Side Arms is a scrolling shooter (not always left-to-right as a typical side-scroller would be) that puts you in a mech that has the ability to transform into an upgraded mech when it combines with the other player. The two suits are called the Alpha and Beta suits, if that little trivia tidbit is something you’re interested in. You can get a variety of upgrades and types of weapons to help suit your gameplay style as you shoot your way through legions of enemy ships. For an arcade game,
Side Arms gives you a surprisingly forgiving power-up system. You can cycle through your different weapon options such as a shotgun or 3-way spread at any time (you don't have to wait for a power-up to drop to change weapons as is typical for shooters). And although it doesn't break any ground in the graphics department, it is rather colorful and the backgrounds hold a surprising amount of detail compared to other games of the time, including multicolored twinkling stars and occasional distant mountains. I found the music rather unique in how upbeat it sounded, and how long each track was. It just didn't feel like you were listening to the same track over and over.
The fusion technique to form one upgraded unit from the first and second player is pretty darn unique. Unfortunately, it sounds a lot more awesome than it actually is. One player can fire a little secondary spread shot, and the other player controls movement and the forward guns. So effectively, the other player is just limited to mashing one button when you’re combined. This combination does kind of give you extra health: you don’t lose health/lives when you’re hit in this form, but you’ll simply separate at that point and resume your normal ship form. Though it could have been a cool feature of the game, it doesn’t feel like it’s really worth it, in the end.
Another unfortunate fact about this game is that its bosses repeat very quickly. For those accustomed to bosses that become increasingly unique and different as the game progresses, Side Arms is going to be a disappointment. The bosses are recycled very soon, and very often, which makes the game more repetitive feeling than it needs to be.
