Alien Storm (Genesis)

Do you want to believe about alien's existence? Regardless your answer, i hope they're not obnoxious presence toward humanity. At least not all of them. Sega try to convince me that aliens are grotesque abominations via "Alien storm" (1990, 1991).  

You don't put space between two words there, Sega? Well, whatever. It's not mere alien invasion (like what Keroro Gunsou and Co do), it's alien storm which is storm of invading alien. Like storm of Syrian refugee to Europe, but they won't eat you whole like these aliens. It's hard not to mention about an eye on that hole. It's small detail but caught attention enough especially it's moving around like a thief to check whether his/her target (convenience store, empty house, or other premise) is safe to "visit". Also the alien who has that eye looks like lack of sleep judging by how red its eye is.   

 

I start the game with 1 player unlike when i'm elementary schooler where i play this game often with my elder brother. You get Gordon the male hero, Karla the female heroine and Scooter the robot (not the country-accent chap who is owner/inventor of Catch-A-Ride in Borderlands series) as playable character. Back there, we both want to be the robot (it's male romance, all right). We resolve it peacefully by taking turn to be Scooter and Gordon among us every time we play. If you expect some bloody-sibling-conflict story. I'm sorry. This character selection screen that features skull reminds me the one that Golden Axe has.

Golden Axe (Sega Genesis/Megadrive)

Yep, but the differences are really obvious. For instance: in Golden Axe, you get whole skeleton to be choosing platform and the selected characters is in the front and highlighted a bit. While in Alien Storm, you get metallic two-faced skull that emit holographic beam of your selected character. I can hardly tell which one is cooler than the other. Thing for sure is: the selection skeleton in Golden Axe is scary and on later stage you will fight annoying skeletons which are bad scores in my opinion. Elementary-schooler me is reluctant to play as female character. So to break that "taboo", i'll be playing as Karla.

 

Mission #1: Save the people. I don't think these mother and son are being threatened. The aliens are just eager to play with them. The 1 alien on the left are hop scotching in a place gleefully. While the alien on the right looks like want to pet the boy's head but he don't want to and turns away making the alien's heart break in sadness. Like me when i want to do the same thing toward a over-cautious stray cat. I know that disappointed sad feeling. Very much.

 

The default controls: directional button to move, A button for screen-clearing bomb, B button to attack, and C button to roll forward. Actually, the real reason why i pick Karla: because i'm Pyro within deep of my soul (if you're my-blog loyal reader, you probably knew this). The only one who fits to this reason is none other than the flame-thrower-wielder lass here. It always my pleasure to burn down any digital human/creature. :p

 

One of the big-mouth alien turns into fly when it's dead. Further harm toward the fly, will make it drop this energy battery that will fill the energy bar. You should remember this fact as it's quite crucial. I will explain the reason later.

 

The attack button alone will makes the hero do his/her weapon attacks that can be chained as combo. Pressing attack button during rolling will make the hero do tiger-sprong attack as you can see in this screenshot. This alien think that it looks cute to use barrel as its shell and camouflage means. No, you're still dangerous monster that need to be exterminated even with that puppy/kitten eyes. But i admire your camouflage tactic and your friend there that still hides under the barrel. You can't fool me.

You can press left or right twice to make our hero runs. Pressing attack button during running will make he/she executes running smack, passing alien doing hefty damage. Here's the thing: any attack except running smack and tiger-sprong attack, will deplete energy bar. Not in alarming rate though. Every 10 or so weapon attacks will decrease the energy bar a bit. Nonetheless, it's important to conserve the energy reserve and collect energy battery as much as you can. If you don't want end up swiping your weapon as ineffective bat (also can't do combo attack at all) instead of lethal anti-alien weapon which is very bad situation. Also your screen-clearing bomb will costs your energy big time.  

 

I though Karla's running attack is bitch slap. But this screenshot shows us that she slashes alien with parang or machete. My bad. 1 running attack deals damage quite equal to 1 weapon attack but it has small and fast hitting spot and running toward enemies to proceed with very-short-range attack will certainly makes you vulnerable unless you're either swift enough or lucky. Tiger-sprong attack has long distance of throwing yourself toward enemy but deal minimum damage. Furthermore when you bump enemy (most of it will be knocked away) with this move, you will be paused for awhile leaving you defenseless against its fellows. Even though these non-energy-consuming moves are cumbersome. I'm often using them thanks to my penurious tendency and my elder brother advice that's welded firmly in my brain since very long time ago. Especially, the former reason.

 

Finally, i meet the mother and her son at the mission-introduction screen. Of course i save them by killing the aliens that "threaten" them. Burning someone/something is good, kid. As long as you do it with utmost responsible.

