Space Megaforce

Space Megaforce is a top-notch vertical shooter from Compile.

Sub-Page#

Prototype Info

Debug Mode#

To enable the game's debug mode, perform the following steps after turning the game on:

• When the opening music starts playing, press Reset. Do this a total of five times.
• Next, at the same point in the game, hold L + R + Start and press Select to reset the game a total of eight more times.
• After resetting the game exactly 13 times in all, at the title screen, hold Select with the cursor on Options and press Start.

Options Menu#

When the debug menu is active, two additional options will be added to the game's options menu. The first chooses the starting stage, while the other turns invulnerability on ("non death") or off ("death").

AREA#

In the US/Europe version, AREA menu can level select between 1 to 12. But the Japanese version can select between 1 to 14.

• ROUND 13 - This is AREA 1 in SHORT GAME.
• ROUND 14 - This is AREA 3 in SHORT GAME.

CONTROLLER TEST#

Default	Debug Mode

There's a test for up to 4 controllers (the default is only 2) but the test is buggy. Pressing buttons on pad 3 or 4 will cause incorrect test-response areas to light up.

In-Game Buttons#

While the game is paused, pressing L + B on controller 2 replaces the HUD with some of the graphics currently loaded in VRAM. Each press cycles through four pages of tiles and sprites. Every time you cycle through all four pages, the palette will change to the next one available. Cycling through all of the graphics eight times will restore the normal HUD.

Additionally, pressing L + R on controller 2 will switch between progressive and interlaced video output. How noticeable this is will depend on your specific emulator or TV.

Interestingly, the above two button combos can also be unlocked by holding Select while accessing the options menu without first resetting the game 13 times; however, the resets are still necessary in order to unlock the expanded options menu.

Extra Debug Flag#

The Pro Action Replay code 00FFF0FF will enable a debug flag at a hardcoded location in ROM, enabling all of the above features plus the following additional button combos for controller 2 during gameplay:

• R + Down: toggle background scrolling on/off.
• R + A: change current weapon.
• R + B: increase weapon level.
• R + X: increase lives and bombs.

In addition, during the intro, you can now press L + R + Start to immediately skip to the ending.

Regional Differences#

Music Differences#

In the US and European versions of the game, stages 3 and 9 in the standard game use the same music as stages 6 and 10, while in the Japanese version, these stages both use a different track that isn't heard anywhere in the other versions. However, the music is present in all versions of the ROM.

In the Japanese version, this music is track number 02 on the sound test menu.

The Pro Action Replay code 809E1404 will make the Japanese version's music play during the US version's title screen.

Various parts of the song bear strong resemblances to parts of (in order) "Fine Time", "Blue Monday", and "The Perfect Kiss" by New Order, which was probably the reason for its removal in international versions.

Intro#

The Japanese version of the game features an actual plot, which was more or less removed from the international versions, and as such there are a few differences in presentation that go along with it.

Two frames from the opening sequence, showing the main characters Raz and Thi, were removed from international versions.

English localization of the Super Aleste prologue (from the Japanese manual):

The Year is 2048. Earth faces an unprecedented crisis.

Without warning, a blinding flash tore across the skies: a colossal, radiant sphere descended from the heavens, launching a merciless assault. In an instant, the world’s greatest cities were reduced to ruins. The mysterious sphere hovered, motionless, above the jungles of Central and South America, and began constructing a fortress in the sky.

Desperate to fight back, the Earth Federation unleashed its ultimate weapon: the state-of-the-art attack craft, Aleste. The elite Aleste Squadron soared into battle... only to be wiped out in minutes. Hope seemed lost.

Somewhere among the wreckage, the ace pilot Raz awoke, his Aleste fighter dangling from strange, vine-like tendrils. He found himself deep in the mountains, far from the battlefield. The gigantic sphere still loomed on the horizon. He could recall only a searing ball of light headed straight for him, when, suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.

The voice revealed itself to be an intelligent lifeform—a sapient being—once imprisoned inside the sphere. Using the chaos of the battle to escape, it had intervened to save Raz's Aleste craft. Before Raz's astonished eyes, his battered fighter was swiftly repaired and transformed. What he thought were jungle vines were in fact the physical form of this mysterious entity.

In that moment, Aleste and the sapient being merged as one. Raz, still reeling, heard another voice, this time behind him. Turning, he saw a girl he’d never met, quietly sitting there. She explained: she was created from Raz's own consciousness by the sapient being, given human form. Her name was Thi.

Thi spoke gravely: "Unless we can free the planets trapped under the sphere's crushing control—the very source of its energy—we'll never reach its core. Only this newly awakened Aleste, now powered beyond imagination, stands a chance. But I'll need your help, Raz. I know we can do it...together."

With Thi's guidance, Aleste soared into the skies once more. No longer an ordinary fighter, the new Aleste was reborn, fused with a power and arsenal beyond human comprehension. Raz’s journey as the pilot of Super Aleste was about to begin.

Countless battles, unknown enemies, a mission that would determine the fate of Earth itself—everything lay ahead, as Super Aleste set course for its first destination. Together with Thi, Raz embarks on a new adventure.

The war to save Earth begins now.

About the Aleste name: The Japanese name アレスタ (Aresuta, "Aleste") likely derives from the English word "arrester," as in a lightning arrester—a device that channels or blocks lightning. This could be a subtle reference to the gohei, a ritual wand used in Shinto practices, adorned with zig-zag shide paper that resembles lightning. In Shinto, the gohei acts as a conductor of supernatural forces, mirroring Aleste's dual role as both cutting-edge technology and vessel for spiritual or otherworldly power.

Title Screen#

Japan	US

Different "NORMAL" or "STANDARD".

Ending#

The Japanese version also has an entirely different ending:

English localization note: Regarding the noun いしたい (i-shi-tai) in the Japanese ending of Super Aleste—in the manual’s introduction, it's written with the kanji 意思体 ("intention-body"), a term that’s difficult to render directly in English. It refers to "beings that have a will of their own," emphasizing will, consciousness, and agency. This localization uses "sapient beings" for lack of a more concise and faithful English term. The phrase is also common in science fiction to describe entities that possess self-awareness and the capacity for independent thought. The original Japanese term is both technical and evocative, adding to the game’s sci-fi atmosphere.

The Japanese version also has a few bonus pictures that can be seen by pressing L or R after the credits. Which one you see depends on the skill level you were playing on.

Options Screen#

Japan	US/Europe

GAME MODE#

Game Over Screen#

Japan	US/Europe

Short Game Result Screen#

Space Megaforce and Super Aleste(EU) has this screen.

Voice Clips#

Weapon Names#

The voice clips played when picking up the various powerups differ between the US and Japanese release.

In the Japanese version, when playing on hard rank or るなてぃっく(Lunatic) or とりっきー(Tricky) mode, the following clips are played instead of the above.

• 01
• 02
• 03
• 04
• 05
• 06
• 07
• 08

Bosses#

US/EU Version has different defeat voice.

References#