Alien Syndrome/Gameplay

Controls

• Joystick: Use the joystick to guide Ricky or Mary throughout each space station. They can move in eight different directions.
• Fire button: Press the fire button to shoot your weapon. If you have an options following you, pressing the fire button will cause them to shoot behind you in the opposite direction.
• 1 or 2 Players: Press either button to begin a one or two player game.

Players

When you begin a new game, player one is given the opportunity to select which character he or she wishes to play as: Ricky or Mary. In a two-player game, the second player has no choice but to control the character that player one did not select. The differences between these two characters are only visual; they play identically to one another. Neither character has any advantages or disadvantages over the other.

Throughout the game, you control Ricky or Mary using the joystick and the fire button. Use the joystick to move them in any of eight directions as you navigate each space station in search of comrades to rescue. Tap the fire button to continuously shoot your weapons at hostile aliens who attempt to stop your rescue efforts.

You begin the game with an ordinary gun that can shoot small bullets. As you explore each space station, you will discover other weapons and items in containers along the walls. Simply walk up to a container to open it an obtain its contents. You can collect new weapons, option robots, and bonus points in this manner. Note that once you pass through the exit and engage in battle with the boss of the round, you cannot change your weapon. Furthermore, when you defeat a boss and advance to the next round, you will return to the normal gun.

Ricky and Mary cannot survive contact with any of the aliens for the various projectiles that they launch, so you must keep your distance and avoid running into them at all costs. When Ricky and Mary are killed, they lose one life. Provided they have lives remaining, they return to the screen right where they died, and are briefly invulnerable to attack for just a few seconds. Typically, you begin the game with three lives, and there is only one mechanism to earn extra lives: by being lucky enough to find one behind a "?" container. Once you lose all your lives, you may continue from the start of the round where you died by purchasing more credits.

Items

Item	Description
	The fire weapon launches a continuous jet of flame ahead of you. It is the only weapon which can be effectively operated while holding the fire button down. Note that if you choose to do so, any option robots following you will not fire until you release and press the button again.
	The bomb weapon is a powerful weapon, but it's difficult to use. It lobs grenades into the air, which land on the ground ahead of you and create a small explosion. While does a good job destroying enemies caught in the explosion, other aliens can safely walk beneath the grenades and attack you.
	The laser beam gun is a particularly useful weapon. Although the beam it fires is quite narrow, making it a little difficult to hit enemies with, the beam slices through any enemy it touches and continues to the end of the screen. This makes it possible to kill two or more enemies with a single shot. Very useful against bosses as well.
	Collecting the weapon behind the S container returns you to the ordinary weapon that you begin each round with. Unless you particularly dislike the weapon you are currently using, it is recommended that you stay away from S containers.
	Another very useful weapon, the fireball gun launches rather large fireballs in whatever direction you happen to be facing. The size of these fireballs makes it rather easy to strike enemies with. Although not as recommended against bosses as the laser, the fireball gun does a great job clearing a path to comrades in need of rescue.
	When you open an O container, you will obtain an option robot (shown right). Option robots are programmed to trail along right behind you. As a bonus, they have a weapon which they fire in the opposite direction from you, providing you with extra protection. They will only fire when you tap the fire button. You can have, at most, two option robots following you. They can't get hurt or die, but they do not follow you from one round to the next
	Upon opening a "?" container, you will obtain bonus points. The number of bonus points you obtain can range from 100 to 10,000, and is determined by the shape of the chess piece which appears when you open it. It's extremely rare, but it's also possible to obtain an extra life when you open one of these containers.