Alpha Mission, also known as ASO: Armored Scrum Object in Japan, is a classic vertical-scrolling shooter developed by SNK. Originally released as an arcade game in 1985, it found its way to the Famicom in 1986 and the Nintendo Entertainment System, better known as NES, in 1987. The game was a commercial hit in its home country of Japan, which led to the development of a sequel. Alpha Mission II launched in 1991 for the Neo Geo. Here we’ll take a look at Alpha Mission and what it offers to gamers in the form of cheats.
Alpha Mission Premise
In Alpha Mission, the galaxy of Tetranova has been demolished by a war among seven stars. The warring stars, after having destroyed their planets, form an alliance to find a new home. They aim to find and colonize Earth. Players take control of the fighter SYD, tasked with defending Earth against the fearsome fleet of the Seven Star Alliance. The game’s gameplay mechanics include the separation of enemies into air-to-air and air-to-ground foes.
In the game, players navigate through levels, combating waves of enemies and powerful bosses, using missiles for ground threats and laser weapons for aerial enemies. Like many vertical shooters of the time, the ship loses all weapons with each death. The game is considered fairly challenging. To succeed, the best bet for the players is to carefully navigate through levels to avoid death to maintain their arsenal. Power-ups scattered throughout levels allow players to upgrade their craft with more powerful weapons and abilities. Power-ups include S for increased speed, L for Laser damage, E for added armor energy, W for warping ahead, G for money, M for missile power, and K for both Laser and missile power.
Alpha Mission Characters
Like many classic shooter games, Alpha Mission doesn’t focus too much on characters. The game has a rudimentary story, which sets the stage for the action. However, the story doesn’t include strong characters with backstories. The pilot of the player-controlled spaceship is unnamed, while the spacecraft is called SYD. SYD is a versatile fighter capable of combating both ground and aerial enemies. The objective of both the pilot and SYD is clear: to defend planet Earth at any cost.
Games in the Series
Alpha Mission started as an arcade game in 1985 and transitioned to home consoles soon after. The game followed a familiar pattern from the vertical shooters that had taken the arcades and home consoles by storm. The success of the game triggered the development of its sequel, Alpha Mission II, released six years later.
- Alpha Mission (1985)
- Alpha Mission II (1991)
Alpha Mission Cheats
While there isn’t really a comprehensive cheat code system on Alpha Mission, the game offers something in the form of cheats. In addition, those who have access to Game Genie can get more cheats for the game, including things like infinite lives, keeping energy after death, and more.
Continue the Game
To continue the game when at the game over screen, quickly press A, B, Up, Down, B, A, Right, and Left.
Secret Level
While the game only has 12 levels, known as Areas, after which it loops back to the first one, there’s a hidden one. Players can access Area 13 if they complete the Area 12 boss quickly enough. This is done by destroying the boss in 3 hits with Thunder. After this, the player proceeds to Area 13, which is sort of a boss-a-thon, with multiple bosses in a row.
Skipping a Boss
According to some information, players are able to skip the Area 5 boss and go straight to Area 6 and its boss. This is done simply by collecting both Warp (W) icons in Area 5.
Game Genie Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
| Infinite Lives | SXSPYZVG |
| Start With 1 Life | PASATLLA |
| Start With Double Lives | TASATLLA |
| Start With Triple Lives | PASATLLE |
| Start With All Weapons Available | NYKAYLLE |
| Keep Power Up After Death | GZNAILSA |
| Keep Energy After Death | GZNAYLSA |
| Thunder Uses 25% Normal Energy | GAEOUEAA |
| Triple Energy Gained On ‘E’ Pick-Up | TEXLPTZA |
| Less Energy Lost On ‘Bad E’ Pick-Ups | ZEULGTGA |
| Shield Doesn’t Use Energy | SZEGGASA |
| You Can Re-Use Weapon After Selecting | IZNAEGSA |
Alpha Mission Cheats FAQ
Is Alpha Mission playable on modern consoles?
Although originally playable on NES, Alpha Mission is also available on modern consoles. This iconic vertical shooter is available on the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 4 via the PlayStation Store, as well as on the Nintendo Switch through the Nintendo eShop.
Are there any sequels to Alpha Mission?
Yes. The sequel to Alpha Mission, Alpha Mission II, launched in 1991 for the Neo Geo arcade system. It continued the original game’s legacy, but the series did not extend beyond this sequel.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©IGDB.