Karla enters a warehouse not far from the previous rescue location. Then the gameplay change into crosshair shooter. The enemies are just these caterpillar like type. They throw themselves at the heroes and curling into organic spiked ball at mid-air. They're pretty easy to dispatch because of how long they take time to manage hurt me. Other thing to blast are walls and crates. As they can contain energy battery or medkit, i suggest you destroy every part of this stage that remain intact. At this stage you can do nothing but shoot your weapon, so Sega kindly put relief on the player by making the hero's shots won't consume energy at all. Or so i thought as i'm not sure myself. So i keep blasting the stage and enemies economically as my stingy instinct suggests.

 

After he and his mother were bullied by gremlin aliens. Now his house is being gnawed by another gremlin alien while he's chased by another one. See if i can help you just in time. In the mean time, keep running, boyo!

 

I arrived near that boy's house. But i didn't cross path with him on my way here. Let's hope he's saved by Man in Black nearby. Least i can do is to save his house from that munching gremlin over there, once i deal with this creeper alien that disguised as (upside-down) garbage bin and mail bin.

 

The house is quite rescued. But now, i'm surrounded. Needless to say that at this situation using non-energy weapon attack become much much difficult. At least for 100%. So i have to attack them using ammo more often, with some little occasion i slash them. Worth to mention that rolling can provide you with quick re-position when you're cornered.

 

After few quarrel with those aliens, they suddenly grow wings or spider leg and flee. Get back here, cowards!

 

Then this ugly big alien become my opponent. From her gunning pose there, i suppose Karla wants to be cast of Bond Girl. But she had tough luck in movie industry instead she become alien-burning heroine in real life. About this alien, it's quite simple to deal with. It alternatively shoot green zap to his front and his back. The front green zap has shorter range than the back ones but it occasionally shoot its eye crust if you're in front of it. Disgusting! By the way, using non-energy attack is pretty much suicide. Hope you saved quite lot of energy at this point.

 

But, once defeated. The eye-crust-shooting alien become these fly aliens that will drop energy battery if you kill them.  

 

After that boss fight, the gameplay shifts from side-scrolling beat 'em up like into side-scrolling shooter. As Karla is deprived from melee attack, she is stuck with shooting fireball from her trusty flamethrower. I can't complain about this magnificent gameplay, but it makes me worry about my energy bar. Again, this is just me being stingy toward limited asset.

 

Next mission introduction shows us that the aliens are smart that they try to disguise themselves as humans. Even without this advanced intel, we can figure about their disguise by grey skin in their human form or they're really different from civilian.

 

Mission 3 introduces you with Papatong [Sundanesse for 'Dragonfly'] aliens. Notably at latter stages, they can either swiftly grab you then release you in mid-air or stings you with needle-like tongue if you attempt to execute running attack at them. But you can do it once they're in downed pose which is levitating fetal position unlike other aliens that lay on the ground. Did i forget to mention that you can perform attack at downed enemies? Because you can, but it costs energy if you do it often. So i kind of late to inform you that.

 

I know you disguise as mail bin over there, creeper. As for you who pretend to be lamp post. Drop it!

 

No, gremlin! You're about to claw my face not asking me to high-five. While you, lady in red with your son. No matter how many sale promotions in this aliens-infested store, you must evacuate away from it instead push your (and your son's) luck like this. I want to show you that there is giant type of gremlin aliens but i forgot to screenshoot that. My apology.

 

I believe the concept of 'duel' is one on one intense fight. Not handicapped battle between a human Vs alien swarm, Sega.  

 

Those aliens jump from manhole, hoping to surprise me. No, i didn't surprise. Instead i wonder the reason why those alien prefer fighting a lass with flamethrower rather than fighting teenage mutant ninja turtles on that sewer. My best guess: 4 is better than 1. Even though the 4 (turtles) wield katana, nunchaku, sai, and bo staff which are more obsolete than flamethrower. 

I have energy bar that is approximately half filled. So i start to burn those energy. Small aliens can be combo'ed with 2 attacks while the big mouth up to 4 attacks depend on the distance between the hero and the aliens. The thing is: i don't know which combo does more damage than the other. Unlike say, Golden Axe in which the closer distance while combo-ing means bigger damage. If the more hit means more damage then combo with Karla thumps the alien with the flamethrower twice before the finishing, is the maximum-damage-dealt combo. But my personal  favorite is this one: she quickly swipe her side-arm: UZI, then shoot its whole clip before final attack. It's definitely looks more painful than battering with flamethrower. Both combo are executed in medium distance to the aliens.

Yes, i will help myself for energy batteries that i can pillage salvage. Electronic Electric store should be perfect place to find them.

