Space Megaforce (1992). Play online

Summary

Space Megaforce, released abroad as Super Aleste, is a classic vertically scrolling SNES shooter that puts you behind a solitary starfighter. Eight distinct weapons can each be powered through six levels, giving a total of 48 firing configurations. The Shot‑Control button lets you reshape each weapon’s behavior on the fly, keeping the action fresh.

Power‑ups come as orange chips for gradual upgrades or green chips for instant max‑level, and your ship’s health mirrors its current weapon rank—every hit knocks the level down four steps. Special Life tokens let you continue from the exact death spot, while regular extra lives return you to the last checkpoint. Even harmless background graphics can crush you if you get squeezed against a scrolling edge.

The Japanese edition adds quirky UI art, an extended ending, and original music tracks removed from the Western release for copyright reasons. Praised for its fast pace and Mode 7 visuals, the game scored in the 80‑90% range from many magazines and even inspired a 1993 manga adaptation.

Storyline

In 2048 a massive mechanical sphere crashes to Earth and begins razing major cities worldwide. The sphere eventually settles over the South American jungle, etching giant lines into the ground that resemble the Nazca geoglyphs while siphoning energy from the surrounding foliage. Its built‑in defense system repels every military strike, forcing humanity to abandon the original Aleste fighter. In response, engineers develop the Super Aleste—a new space‑fighter equipped with extraordinary weaponry—tasked with penetrating the sphere and destroying any reinforcements summoned from deep space.

The Japanese version of the story adds pilots Raz, an ace pilot, and Thi, a mysterious alien woman imprisoned aboard the sphere who can channel its strange powers. Together they fly into the sphere, weaken its defenses and attempt to seize its power core. Those characters and the original ending were removed from the Western release titled Space Megaforce and from the European version of Super Aleste.