Developer: Compile Publisher: Toho Released: 1992 Genre: Shooter
Who would have thought one of the SNES’s earliest shooters would be one of its best? Space Megaforce is an exceptional game that plays to the system’s strength’s while avoiding the failings of its early contemporaries. The game’s only crime is that released during a heavy hitting period in the console war and went unnoticed. Space Megaforce is easily a top ten shooter from that generation. It should come as no surprise as it came from the masters of the genre at Compile.
In the distant future a large sphere invades Earth and destroys everything in its path before settling over South America. All attempts at its destruction prove fruitless and even the mighty Aleste spacecraft proves useless. This prompts the creation of the Super Aleste and you are the lucky pilot of this lone craft.
Although Space Megaforce is part of the Aleste series it has more in common with Blazing Lazers, most notably its weapons. Compile were known for going overboard in creating elaborate weapons systems in their games but even taking that into account Space Megaforce is insane. There are 8 weapons covering most of the most popular staples such as missiles, lasers, and homing shots. A few of them are unconventional such as the scatter shot, which splits into smaller shots upon impact or the multi-directional shot that can be controlled slightly before letting loose. What sets the weapons system apart is that each weapon upgrades 6 times.
You didn’t misread that. The change from one level to the next doesn’t become dramatic until levels 4-6, where each weapon completely metamorphoses into a new animal. The leveling up process is fairly simple; by collecting orbs your current weapon will progress to a higher level. Orange orbs are common and contribute at a slower rate; the higher the level the more are needed. Green orbs are an instant level up. New weapons are dropped at a brisk clip so if you die or decide change is in order the game does a good job of accommodating you. It’s funny; once you’re fully powered you’ll have to actively avoid the power-ups to keep your current weapon.
And the fun doesn’t end there! Every weapon has at least one or two alternate firing modes. The sprite weapon can lock in place rather than follow you. The missiles give you an option of more powerful straight rockets or weaker homing projectiles. The circle shield normally rotates around your ship but can be re-positioned. It is insane just how flexible this system is, most shooters barely have a third of Space Megaforce’s depth. And I haven’t even mentioned the bombs! How insane is it that the screen clearing bombs are the low man on the totem pole in terms of your offense?
At 12 levels this is one of the longer shooters around. The game covers a range of environments and manages to avoid the standard video game archetypes such as fire and ice. One minute you’ll be tearing through the jungles of South America (which is different for a change) then take to the skies, or space more specifically. Usually there is a slower stage such as the jungle of the first level followed by one that ratchets up the intensity like the Mode 7 battle ship assault. A “bonus” level follows although it is not much of a bonus if you can still die. The pacing might seem strange but it is brilliant in practice. It is obvious the designers are aware of the chaos and are giving you a breather before putting you through the ringer again.
As you might expect Space Megaforce is not easy. It never truly descends into madness like say Gaiares but it does have its moments. There are a few factors that work in your favor at least. Despite the larger size of your ship collisions with walls aren’t fatal. You’ll come to appreciate that nuance during the various mining levels. The game handles death differently as well. Depending on the level of your weapon taking a hit will drop it 4 levels. If you are at less than level 4 death is immediate. There is a special power-up that allows you to respawn immediately instead of at a checkpoint but it is rare. There are five difficulty levels along with the option of a shorter game but most will not bother with that.
While the weapons system is in depth the games graphics don’t rise to the same level. Don’t get me wrong, this is far from an ugly game but in the wake of titles such as Axelay and even Gradius III they seem a bit average. I will give the game credit for using Mode 7 sparingly and mostly for gameplay reasons aside from looking cool. The few times it does go balls out are fairly impressive; the warping moon base is still incredible to this day. Most importantly there is very little slowdown. I would comment on the music but honestly I do not remember any of it, which says enough right there.
In Closing
Compile rarely miss when it comes to shooters and Space Megaforce is one of their best works. This is absolutely a hidden gem. Because it flew under the radar it can be pricey but should you find the game at a decent price go for it, few shooters reach this level.
