Also known as ASO: Armored Scrum Object, this early shoot ’em up from SNK features an unusually satisfying and complex progression and power-up system, with eight unique “armours” to equip for great justice.
Developer: SNK
Publisher: SNK
Available on: Arcade, NES
Original release date: 1985
Articles about Alpha Mission
SNK Essentials: World Wars - The loose “trilogy” of vertically scrolling shoot ’em ups from SNK’s early days that began with Alpha Mission and Bermuda Triangle finally concludes with 1987’s World Wars. Sometimes erroneously described as a reskin of Bermuda Triangle, World Wars offers an interesting blend between the gameplay elements of its two predecessors, and manages to carve out an identity … Continue reading SNK Essentials: World Wars 
SNK Essentials: Bermuda Triangle - A couple of years after Alpha Mission, SNK put out a follow-up of sorts — if not a direct sequel. (That would show up in the Neo Geo era!) That game was Bermuda Triangle, and much like Alpha Mission before it, it’s a very creative and unusual take on a genre that, even as early as 1987, was heavily … Continue reading SNK Essentials: Bermuda Triangle 
SNK Essentials: Alpha Mission - SNK is primarily known for its fighting games these days, but in its earlier years it was known for a number of solid (and influential) shoot ’em ups. While Alpha Mission (also known as ASO: Armored Scrum Object in Japan) isn’t the company’s first shoot ’em up by any means, it is an important one and forms the … Continue reading SNK Essentials: Alpha Mission 
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection: (Almost) Perfect Preservation - As the years advance and old gaming hardware and media gets more expensive, harder to find and even more difficult to maintain, the matter of gaming preservation is of increasing importance. I’ve previously talked about how emulation and ROM archives have an important role to play in all this — in spite of interference from … Continue reading SNK 40th Anniversary Collection: (Almost) Perfect Preservation Gallery
