Genesis REVIEWS: Alien Soldier
When you read those memes making fun of early 90's game translations, all those grammatical disasters and unintentional comedy gold, it is games like Alien Soldier that are usually featured. Starting with a grand story that crumbles with the slightest knowledge of grammar and sentence structure, Alien Soldier nevertheless manages to be a grand game in its own right.
The chaos in its opening story can never be put to order, but if you can master the chaos in its gameplay, then this can be a deep and fulfilling classic shooter.
Tips:
Series:
For those reading one of my Genesis review blogs for the first time, here is the basic concept:
I already reviewed a bunch of SNES games, so, naturally, I am going to review the games of its prime competition. Does the SEGA Genesis stand a chance against the legendary SNES library?
My review series is based on the top 100 list of Retro Sanctuary
Originally, I posted most of my content on a football forum called "Goallegacy," which was the first online community I had ever joined. I found it to be the best place for a football fan (the REAL football, not handegg) to hang out on the internet, but the forum is not as active as it was years ago.Next Game:
So, here is the first Treasure game that I kinda liked. As usual, though, Treasure's ability to use the Genesis hardware is undermined by how they use it. You don't feel there is a consistent art direction on any of their games.
Anyways, next game on the list is the classic Capcom action-platformer, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, which sits at #32 in Retro Sanctuary's list. Hope it is as good as the SNES game.
Stay Tuned.For Previous Genesis Game Reviews:
The chaos in its opening story can never be put to order, but if you can master the chaos in its gameplay, then this can be a deep and fulfilling classic shooter.
34: Alien Soldier:-
Year: 1995.
Genre: Shooter.
Publisher: Sega.
Developer: Treasure.
"The planner Sierra is gripped by fear and is in the midst of a deep crisis"
Obviously, the designers thought they had something with the game's plot. After all, with a grand musical opening, the game's story scrolls onto the screen, with sounds and visuals promising an epic sci-fi adventure. Then you realize that the quote above is probably the only tangible thing in the entire narrative.
It's not only that the entire script, and it's a long one, is simply poorly written. Its that it's a poorly written script of an ill-conceived story. Somehow assuming the player has full knowledge of the terminologies of its universe, Alien Soldier assaults your brain with a ridiculously complicated narrative where your character, Epsilon-something, is both the good and the bad guy, and apparently there are parasite things, which are apparently related to your Epsilon-ness, and... just damn.
Usually, I like to take quotes from the game and put them in my reviews, but in this case, I cannot lift any sentence from the game and present it as a semi-readable line.
The chaos in the story doesn't only confine itself to the text, but extends to the rest of the game. Simply put, the stylistic choices in the game don't mesh well, and the entire thing is a garbled mess. At one point, you are in a futuristic-looking city, at another, you are riding in a 1950s-style subway.
Characters, enemies, and bosses do not seem like they belong to the same universe, yet they are in the same game. Of course, why should they all fit when the player character himself doesn't fit with anything else?
"Xi-Tiger something something"
Alien Soldier's gameplay is no less chaotic than its story, and at first, it seems like a mindless shooter hell-bent on robbing coins in a seedy arcade parlor. Except, it's robbing your time at home. That is, until you realize how all of its varied systems work, and then you see how, beneath all the chaos and visual carnival, there is actually a deep and engaging game.
First, you get the choice of four different weapons from a choice of six. Each weapon is theoretically useful in some situations, but there are clearly better choices. Right off the bat, I recommend using the Homing and laser force weapons.
Second, realize that this is a game that values mobility and reflexes. You can dash through enemies to the other end of the screen, and that can put you away from danger as well as in better positions to dish out some damage. You can also guard against some enemy attacks, changing their projectiles into precious health. With full health, your dash becomes a phoenix charge that does some serious damage.
Finally, realize that the game is mostly boss rush mode with a short distraction between each boss. This is not your Contra game, where the boss is the culmination of a challenging level, but this is a level that simply prepares you to face a challenging boss.
With different weapons, the ability to charge and guard, the odds are clearly in your favor. Except that dying basically ensures you are going to have a hard time completing the game. In theory, you could die and continue. However, when you die, you lose all of your acquired power-ups, reducing your offensive power significantly.
Also, the correct use of your abilities will need some practice, as the game is fast and doesn't give you time to think.
In that regard, the game's somewhat easy "supereasy" mode gives the players the chance to familiarize themselves with the game's systems, so that they can challenge the seriously difficult "superhard" mode.
"......."
With uninspired and loosely fitted artistic choices and a lot of gameplay feedback to process due to the chaos in its gameplay, Alien Soldier's visuals had a huge task in hand. Thankfully, the game manages to look good even if the design choices aren't interesting.
More importantly, the game manages to convey all the chaos on screen clearly, and as such, you are able to see where each threat is coming from and can decide on the best course of action.
Sprites are uninteresting, but they are well-detailed, and bosses look menacing even if they look like they have nothing to do with the base game. Hell, even the player character manages not to be a total wash. Still, Epsilon-birdman would probably have fit more with Starfox's crew than this game.
In sound, the game is good, and sometimes manages to even impress. In fact, the only consistent artistic choice is the game's music, which fits into a sci-fi game. It manages to tether an otherwise garbled mash-up of styles to a single theme, and that's just as hard as it looks.
In Conclusion:
Mechanically, Alien Soldier is a very good game. Unfortunately, its setting is weird and uninteresting. Hence, you might have fun playing the game, but the game struggles to be memorable.
There are games that are not as mechanically good, but due to their setting, they are probably more highly regarded. Still, if you can ignore the garbled mess that is its story, Alien Soldier's gameplay might just captivate you.
