I'm not a huge fan of the way some of the bosses are animated with their limbs floating around like puppets.
Este juego no tiene piedad con nadie, jodidamente difícil y casi no hay momentos de descanso.
Y POR ESO ME ENCANTO, una banda sonora estupenda, gráficos excelentes, una jugabilidad frenética, muy divertida donde sera necesario elegir 4 tipos de disparos con sus ventajas y desventajas, además de ir aumentando la capacidad de las mismas, y por ultimo, jefes que pondrán a prueba tus reflejos. A lo mucho la única cosa negativa es cierto bajón de FPS en uno de los últimos niveles, pero realmente no afecta en casi nada y de hecho el juego se mantiene corriendo.
Sin duda, lo mejor que ha hecho Treasure en la Sega Genesis y también, mi juego favorito de dicha consola.
Y POR ESO ME ENCANTO, una banda sonora estupenda, gráficos excelentes, una jugabilidad frenética, muy divertida donde sera necesario elegir 4 tipos de disparos con sus ventajas y desventajas, además de ir aumentando la capacidad de las mismas, y por ultimo, jefes que pondrán a prueba tus reflejos. A lo mucho la única cosa negativa es cierto bajón de FPS en uno de los últimos niveles, pero realmente no afecta en casi nada y de hecho el juego se mantiene corriendo.
Sin duda, lo mejor que ha hecho Treasure en la Sega Genesis y también, mi juego favorito de dicha consola.