Game Reviews

Alien Breed

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Alien Breed
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| Alien Breed

Alien Breed is one of those retro games that continue to enjoy an incredible amount of respect and reverence from old skool players, which is a good indication that it still holds up to scrutiny.

Originally released on the Amiga back in the early '90s, Alien Breed is clearly influenced by the Alien series of Hollywood movies, using similar antagonists and a familiar setting: a space station overrun by bloodthirsty xenomorphs. In space, no one can ever find a decent exterminator, so you're the Plan B.

No one can hear you scream

Alien Breed involves you stomping through alien-packed levels, wiping out hostiles and picking up various items - such as cash, ammo, and first aid kits. You'll also need to keep your eyes peeled for key cards, which unlock the many sealed doors scattered throughout the station.

This element of the game is infamously tricky - unless you're familiar with the level design (and many Alien Breed devotees will still have the blueprints filed away in their brains) it's easy to mistakenly expend all of your keys on the wrong doors, making it impossible to progress unless you use your cash to purchase additional keys from the in-game store.

Doors unlocked and open

It's rare you'll find an iOS developer who isn't prepared to resort to in-app purchasing these days, and Team17 is no exception. You can use real-world cash to buy more in-game credit, which effectively means you can extract yourself from even the stickiest situations.

Hardcore fans of the Alien Breed series will no doubt frown upon this, but at least it's totally optional.

The twin-stick control system works as well as can be expected, and in some ways actually makes it easier to survive, given that you have more control over the direction of your fire.

Purists can revert back to the single-stick setup if they so wish. Similarly, it's possible to switch off the updated visuals in favour of the original Amiga graphics.

Alien resurrection

With extra levels created exclusively for this release - as well as all the stages from Alien Breed and Alien Breed Special Edition - there's plenty here to keep even the most battle-hungry space marine occupied.

The occasionally harsh difficulty level won't be to everyone's tastes, and its highly likely that fans of the original Amiga version are going to find this more appealing than complete newcomers.

It's also a real shame that the legendary two-player mode didn't make the cut, but even with these drawbacks Alien Breed on iOS remains a solid twin-stick shooter - and one that can show its younger rivals a thing or two.

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Alien Breed

All the content of the Amiga originals - plus some new levels - make this update a must-have for retro enthusiasts and twin-stick blaster fans alike. It's just disappointing that the two-player mode wasn't included
Score
Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.