This article is about the Console game. For the character, see Alien Hominid (character). For the Flash game, see Alien Hominid.
Alien Hominid was the first game created by The Behemoth. It is a remake of the earlier flash game, making it one of the first console games based on a Flash series. In addition to being much longer than the flash game, the console game contains many new features, such as mini games and two player mode.
Alien Hominid is noteworthy for being one of the first indie games to be published on major consoles: as it predates projects like Braid, Super Meat Boy, and Fez.
Release[]
Alien Hominid was released for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube in America on November 18, 2004, and for the PlayStation 2 and XBox in Europe in May 2005.
Later, on February 3 2006, it was ported to the Game Boy Advance (as an EU exclusive, possibly due to the advent of the increasingly popular DS and PSP handheld gaming systems). Later, on February 28, 2007, an upgraded version of the game was released on XBox Live Arcade for the XBox 360, prior to the release of Castle Crashers.
Characters[]
- The Alien Hominid - The main playable character of the game. The Alien is gender-neutral, as stated in Nintelligent's preview of the game [1]. Their objective is to find his ship so that they can go back into space.
- The FBI - These are the main enemies in the first five levels of the game, and are the least advanced enemies. They can shoot, duck, jump (in some cases), and drive many vehicles.
- The Soviets - These are the main enemies for the second world of the game. They can do a bit more than the FBI, like pop out of the snow, jump and shoot, and drive more sophisticated vehicles.
- The Soviet general - He leads the Soviets and calls on giant robots to try and kill you. After the robots fail to kill you, he then gets into your spaceship using all the ship's abilities against you. Again he fails and parachutes down to the ground only to be caught by an eagle and left on the conveyor belt heading towards a saw.
- The Area 51 Soldiers - These are the main enemies in the third world, and are also the hardest. They can block slices, punch you, and throw you after they grab you.
- The Fat Kids - These are NPCs (non-playable characters) that give you power-ups and take you to Level 1-2 and Level 1-3. The reason they help you is most likely because they are often seen being bullied by the FBI, the first time you notice this is at the very beginning when the FBI are clearing up debris around where you crashed and then steal the fat kid's ice cream. They also appear in the Soviet levels, but they wear bear suits because of the cold.
- The Alien Hominid clone - This is the last boss of the game. The clone is a larger version of the Alien Hominid who was created by the Area 51 Soldiers in hopes of fending off the Alien's attacks. He is on level 3-5. This boss has all of the Alien Hominid's attacks, including grenades that will set fire to the floor. The fight begins in the Area 51 base after the help you get from the Eyeball and the fight ends in the sky atop a giant slowly-falling-apart version of the Alien's spaceship.
Design[]
Alien Hominid is a level based game, with three distinct areas, Urban, Russia, and Area 51, containing several levels each. In total, the game includes hundreds of individual enemies and a couple dozen boss fights. Although most of these stages follow the traditional Run 'n Gun format, some involved taking control of vehicles. There is also a two player cooperative mode, which makes the game significantly easier to play.
Gameplay[]
Alien Hominid for the consoles keeps the same basic gameplay as the Flash game, making it an unusually old fashioned game for its era. Players need to shoot and throw their limited supply of grenades at enemies while running and jumping to avoid their attacks. It is also possible to burrow underground for a short while, knife enemies from a short distance, and leap onto their heads. A single hit will kill the player, but each the player starts each level with a supply of extra lives, much like the Metal Slug series. At various points, players may also find power ups, which temporarily improve the effects of their weaponry. Several levels also include vehicle sections, with their own unique gameplay.
Mini games[]
In addition to the main game, there are also a slew of mini games, many of them supporting multi-player.
PDA Game[]
By using the Alien's PDA, a mini game can be played. This mini game is reminiscent of early platform games like Pitfall or Super Mario Bros.. The graphics are presented as simplistic monochromatic designs, but the animation is fluid. The player must guide a stick figure character to the end of the level, each level being only one screen large. The player(s) must traverse around blocks of many shapes and sizes and defeat all of the enemies in the level and then travel to the exit. The game has 200 levels and a level editor. The player has many moves at his disposal, such as jumping, double-jumping, pushing rocks and boats, riding in the boats, and last but not least killing himself to start the level over. The minigame also has several environmental hazards such as spikes, crumbling floors, and water. It is possible to play this PDA game with up to four players simultaneously. Additionally, the game was modified for the PAL release.
Challenge[]
This minigame is basically a condensed version of the main game for one or two players. There are two modes: either competitive play against a fellow player or a co-op mode where the objective is to eliminate enemies. The goal of each level in this minigame is to achieve a point total of 25,000. As one progresses in the main game, additional levels for the challenge mode are unlocked. There are three levels for Challenge mode:
- Freeway. This level is taken from Level 1-2. All of the enemies in the main level are represented here, including the F.B.I, the helicopters, the limos, and the armored vehicles.
- Desert. This level is taken from Levels 3-1 and 3-2. This level includes vultures, scorpions, and tornadoes. The level does not include any version of soldier because there were none in the desert levels.
- Area 51. This level is taken from Levels 3-3 and 3-4. Includes most of the enemies from these levels, except the thunderbites (blue dogs with large teeth).
Presentation[]
The second player is distinguished by the cap.
Alien Hominid uses the same style as the flash game it's based upon. However, the graphics, drawn by Dan Paladin, were completely recreated for the game, and were remade once again for the Game Boy Advance and XBLA versions of the game. Although bloody and violent at points, the game is nonetheless cartoony in style.
Reception[]
Alien Hominid was a critical hit upon release. IGN, a popular gaming website, gave the initial release a score of 8.1/10, calling it "a great game worthy of a purchase."[2] Years later, the XBLA version of the game got an even higher score, an 8.5/10, saying that "deciding whether to download and give Alien Hominid a shot is an easy choice."[3] In 2008, IGN included it and nine other games on their "Essential XBLA" list.[4] GameTrailers called it a "quirky, fun, and rare game with a unique look."