Out Zone

Out Zone (アウトゾーン) is a 1990 arcade game by Toaplan and distributed in the US by Romstar.

Out Zone is a run and gun, in which the player controls a soldier who must fight his way through seven increasingly difficult levels. At the end of each level a boss must be defeated before the player can progress any further. Taking place in the year 2097, mankind is invaded by an alien race and it is up to cyborg soldiers controlled by the player to destroy the invasion force.

Gameplay
Unlike most shoot-em-ups, in Out Zone you do not pilot a space ship or plane, but instead fight enemies on foot. As such, the screen does not scroll automatically, only when you move upwards. Since forward movement is not automatic, the game imposes a time limit, in the form of an energy bar that slowly drains as time goes on. If the bar empties completely, you lose a life. It is refilled when you pick up "E" icons or complete a level. The energy bar does not represent health, as touching one enemy or bullet will immediately cost you one life. After dying, you reappear at an earlier point in the level.

Weapons
You can use one of two main weapons, and switch between them by picking up "C" icons. The semi-automatic forward gun shoots forward no matter which way you move, but shoots three bullets in a slight spread each time you press Fire. The all-direction laser fires in whatever direction you're moving, and creates a sweep of bullets as you change direction. It fires rapidly, so you only need to hold down the Fire button. Each weapon is useful in certain situations, and you will often have to switch based on the configuration of enemies.