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Alien Scumbags

Alien Scumbags Game Cover
98%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:humor, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:story, grinding
98% User Score Based on 113 reviews

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Alien Scumbags Game Cover

About Alien Scumbags

Alien Scumbags is a single player survival platformer game with horror, comedy, violence and science fiction themes. It was developed by Monster Finger Games and was released on June 17, 2020. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

The year is 20XX, the earth has been ravaged by nuclear wars and our only hope is the research shuttle Nostrami. Unfortunately the ship has been incommunicado for 48 hours now. That's were you...

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Reviews

98%Audience ScoreBased on 113 reviews
humor43 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • Alien Scumbags delivers a nostalgic and polished retro-inspired 2D action platformer experience, packed with pixel art, smooth animations, and a fitting horror sci-fi atmosphere.
  • The game features engaging and frantic gameplay with responsive controls, a variety of weapons and enemies, challenging boss fights, and well-designed levels with secrets and collectibles boosting replayability.
  • It stands out with its sharp humor, countless pop culture references, and a well-balanced blend of comedy and horror that enhances the game's unique personality without detracting from gameplay.
  • Limited aiming directions (only left, right, and up) can frustrate combat, especially against flying enemies, and mouse support is suboptimal compared to controller input.
  • The campaign is relatively short and can feel repetitive over time as the level design follows a linear path from start to end with limited variety.
  • Some minor bugs and occasional audio glitches persist, although the developer is actively supporting and improving the game.

  • humor

    43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Alien Scumbags is widely praised for its unapologetically old-school, irreverent humor that blends sophomoric, self-referential, and bawdy jokes with a sincere love for retro sci-fi and gaming culture. Its comedic elements—from character names and voice acting to in-game commentary and clever references—enhance the game's fast-paced action and horror themes, delivering a fresh and entertaining experience that balances laughs with thrills.

    • “Rather than chasing modern gaming trends, it delivers an unapologetically old-school experience packed with pixel-art visuals, fast combat, outrageous humor, and a healthy dose of science-fiction horror.”
    • “What is fortunate however is how Alien Scumbags manages to do an excellent job of sidestepping these common pitfalls, playing fast and loose with its often sophomoric but endlessly charming sense of self-referential humor that speaks more to a sincere love of the films and games it riffs on than the more cynical approach that seems to drag down a lot of the other meta-referential games I've encountered.”
    • “The game has a great balance between the humor and the scares, while also having the same feeling as the old arcade games from before.”

  • gameplay

    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    33% positive mentions, 58% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions

    The gameplay of "Alien Scumbags" is a fast-paced, responsive blend of run-and-gun and platforming mechanics that appeals to fans of retro arcade classics through its nostalgic yet original design. It offers varied enemies, multiple characters with distinct traits, and diverse difficulty modes, promoting replayability and multiple playstyles from methodical exploration to speedrunning. While the game emphasizes fun, humor, and engaging combat over complex storytelling or realism, its smooth mechanics and well-crafted levels make it accessible and satisfying for both newcomers and veteran players.

    • “From its exaggerated premise to its frantic gameplay, the title wears its inspirations proudly, offering an adventure that feels like a tribute to arcade classics while maintaining enough originality to stand on its own.”
    • “Whether slow and meticulous, clearing each room completely, looking for secrets in every corner (of which there are many!) or barreling through at breakneck speed with the heart of a speedrunner, the game can be approached a number of different ways with each feeling both distinct and well-supported by the game's core mechanics.”
    • “There is a variety of levels, weapons and enemies as well as numerous unlockable characters to play, each with a gameplay altering trait.”
    • “I will fully and openly admit after seeing 3 to 4 minutes of gameplay after downloading, I wasn't sure how long this would hold my attention.”
    • “The gameplay itself is more slow and falls somewhere between faster shooters such as Abuse or faster jump and runs such as Captain Cosmic and slower, more methodical games such as the OG Castlevania.”
    • “Alien Scumbags will not appeal to everyone, particularly players seeking a deeply emotional story, complex progression mechanics, or cutting-edge realism.”

  • graphics

    29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    31% positive mentions, 59% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions

    The game features polished pixel art graphics that evoke a nostalgic 8-bit and Sega Genesis-era aesthetic, blending horror and sci-fi themes with humor. Visuals are vibrant and detailed, complemented by a dynamic soundtrack and sound effects that enhance the retro shooter experience. Constant updates further refine the graphics and gameplay, making it a standout for fans of classic side-scrolling pixel art games.

    • “Graphically, I love the look and the pixel art looks amazing, with the sound perfectly complementing it, and one feature I loved was how the music changed tune/pitch when your health got low.”
    • “Graphically the characters, enemies, weapons effects, and environments are done extremely well and are super polished.”
    • “It’s well worth your time to get involved with this game as it gives you a game that has been lovingly crafted to create an atmospheric action platformer with a really cool 8-bit aesthetic that draws inspiration from some classic space shooters from down the years.”
    • “Honestly, I thought it was going to be another side scroller that has typical 8-bit graphics and just no thought put into it.”
    • “Reasons not to play this game: you don't like classic 2D Duke Nukem, side scrolling games, retro art styles.”
    • “Visuals are a throwback to Sega Genesis days and the game does not hold back on hitting that nostalgia mark.”

