Alien Soldier

Alien Soldier is a sci-fi side-scrolling shooter created by Treasure exclusively for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and published in 1995.

Do you like boss battles? Do you like a lot of boss battles? How about a game that has more boss battles than the number of actual playable levels? Luckily for you, Alien Soldier is just about that. Alien Soldier is a side-scrolling 2D run and game with a nonexistent storyline designed purely to make you jealous of the creativity and skill of its developers.

The player is greeted with a highly detailed note at the start of the game. It describes a particular group, known as Scarlet, belonging to a race of genetically engineered A-Human. The leader of Scarlet (Epsilon-Eagle), also the game's protagonist, is gravely injured after a battle with a group of special force assassins. The height of the conflict causes a breach in the space-time continuum, and Epsilon-Eagle is cast into it. A new dictatorship is formed under the reign of Xi-Tiger, who is ruthless and unyielding; deciding to secure his throne, he chooses to hunt down Epsilon-Eagle himself. Upon tracking down his presence in a boy's body, Xi-Tiger takes a girl hostage and commands Epsilon-Eagle to reveal himself where the possessed boy attacks him. The story ends, and the game begins, with Xi-Tiger killing the girl and fleeing with Epsilon-Eagle on hot pursuit.

The game is staged through 25 levels, comprising 31 bosses. The battles come quickly, and boy, they come hard as players continuously brainstorm themselves, trying to dodge the enemy while figuring out a plan to destroy the newest oversized foe. It does not have progressive level plans; the game is the player fighting the whole time; the closest example would be boss rush modes in certain games.

From what I have experienced, the game is about something other than mindlessly blowing what's ahead; it requires significant preparation and proper planning. There are six varieties of primary weapons available for the player to choose from, and only four can be utilized. Each weapon holds a specific advantage over a different kind of enemy. Epsilon-Eagle can double jump, teleport, hover, switch between weapon firing stances, and many more, including a sweet charge move known as the ''Phoneix Force''.

It took me quite a while to notice the detailed, lush environments due to the game's fast-paced action. Still, the dev teams have done a fantastic job of illustrating and implementing some quality graphics into the game along with insane sound choices. Who doesn't like futuristic high-tech sound effects and pulsing game music?

Overall, I'd give 9 out of 10 and say the game is a must-have. Alien Soldiers is a game that anyone can pick up to play but also provides a satisfying amount of depth to keep you hooked on even after the hundredth bright thanks to all the different possibilities.