Super Aleste (or Space Megaforce if you're in the US) is one of those SNES shooters that just feels right. You're immediately thrown into this chaotic vertical scramble where enemy ships pour in from all sides, and your little craft somehow has to survive the madness.

The weapon system is the real star here—you've got eight types to cycle through, each with its own weird quirks. The spread shot's great for beginners, but I kept coming back to the homing lasers just because watching them snake around the screen never got old. And yeah, you can power them up, but good luck holding onto those upgrades when the later levels start throwing impossible bullet patterns at you.

It's got that classic Compile shooter energy—bright colors, chunky explosions, and just enough chaos to make you feel like a genius when you barely scrape through a level. The music's got this weirdly intense synth thing going on too, like someone fused a space battle with an 80s workout tape.

If you've ever lost an afternoon to a good shmup, this one's worth digging up.