Alpha Mission II (1991) - Attract mode and gameplay [Arcade]

In this video from our Gaming Room channel — where it was originally published on October 22, 2025 — I recorded the demo play (attract mode), some extra scenes, and a casual gameplay session — just for fun, with plenty of credits spent — in the arcade version of Alpha Mission II, a vertical-scrolling shoot ’em up from 1991 where the goal is to pilot space fighters and defend humanity against hostile alien forces. The title was developed and published by SNK and first released to the arcades in 1991. It’s also the sequel to Alpha Mission, or ASO: Armored Scrum Object, from 1985.

Just like its predecessor, in Alpha Mission II you control futuristic aircrafts that can use a variety of weapons, including air-to-air lasers, air-to-ground missiles, and massive destructive devices such as nukes. Regular weapons can be upgraded up to four times with power-ups collected during gameplay, while Power Weapons can be purchased at the end of each stage or obtained by collecting three pieces of the same type of armor. There are also various other items scattered throughout the game that grant special effects — such as reversing your movement direction. Similar to Xevious, ground targets can only be hit with bombs, while aerial enemies can only be destroyed with lasers.

Despite its unforgiving difficulty in certain parts, Alpha Mission II was very well received by both critics and the market, likely motivating its release on several other systems, such as Neo Geo CD, PSP, Wii, Vita, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One. Indeed, this shmup features solid graphics, simple controls, and a dynamic weapon system that, combined with its wide range of power-ups, allows for plenty of variation in play styles.

Now it’s your turn: enjoy this nostalgic slice of one of the golden ages of arcades — whether to relive Alpha Mission II or discover it for the first time, comment here and share with your retrogaming enthusiastic friends to help us and to send them good stuff!

Cheers!

More info and gameplay

• Alpha Mission II @ Gaming Room – More info and media. In Portuguese.
• Alpha Mission II @ MobyGames – More info.