Hyper Dyne Side Arms is a horizontally-scrolling shooter, developed and published by Capcom in 1986. It can be played by two players simultaneously and features special combination attacks that can be performed when both players merge together. The game, of course, can also be played single-player.

Each player controls a flying ‘Mecha’ suit and is fighting against the evil alien empire, known as the Bozon. An eight-way joystick and three buttons control your craft. One button is used to shoot to the left; a second button to the right, and a third button is used to cycle through your weapons.

Suit upgrades come in the form of orbs that spin around your suit (offering greater protection), weapons boosters, and speed boosters.

It takes a few games to get used to the two-button fire system: shooting left and right. At first the game makes it easy, with enemies only coming at you from the front. But eventually the game starts to drop enemies behind you, and you have to remember to press a different button to fire in the opposite direction…

After a long period of horizontal scrolling you’ll then be treated to a vertically-scrolling level. And this alternates occasionally, throughout the game. It definitely helps keep things interesting.

Playing cooperatively, with a friend, is probably the best way to experience this game. If you’re playing two-player, you can merge together to form a two-man Mecha! With extra firepower. I did it by accident the first time, then couldn’t work out how to do it again after that. I did eventually figure out that it was a small power-up with an alpha symbol on it, that you have to pick up. Playing cooperatively – without merging – is my favourite way to play this game, though.

Hyper Dyne Side Arms is sometimes shortened to just “Side Arms“, but its actual name is the full title.

More: Hyper Dyne Side Arms on Wikipedia