When Sega released the Game Gear Micro a short time ago, emulation expert M2 (which also produced Aleste Collection around the same time) decided to create a brand-new entry in the shmup franchise for Game Gear hardware.
It was a remarkable accomplishment, made all the more impressive by the fact that GG Aleste 3 was designed within the limitations of Sega's '90s handheld console. Sadly, outside of the Game Gear Micro (and an expensive, special edition version, at that), the game was only included in the aforementioned Aleste Collection – which remains a Japanese exclusive for PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
Thankfully, it's now possible to play the game on original Game Gear hardware thanks to a new patch:
The patch is the result of three years of hard work, and can only be used on the unencrypted ROM from Aleste Collection. There's some heavy lifting required to get this working, but people are sharing the ROMs (both patched and unpatched) online.
Some fans have expressed concern that this will impact sales of the Aleste Collection and dissuade M2 from embarking on similar projects in the future. However, Derek Pascarella (our source for this news piece) makes a very good point on this topic:
If GG [Aleste] 3 had received a physical GG release, it would have been dumped and played for free on flash cartridges and such shortly after launch. Even if you and I don't like this, it's a fact. But fans who want to support developers and buy games will always spend money.
Aleste began life on the Sega Master System back in 1988. It has had sequels on several systems, including the Mega Drive / Genesis (MUSHA Aleste), SNES (Super Aleste) and Game Gear (GG Aleste and GG Aleste II).
GG Aleste 3 isn't the only new entry in the series; we're also getting Aleste Branch soon, and SenXin Aleste launched in Japanese arcades recently.
Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.