Alien Syndrome

Alien Syndrome brings Sega's claustrophobic alien-blasting action to the NES in a top-down run-and-gun adventure. Originally an arcade game from 1987, it was adapted for the Famicom by Sanritsu and published by Sunsoft in Japan in 1988. The North American NES release came from Tengen. Rather than simply fighting endless waves of aliens, the game gives you a clear objective: rescue the people trapped aboard an infested space station before the timer runs out.

You can play as either Ricky or Mary, moving through large scrolling areas filled with winding corridors, hostile creatures, weapon pickups, and stranded comrades. The maps are useful because the stages can become confusing, especially when you are racing against the clock. Finding all of the people is essential, since the exit will not become available until everyone has been rescued. According to the NES walkthrough, each stage gives you 240 seconds to complete the rescue and reach the exit.

Combat is deliberately simple. You aim your weapon and fire while moving in eight directions, but grabbing better equipment can make a major difference. The NES version includes fireballs, lasers, and flamethrowers, giving you a few different ways to deal with the alien creatures. There are also map locations that reveal the layout of the current stage and help you track down the remaining hostages.

Once the rescue mission is complete, the game changes pace again with a boss encounter. Defeating the guardian allows you to continue to the next station, with six main rounds followed by a final confrontation.

Alien Syndrome works especially well as a quick arcade-style challenge. The slower movement of the NES version can take some getting used to, but the combination of exploration, frantic shooting, hostage rescue, weapon upgrades, and time pressure gives it a distinctive personality. It is a fascinating example of Sega's arcade action being successfully reshaped for the NES.