Play Alien Storm-mame Online

Alien Storm came out in 1990 from Sega, and playing it through MAME brings back that specific arcade feeling. It was part of that wave of side-scrolling beat 'em ups, but it swapped out street thugs for an alien invasion, which felt fresh at the time. The cabinet had a certain presence, with its bright art and loud sound effects pulling you in.

You pick one of three characters, each with their own weapon: a flamethrower, an energy blade, or a rapid-fire gun. You move from left to right, clearing screens of weird alien creatures before they overwhelm you. The main goal is straightforward: survive each wave, defeat the bosses, and stop the invasion. Two mechanics stand out: the occasional first-person segments where you aim and shoot incoming enemies in a gallery-style mode, and the ability to find and use screen-clearing bombs. The pacing is fast, and the difficulty can spike quickly, especially when enemies come from all directions. It feels like a frantic, noisy scramble where every coin spent was a few minutes of pure action.