''Aleste 2'' (アレスタ2) is a

scrolling shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of character m ...

video game developed and released by Compile for the

MSX2 MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Cor ...

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

exclusively in Japan. It is a sequel to '' Aleste'' and is the first game in the ''Aleste'' series to feature the recurring series heroine Ellinor who later appeared in '' Musha Aleste''. ''Aleste 2,'' along with other Compile shooters, was also released for the now-defunct WOOMB service. In 2009, ProjectEGG released the game digitally for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

, also in English.

Gameplay

Just like in the first '' Aleste'', the player controls a spaceship the flies across a scrolling land. It features the same gameplay from its predecessor, with multiple weapons which are equipped by picking the corresponding icon, though this time the player can choose its starting secondary weapon before starting the game, with the chosen weapon becoming more powerful.

Plot

The game takes place in the year 2039, two decades after the supercomputer DIA 51 attacked and decimated the Earth. After the long restoration period, Earth is invaded by a race of alien plantlike humanoids called the Vagand, intent on finding a new food source on Earth. In their first attack on Earth, the Vagand destroy an Earth space cruiser commanded by the previous Earth hero, Ray Waizen. Their plan to invade Earth is challenged by the newest version of the Aleste piloted by the daughter of Ray and Yuri Waizen, Ellinor, who has vowed to avenge her father's death and to personally kill the Vagand leader Gaizel.

Development and release

Former Compile members Yuichi Toyama and Kazuyuki Nakashima stated that a prototype of ''Aleste 2'' for

Sega Mega Drive The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

was developed but it was ultimately reworked into '' MUSHA''.
Translation
by Shmuplations. ).

Reception

Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering Retrogaming, retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' ...

'' included it among top ten MSX games. While the three ''Aleste'' titles for the MSX computers "all are worth seeking out", they chose ''Aleste 2'' "because it looks superb, allows you to select your weapons at the start of the game, and is the first title in the canon to feature reoccurring protagonist Ellinor".

Adaptation

''Aleste 2'' was adapted into a manga on January 8, 1990 in Japan and it is part of the ''Compile Club'' series.

References

External links

''Aleste 2''
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...

''Aleste 2''
at Hardcore Gaming 101 {{Aleste 1989 video games Cancelled Sega Genesis games Compile (company) games MSX2 games Science fiction video games Single-player video games Vertically scrolling shooters Video game sequels Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Video games scored by Toshiaki Sakoda Video games set in the 2030s Windows games Fiction set in 2039