  • music

    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    41% positive mentions, 48% neutral mentions, 11% negative mentions

    The game's music is widely praised for its energetic, atmospheric soundtrack that skillfully enhances tension and immersion, often shifting tempo and tone based on gameplay events like low health. It blends retro influences with horror and satire elements, contributing to a memorable and engaging audio experience despite occasional minor looping issues. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that elevates both the mood and excitement of the game.

    • “The soundtrack is incredible, ramping up in tempo as your health decreases, leading to a variety of soundscapes that always keep the tone a bit tense which is important because, for all its jokes and sideways glances, it manages to sneak in a couple genuinely creepy moments tucked into a story that calls back to late nights spent up reading creepypasta.”
    • “The soundtrack and sound effects complement the visuals by enhancing moments of tension while maintaining the energetic pace expected from a retro shooter.”
    • “The music and sound effects are awesome, they induce the panic feeling when you get chased and hear the screaming.”
    • “The bad - the music will occasionally stop looping and can be a bit irritating at times, but not that horrid.”
    • “The soundtrack is kept simple, there are some repeating themes that don’t stay in mind very long.”
    • “[u][h1]sounds/soundtrack :[/h1][/u][table]”

  • story

    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    13% positive mentions, 74% neutral mentions, 13% negative mentions

    The story is a brief, cheesy sci-fi narrative set in a bleak future where the protagonist must cleanse a vessel overrun by aliens, blending dry humor and some creepy moments. While fully voice-acted and supported by collectibles and secrets, the plot is considered modest and somewhat secondary to the gameplay, lasting about three hours and appealing primarily to players who enjoy classic, fast-paced action rather than deep emotional or complex storytelling.

    • “The story unfolds in a bleak future where humanity's survival hangs by a thread after catastrophic events leave civilization in ruins.”
    • “Hope rests aboard a research vessel that soon becomes overrun by grotesque alien creatures, forcing the protagonist into a desperate mission to cleanse the station of its deadly infestation.”
    • “In the audio department, I was very surprised that the game’s story scenes were completely voice acted, and each actor does a great job bringing the characters to life.”
    • “Yet, at the same time felt like a vacuum—hollow with the more crucial, focal points such as the story being tossed out and there is no point to these levels except gunning down scum from A to B.”
    • “The main story is about 3 hours long only.”
    • “Cheesy storyline that feels like a token plot, just like games used to be—'you fight as the last hope when everyone else has failed, as master chef—you need to leave your kitchen and find out what happened on the other ship.'”

  • replayability

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    23% positive mentions, 77% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers strong replayability through multiple unlockable characters with unique abilities, various difficulty levels including additional challenges unlocked post-completion, and a survival mode. Hidden secrets, easter eggs, and references further enhance the experience, encouraging repeated playthroughs. Overall, the varied mechanics and progression incentives keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.

    • “Replayability is a huge factor here as there are unlockables that release as you complete playthroughs and there are characters to unlock with their own abilities that change the way the game is played.”
    • “On top of that, there are a bunch of characters that involve completely different mechanics, high scores, and 3 difficulties so this game has a massive amount of replayability.”
    • “Two unlockable difficulty modes after you have beaten the game on normal heighten the replay value as they mix things up, bring new enemy abilities into the fray and make it more difficult for you.”

  • atmosphere

    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game excels in creating a compelling atmosphere that blends horror, satire, and action through dynamic lighting, eerie sound effects, and an amazing soundtrack. Its carefully crafted environments, combined with futuristic visuals and 8-bit aesthetics, immerse players in a spine-chilling yet entertaining experience. The atmosphere is enhanced by humor, voice acting, and multiple difficulty levels, making it accessible and engaging for a wide range of players.

    • “Dynamic lighting adds atmosphere to the abandoned environments, reinforcing the blend of horror and action that defines the adventure.”
    • “The music and sound effects are well done, which adds to the atmosphere of horror meets satire.”
    • “Atmosphere is spine-chilling through the wondrous lighting and ship's futuristic crispness.”

  • grinding

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is generally engaging rather than tedious, with each character offering unique abilities that keep gameplay fresh and enjoyable. While repetition exists, it feels more challenging and rewarding than boring, maintaining player interest through continuous discovery and skill-based obstacles.

    • “Not in the bad way, thus there is always more to discover, but in a teeth-grinding way of 'I will get your head, stupid level'.”

  • emotional

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game’s emotional impact is limited, as it may not resonate with players looking for a deeply emotional narrative or complex character development. Its focus leans more toward action than immersive storytelling or realism.

  • optimization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game is well-optimized, running smoothly with natural and fluid movements and actions.

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Play Times

3h Median play time
3h Average play time
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Alien Scumbags is a survival platformer game with horror, comedy, violence and science fiction themes. Common tags for Alien Scumbags include indie, 2d, linear, aliens, dark humor and others.

Alien Scumbags is available on PC, Windows, Xbox and PlayStation.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Alien Scumbags.

Alien Scumbags was released on June 17, 2020.

Alien Scumbags was developed by Monster Finger Games.

Alien Scumbags has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Alien Scumbags for its humor but disliked it for its story.

Alien Scumbags is a single player game.

Similar games include Iron Meat, Valfaris, HUNTDOWN, UnEpic, Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 and others.