Can't you see i'm busy? This time i manage to screenshoot that giant gremlin aliens that i mentioned before. But it does nothing except jaywalks on the farthest plane. Not even a glance toward me when i sends firestream to it. The arrogant git.

Depend on what laboratory is this? If it's used for unethical experiment. I reluctant to do so. Even it's just to perform simple alchemist experiment. I hesitate to save the laboratory as i hate chemistry.

The laser turrets on ceiling harm me instead of these aliens. And that CCTV camera is only as good as alien's chewing toy. Whoever incompetent idiot that's responsible in this laboratory security. I say: good job there, buddy! *obviously sarcasm*

Human brains?! That's it! I will burn all down. Of course, including the aliens too. Also i'm taking all batteries and that medkit over there. Consider yourself lucky that your employee aren't all eaten (by the aliens), Umbrella Corp.

Night crawler? But this is still evening. Oh, sorry! I have to get there ASAP. Before there's more civilian being eaten like that chubby gentleman over there.

Okay that's really bad disguise there. 100 times worse than a RED Spy disguises as BLU Medic, when the BLU team doesn't have a Medic at all.

Here i want to show you: 1) plant aliens that can't be killed and will barf alien pollen at you should you near them also at the same z-plane; 2) Karla's utter craziness recklessness by throwing grenade to alien at point-blank range. It's another video game's miracle regarding a character's dangerous action that may injure his/her own arm but his/her arm is still fine, besides Executioner in Clash Royale.

Oh! It's another that eye-crust shooting alien. Once i'm done with this acrobatic shooting, i will proceed to relentlessly singe your backside like your deceased peer. I imitated the art box from original cover but in the origin Karla do it with the same alien in Stage 2 instead on this stage. To do this acrobat attack: run, press roll button, then press attack button.

 

Oh! What's this? You turn into levitating fleshy beehive with many eyes and cannons. Lovely! *Sarcasm*. This alien is more tricky than its former form. It shoots in 6 spots alternatively which are: upper back, middle back, lower back, upper front, middle front, and lower front. Rigorous hit-and-run is the key to defeat it efficiently. Do note: this alien has post-hit invincibility. Once it's obliterated, it turns into fly aliens so you can replenish your lost energy from those rough battles.

But there's not much time for Karla to respite. As she must chases and cripples this UFO that's presumably HQ for these aliens. What it does: flying in low altitude and throws these explosive hair-rollers at her. Also whenever it gets enough damage, its part falls behind that can harm Karla. So there's that.

 

Now that the UFO is damaged badly (only at the backside, though). It becomes stranded and this is good chance to destroy it for good. While waiting for towing UFO to carry their UFO, the aliens hide in the bushes hoping they can ambush me. But, our advanced intel spoils alien's cunning plan, again. Thank you, SEGA.

 

Oh, no! Alien ambush. I'm not surprised, obviously. Although you lots doing it with well-arrangement like an army march. They're well-disciplined marsch. Sorry for the lame pun. 

 

It's time to call the air strike! It may seems overkill to call in nuke bomb to purge this area especially when Karla is still in bombing spot. But, no. She's still alive because she's the indestructible bombing beacon hero. These aliens survive too because these are the toughened veteran version of their peers. The alien's rank are indicated by its skin color instead of rank badge like human's army, you see. But they become easier to dispatch now that they took massive damage from this nuclear blast. Unfortunately, that blast don't affect the UFO at all. So Karla have to go inside and finish the job.

 

It same with other crosshair shooter stage but here, you don't have to feel sorry to destroy everything. Unlike the stores or warehouse that are owned by (presumably) nice person. I hope they got reliable insurance to cover that. As for Umbrella Corp. laboratory, i'm not even sorry for my destructive act back there.

 

Ok, job well done! Root beer on....WHAT THE HELL! Let go off me!

 

Apparently, Karla is swallowed by the alien's mothership. That's one hell ugly of mother. I got to say.

 

Inside of the mothership, there's more confrontation alien and these branching path. I suggest you stick with the left holes because they lead to shortest route to the final boss. Inside of this left hole: crosshair-shooter stage which is i prefer, because you can stock up lots of batteries and medkit on that occasion only. You may defy my advice, if you're adventurous or don't want deal with the hardest alien type constantly. If you somehow travel back to this starting stage, SEGA will give you quick map of this mothership to help you navigate to the final boss at the brain area of mothership. The choice is yours.

 

Alien Storm is getting more difficult than ever. Moreover with these new alien type: kangaroo alien. They're the hardest aliens to deal with that i mention before because 1) they can shoot the grinning little bastard on their abdomen that can flies across entire screen ; 2) they can't be knocked away/flung with any kind of attack ; 3) they can kick you really far. The combination of those factors, make this battle really arduous and atrocious. A bit relief on this hard time: those 2 dispenser aliens. In this stage they will let out fly alien that contain medikit if you kill them. Be careful though, they can spew unhealthy barf at you in close range.    

