MUSHA Metallic Uniframe[a] is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Compile and released for the Sega Genesis in 1990. An entry in Compile’s shooter series, Aleste, MUSHA Metallic Uniframe places the player in the role of a flying mecha pilot who must destroy a large super intelligent computer threatening planet Earth. The game had a working title of Aleste 2 and originally featured a style similar to the first game, but this was changed to a more original Japanese aesthetic and speed metal soundtrack.
Initial reception for MUSHA Metallic Uniframe was mixed. Critics generally agreed the game was enjoyable with great graphics, but found themselves overwhelmed by the number of scrolling shooters on the Genesis and felt the title was unremarkable and lacked challenge. The game was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan in 2008 and the West in 2009.
It was re-released again on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in 2021.[7] MUSHA has been more well-received in retrospective reviews, where it is cited for its challenging gameplay, strong soundtrack, and graphics that were ahead of its time.
Gameplay – MUSHA Metallic Uniframe
MUSHA Metallic Uniframe Metallic Uniframe is a vertically scrolling shooter.[8] The player takes on the role of Terri,[b] a pilot who flies a specially designed mecha vehicle with advanced weaponry called a MUSHA Metallic Uniframe. She is sent to fight the human-built Dire 51[c] supercomputer that has begun attacking Earth from space in the year 2290.[6]: 6 The gameplay conventions are largely retained from earlier Aleste titles.[8] The player has a main gun that can be powered up by collecting “Power Chips”.
There are also three different special weapons that can be picked up: piercing lasers, fire-based explosives and rotating shields. They can be upgraded if the same weapon is picked up that is currently being used. If hit while a special weapon is equipped, the player will lose the special weapon but remain alive.
Getting hit without a special weapon will result in losing a life.[6]: 14–15 For every three Power Chips collected, the player obtains a drone similar to those in the Gradius series. Only two drones can be equipped at any one moment; extras are stored. These drones can be set to one of six attack modes, such as aiming forward, behind, or rotating around the player.[8][6]: 17
Development – MUSHA Metallic Uniframe
A young team at Compile developed MUSHA Metallic Uniframe in less than a year. They originally made a prototype for a new game in the Aleste series called “Aleste 2” for the Sega Genesis, but postponed the project.
The team was still feeling pressure to create a game, and also wanted to change the direction of the Aleste series. Designer Kazuyuki Nakashima came up with a design that ignored most of the style of previous Aleste games and instead went with a Japanese aesthetic, including a character with a Noh mask. This change in direction motivated the team to pick up remnants of “Aleste 2” and push it into a new direction.[5]
The valley stage in MUSHA utilizes the Genesis’s vertical parallax scrolling capabilities, which was later highlighted by critics as one of the game’s most impressive technical features.[5][9][10] The stage was programmed by Yuichi Toyama, who also programmed the enemies that move in and out of the depths of the valley, and tiles that fall into the screen in other stages.
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