is a 1988

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of charac ...

video game developed by Compile, originally published by Sega for the Master System and then by CP Communications for the

MSX2 MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, then vice- ...

. The Master System version was released outside Japan as ''Power Strike''. The game spawned the ''Aleste'' and '' Power Strike'' franchises.

Plot

The story of ''Aleste'' concerns the manmade supercomputer DIA 51, which has been infected by a hybrid virus that is spreading like wildfire, eventually leading DIA 51 to eliminate the human race. When Yuri, Ray's girlfriend, gets injured in DIA's assault, Raymond Waizen has all the reason in the world to get rid of DIA 51 once and for all in his Aleste fighter.

Releases

The game was originally released for the Master System in February 1988. This version was released outside Japan, as ''Power Strike''. The US release was initially a mail-only limited edition, however it did later see some retail distribution at Toys R' Us and other chains in North America. The European release was a regular retail package. An

version was released in July of that year, featuring two new stages, lowered difficulty, and a series of

cutscene A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward th ...

s. A version of the game has been released on phones by Square Enix, presumably based on the MSX2 version. The MSX2 version has been re-released on Nintendo's Wii

Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Uni ...

service in Japan. It along with '' Aleste 2'' had also been rereleased through the now-defunct WOOMB service.

Reception

The Sega Master System version called ''Power Strike'' received positive reviews. '' Computer and Video Games'' scored it 86% in 1989. ''

Console XS Paragon Publishing Ltd (or Paragon for short) was a magazine publisher in the UK, which published computer games and other entertainment titles from 1991 to 2003. Brief history Paragon Publishing Ltd was formed in a small office in Trowbridge, ...

'' scored it 90% in 1992.

''Aleste'' series

''Aleste'' was followed by several sequels: * ''

Aleste Gaiden is a 1989 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Compile for the MSX2 home computer. A follow-up to ''Aleste'' (1988), it was included as part of the autumn special edition of ''Disc Station'', a monthly disk publicat ...

'' (MSX2, 1989) * '' Aleste 2'' (MSX2, 1989) * '' Musha Aleste'' (

Mega Drive The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in 1988 in Japan a ...

, 1990) * ''

GG Aleste is a 1991 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Compile for the Game Gear. An entry in the ''Aleste'' series, the game follows Ellinor Waizen piloting the Galvanic Gunner space fighter craft to face against the invadi ...

'' (

Game Gear The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear pri ...

, 1991) * '' Super Aleste'' (

SNES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...

, 1992) * '' Dennin Aleste'' (

Mega-CD The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Jap ...

, 1992) * '' GG Aleste II'' (Game Gear, 1993) * ''

GG Aleste 3 is a 2020 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by M2. It was included as part of the ''Aleste Collection'' for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, as well as in a Game Gear Micro variant bundled as part of a limited e ...

'' (

Game Gear Micro The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear pri ...

, 2020) * ''Senjin Aleste'' (Arcade, 2021) * ''Aleste Branch'' (TBA)

Cancelled games

* '' Dennin Aleste 2'' (

, cancelled)

Related games

There is also a number of similar games, some of which various ''Aleste'' entries are based on; for example, ''Gunhed'' would inspire ''Super Aleste'' on the SNES. ''Zanac'' is the game that set down the template for the Aleste series and nearly all of Compile's future shooters. Finally, it is known that around 1993, various employees left Compile and joined

Raizing , stylized as 8ing, is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It was formerly known as . It is known for its shoot 'em ups and its licensed fighting games. History Raizing and Eighting were formed in part by former staff of Compile ...

, where they made some similar games. * ''

Zanac is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Compile and published in Japan by Pony Canyon and in North America by FCI. It was released for the MSX computer, the Family Computer Disk System, the Nintendo Entertainment System, and for the Vir ...

'' (MSX, FDS,

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

, 1986) * ''

The Guardian Legend ''The Guardian Legend'' is a 1988 hybrid action-adventure/shoot 'em up video game developed by Compile for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the sequel to the 1986 MSX game ''Guardic'', and was published and released in Japan by ...

'' (NES, 1988) * '' Gunhed'' (

PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, thoug ...

, 1989) * '' Gun-Nac'' (NES, 1990) * '' Seirei Senshi Spriggan'' (

PC Engine CD The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, though ...

, 1991) * '' Spriggan Mark 2: Re-Terraform Project'' (PC Engine CD, 1992) * '' Mahou Daisakusen'' (Arcade, 1993) * '' Power Strike II'' (Master System, 1993) * '' Sylphia'' (PC Engine CD, 1993) * ''Spriggan Powered'' (Super Famicom, 1996)

References

External links

* {{Aleste, state=expanded 1988 video games Compile (company) games MSX2 games Mobile games Vertically scrolling shooters Master System games Square Enix games Video game franchises introduced in 1988 Virtual Console games Single-player video games Sega video games Video games set in the 21st century Video games developed in Japan Macrospace games