Alien Syndrome

Alien Syndrome brings top-down arcade action to the Master System, in which the player fights through the winding corridors of a space station infested with alien vermin. The goal of each level is to free captured crew members scattered around the maze and then reach the exit before the time limit runs out, which gives the game a constant sense of urgency and tension and forces the player to choose between thorough exploration and a quick dash to the safe exit. Wasted seconds also risk the player never reaching safety at all, so the route has to be planned ahead of time.

The game offers two-player co-op, with players carving a path together through crowds of enemies using gunfire and occasional power-ups that boost firepower or movement speed, and even the 8-bit version manages to preserve the basic pace and clarity of the arcade original despite the lower resolution and more limited color palette. The atmosphere is rounded out by a dark sci-fi setting reminiscent of the horror-space motifs of contemporary films, and by music that underscores the sense of threat in enclosed spaces full of enemies lurking around every corner, whether small vermin or larger, more dangerous creatures.

The Master System adaptation shows how well the concept of fast arcade action under time pressure could be transferred even to more limited home hardware, without losing its gameplay, tension, or maze clarity — something far from every arcade port managed to achieve at the time. Today it's an interesting example of the run-and-gun genre from the late 1980s, one that, thanks to its co-op mode and tense atmosphere, still offers fun, if demanding, gaming sessions even after all these years since release, ideally with two players, where the tactical possibilities of dividing labor in the maze and jointly searching for captives and a way out really shine, with one player covering the other while advancing through narrow corridors.

Why play: For fans of fast arcade action under time pressure, ideally with two players, where cooperative maze tactics still shine even after all these years since release.