Aleste


Aleste is a 1988 shoot 'em up video game developed by Compile for the Master System and the MSX2.

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 see some retail distribution at Toys R' Us. The European release was a normal retail package.
An MSX2 version was released in July of that year, featuring two new stages, lowered difficulty, and a series of cutscenes.
A version of the game has been released on phones by Square Enix, presumably based on the MSX2 version. The MSX2 version has been rereleased on Nintendo's Wii Virtual Console service in Japan. It along with Aleste 2 had also been rereleased through the now-defunct WOOMB service.

''Aleste'' series

Aleste was followed by several sequels.
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, where they made some similar games.