Alien Syndrome (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
312A playthough of Tengen's 1989 arcade action-adventure game for the NES, Alien Syndrome.
Played through as Mary.
Because, you know. Aliens.
Alien Syndrome began life as a Sega arcade game in 1987, and it was a popular top-down shooter that felt like mixture of Commando and Gauntlet but with a sci-fi horror slant. Each of the stages are open areas filled with weapons, hostages, and herds of bloodthirsty aliens.
There are fifteen hostages in each area, and though they are easy to find, getting to them is sometimes easier said than done. Several weapons can be found lying around and posted maps can easily direct you to your targets, but your character is super-flimsy. Ricky and Mary have no damage buffers - one hit is all it takes to go down, and those bosses will certainly teach you to play cautiously - there is no room for error in those fights, and a few slip-ups is all it takes to send you back to the title screen. It requires a fair bit of practice to see it through to the end.
The NES version's graphics and sound are hugely cut back from the arcade game's. They get the job done, though, and they do a very good job of it for a game from 1989, especially when you take into account that it's an unlicensed game. Then again, Atari was pretty solid when it came to NES releases, and Alien Syndrome is a good example of how the quality of their Tengen releases were usually right on par with many of the well-regarded, officially licensed NES titles.
I've been waiting for October to put this one up since it fits well with the Halloween vibe, so I hope you all enjoy it!
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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