 

Finally, here's the final boss at crosshair shooter stage. A huge brain. How appropriate as the mastermind of the alien invasion. It does nothing except moving or blinking its eyeball but the aliens won't let you kill their leader easily. The try to claw or shoot destroyable projectile at you. For once, the giant gremlin alien prove its worthiness by blocking your shoot toward the brain. Again, it's doing its job by strolling around nonchalantly. When the aliens stop respawning, you have to cease your fire to let the brain explode peacefully.

 

Pyro_battlecry02.wav. Your only eye doesn't look shifty like before or when in the title screen, Mr. Brain.

 

Then the mothership exploded. Fortunately, one of the heroes casts raywing spell in the nick of time so they're safe and can go back to earth. Definitely, not Scooter who cast it as robot absolutely can't cast any magic. High technology is direct opposite of magic, you know.  

 

But i'm certain that they're heading toward earth. Maybe they land on Bermuda Triangle. Oh God, NO! By the way i stitch the narration with Microsoft powerpoint. I doubt i can do the same thing on other occasion in future. I should learn photoshop, soon.

 

But i assume they're well and fine, judging by how cheerful they are when dancing while credit rolls.

 

Alien storm is certainly unique SEGA's game because it features 3 gameplay: side-scrolling melee, side-scrolling shooter, and crosshair shooter. So i discuss it on those 3 aspects first. Brace yourself!

The side-scrolling melee definitely resembles fighting action [read: side-scrolling beat 'em up] a lot. But unlike street of rage, final fight, or their peers, the hero's attack has notably longer horizontal range. So it's fairly safe to face the enemies head-on whereas in other game with same genre, i have to outmaneuver them from slightly on their side if i want to defeat them skillfully or satisfyingly. Then there's the uncertainty about combo's damage that i mentioned before. That also apply to weapon attacks. Which one is deal more damage than the other? [in Karla's case] Bond girl's hand-gunning, point-blank grenade toss, flaming in slightly declined angle, or spewing an explosive fireball? I don't know. But all of them are visually good, that's for sure. Also they're quite distinguished in execution method by the distance between Karla and the alien. Also all of the weapon attack has slightly wide hitting spot so you can deal with more than 1 alien, which is handy. To be summarized: it's unique and pretty good.

The crosshair shooter is pretty good. You can shoot the any projectile or aliens that come at you although there's some occasion where you can't shoot fast enough to negate all threats at the same time. The ability to shoot scenery (for energy batteries and medkits) is fine to me. If you're playing this in 2 players mode: you can split your occupation zone into 2 but there's chance that you will fight over energy batteries or medkits among you. Which can be pernicious way to torn your relationship.

The side-scrolling shooter is very rare. I believe i didn't meet any game other than Alien storm that has this gameplay. Though there's no any pick-up on this mode. At least you can jump and use screen-clearing bomb. But it's kind of unintuitive as the only perfect time that you need screen-clearing bomb is when you're surrounded in side-scrolling melee stage. Still it's well solid gameplay.

Overall, Alien Storm is good game with very unique gameplay for that time (1991's). It will be better if it's more generous with medkit or at least put hamburger/grilled chicken/steak/cartoon meat inside some of garbage bin/barrel/phone booth instead of creeper alien all the time. Another complaint (though minor ones): there are no difference between the heroes in gameplay technic. They are differentiate by visual technic like: Gordon use electricity gun and call in futuristic ship's fire support; Scooter use electric/energy whip and explode itself but soon survives afterward (unlike Cyrax in Mortal Kombat 3). The music are pretty well made. Same goes to visual effect. I should mention about the arcade version of it....

 

Quick rundown of difference on arcade version: there's this car and flying car to transport our hero; different set of stages; more enemy type; more balanced proportion of 3 gameplay (side-scrolling melee, side-scrolling shooter, and crosshair shooter); the giant gremlin alien can pukes gremlin aliens; eye-crust shooting alien has 3 forms; only screen-clearing bomb using that will cost energy; on some version, you can switch character; No medkit pickup; the aliens have more animation; and lastly there's more SEGA's other game reference (there is Gilius Thunderhead's appearance!). You can read the article about it here.

If your childhood filled with playing Sega Genesis, i'm sure you have played this game at least once. If you haven't played it at all. My goodness! Do yourself favor and play this immediately! Arcade version or sega genesis version? I don't care. Just play or re-play this magnificent SEGA's classic ASAP!

Protip for Sega genesis version: you can set the energy level to easy, so you can have more energy initially or using a continue than in my gameplaying (which is in normal energy level).