Final: 7/10 (Recommende for genre fans)
Obviously, the designers thought they had something with the game's plot. After all, with a grand musical opening, the game's story scrolls onto the screen, with sounds and visuals promising an epic sci-fi adventure. Then you realize that the quote above is probably the only tangible thing in the entire narrative.
It's not only that the entire script, and it's a long one, is simply poorly written. Its that it's a poorly written script of an ill-conceived story. Somehow assuming the player has full knowledge of the terminologies of its universe, Alien Soldier assaults your brain with a ridiculously complicated narrative where your character, Epsilon-something, is both the good and the bad guy, and apparently there are parasite things, which are apparently related to your Epsilon-ness, and... just damn.
 |
| The hatred became bitter ... ??! |
Usually, I like to take quotes from the game and put them in my reviews, but in this case, I cannot lift any sentence from the game and present it as a semi-readable line.
The chaos in the story doesn't only confine itself to the text, but extends to the rest of the game. Simply put, the stylistic choices in the game don't mesh well, and the entire thing is a garbled mess. At one point, you are in a futuristic-looking city, at another, you are riding in a 1950s-style subway.
Characters, enemies, and bosses do not seem like they belong to the same universe, yet they are in the same game. Of course, why should they all fit when the player character himself doesn't fit with anything else?
"Xi-Tiger something something"
Alien Soldier's gameplay is no less chaotic than its story, and at first, it seems like a mindless shooter hell-bent on robbing coins in a seedy arcade parlor. Except, it's robbing your time at home. That is, until you realize how all of its varied systems work, and then you see how, beneath all the chaos and visual carnival, there is actually a deep and engaging game.
First, you get the choice of four different weapons from a choice of six. Each weapon is theoretically useful in some situations, but there are clearly better choices. Right off the bat, I recommend using the Homing and laser force weapons.
Second, realize that this is a game that values mobility and reflexes. You can dash through enemies to the other end of the screen, and that can put you away from danger as well as in better positions to dish out some damage. You can also guard against some enemy attacks, changing their projectiles into precious health. With full health, your dash becomes a phoenix charge that does some serious damage.
 |
| Most of the game is simply challenging boss battles |
Finally, realize that the game is mostly boss rush mode with a short distraction between each boss. This is not your Contra game, where the boss is the culmination of a challenging level, but this is a level that simply prepares you to face a challenging boss.
With different weapons, the ability to charge and guard, the odds are clearly in your favor. Except that dying basically ensures you are going to have a hard time completing the game. In theory, you could die and continue. However, when you die, you lose all of your acquired power-ups, reducing your offensive power significantly.
Also, the correct use of your abilities will need some practice, as the game is fast and doesn't give you time to think.
In that regard, the game's somewhat easy "supereasy" mode gives the players the chance to familiarize themselves with the game's systems, so that they can challenge the seriously difficult "superhard" mode.
"......."
With uninspired and loosely fitted artistic choices and a lot of gameplay feedback to process due to the chaos in its gameplay, Alien Soldier's visuals had a huge task in hand. Thankfully, the game manages to look good even if the design choices aren't interesting.
More importantly, the game manages to convey all the chaos on screen clearly, and as such, you are able to see where each threat is coming from and can decide on the best course of action.
 |
| And many times you will need to make split-second decisions in the middle of chaos |
Sprites are uninteresting, but they are well-detailed, and bosses look menacing even if they look like they have nothing to do with the base game. Hell, even the player character manages not to be a total wash. Still, Epsilon-birdman would probably have fit more with Starfox's crew than this game.
In sound, the game is good, and sometimes manages to even impress. In fact, the only consistent artistic choice is the game's music, which fits into a sci-fi game. It manages to tether an otherwise garbled mash-up of styles to a single theme, and that's just as hard as it looks.
In Conclusion:
Mechanically, Alien Soldier is a very good game. Unfortunately, its setting is weird and uninteresting. Hence, you might have fun playing the game, but the game struggles to be memorable.
There are games that are not as mechanically good, but due to their setting, they are probably more highly regarded. Still, if you can ignore the garbled mess that is its story, Alien Soldier's gameplay might just captivate you.
Final: 7/10 (Recommende for genre fans)
 |
| That's one fat Samurai, Alien, Mechanical Bug thing |
Pros:
- Great action gameplay
- Challenging but fair
- Cool bosses
- Good graphics
- Good music
Cons:
- Confusing story
- Non-cohesive world design
Tips:
- Never EVER have an arsenal without Homing force.
- When picking up an upgrade, make sure not to pick up the wrong weapon.
- To upgrade a weapon, equip it, and pick up an upgrade with the same icon.
- Make sure to counter guard often, as it changes enemy projectiles to health.
- Dashing is your best strategy; learn that distance by heart.
Series:
For those reading one of my Genesis review blogs for the first time, here is the basic concept:I already reviewed a bunch of SNES games, so, naturally, I am going to review the games of its prime competition. Does the SEGA Genesis stand a chance against the legendary SNES library?
My review series is based on the top 100 list of Retro Sanctuary
Originally, I posted most of my content on a football forum called "Goallegacy," which was the first online community I had ever joined. I found it to be the best place for a football fan (the REAL football, not handegg) to hang out on the internet, but the forum is not as active as it was years ago.
Next Game:
So, here is the first Treasure game that I kinda liked. As usual, though, Treasure's ability to use the Genesis hardware is undermined by how they use it. You don't feel there is a consistent art direction on any of their games.Anyways, next game on the list is the classic Capcom action-platformer, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, which sits at #32 in Retro Sanctuary's list. Hope it is as good as the SNES game.
Stay Tuned.
For Previous Genesis Game Reviews:
This blog was originally posted in Destructoid Community Blogs on October 20th, 2017. The blog was slightly edited to fit my newer review format.
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