Update []:
Compile Heart has issued an update on the release of its upcoming Aleste / Zanac Crossover Zaleste, revealing the game will no longer launch in Japan in 2025 but instead on an unspecified date in 2026
The announcement was made on the company's website and social media accounts earlier today, with Compile Heart blaming this change on the need for further "quality improvements" ahead of the game's release and apologizing to fans. Beyond that, no specific details were revealed about what exactly these "quality improvements" were in light of, only that the company will make another announcement in the future with a more "exact release date".
Given that the year's end is fast approaching, and we hadn't heard all that much about the game since Shooter Fes 2025 (which took place roughly five months ago), it's not super surprising to see the game slip into 2026. But it does make us wonder if the company has been listening to some of the fan feedback online (both in Japanese and English-speaking corners of the internet) about how the game is shaping up in comparison to its two famous influences.
We'll try and keep you posted when a proper release date is announced.
Original Story: As part of last weekend's Shooter Fes 2025 event, Compile Heart, D4 Enterprise and M2 finally debuted some gameplay footage of its upcoming Aleste / Zanac crossover Zaleste, which was first announced earlier this year, back in January.
This footage was shown off as part of a livestream, broadcast on Mikado Game Center's YouTube channel, and showed off the second stage of the game with one of the three playable characters.
The footage starts with the character battling a bunch of naval vessels, enemy robots, and mobile turrets over a series of jagged cliff tops jutting out over the ocean, with the short demo demonstrating some of the special abilities you'll have at your disposal (Breakshot, Plasma Flash, etc). These clifftops then eventually give way to a large military base, inhabited by a huge purple tank that the player must destroy, before the player takes to the skies, where they will encounter the stage's final boss.
All in all, the footage lasts about four minutes, with the rest of the game's slot at the event being taken up by discussions of the game's concept art and character designs.
As revealed back when the game was first announced, it is scheduled to release sometime later this year for Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4.
You can catch the Shooter Fes 2025 footage below (the relevant section starts at 8:37:40).