Alien Shooter

About

Alien Shooter is a single-player horror shooter game with stunning mechanics, good graphics, and soundtrack. The game follows the story of fighting against aliens across various levels, with two expansions available: Fight for Life and The Experiment. Although the plot may be lacking, the game offers an addictive and grinding experience with the goal of defeating the alien invasion.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,400 reviews

graphics20 positive mentions

story20 negative mentions

The game is a nostalgic classic that brings back fond childhood memories for many players.
Gameplay is simple yet addictive, allowing players to enjoy mindless shooting of hordes of aliens.
The graphics, while dated, still hold a certain charm and the sound effects enhance the overall experience.

The game is quite short, typically taking only 1-2 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more.
Repetitive gameplay can become tedious, especially with limited enemy variety and mechanics.
There are frequent crashes and bugs, particularly on modern systems, which can disrupt the gaming experience.

story
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
79%
15%
The story in the game is minimal and largely serves as a backdrop for the action, featuring a simple premise where a military complex is attacked by aliens. Players can complete a short campaign consisting of ten missions, but many reviews criticize the lack of depth and engagement in the narrative, with additional story content locked behind paid DLCs. Overall, the focus is primarily on gameplay rather than storytelling, making it a "violence for the sake of violence" experience.
- “It follows a simple story, in which a military complex is attacked out of the blue by hordes of hungry and vile aliens.”
- “Amazing game and a good setup for the following story.”
- “At the start of each mission, there is a little mission briefing that tells you a little bit about the level and the character's thoughts.”
- “The story for Alien Shooter is entirely non-existent; its sole purpose is to be a 'violence for the sake of violence' time waster.”
- “About the story... well, there is really nothing here.”
- “No story to speak of, boring, repetitive, short, non-engaging.”
graphics
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
69%
13%
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, reflecting its 2003 release, but they effectively create a nostalgic atmosphere that appeals to fans of retro aesthetics. While some players find the visuals serviceable and fitting for an isometric shooter, others criticize the lack of variety and modern polish, noting that they may not hold up against contemporary titles. Overall, the graphics are seen as a blend of charm and limitation, with many players enjoying the simplicity despite acknowledging their shortcomings.
- “The pixel art style may be retro, but they still hold up remarkably well.”
- “The graphics look nice, especially for the era this game came out.”
- “The game offers some pleasant graphics and graphical style, although some ugly glitches here and there, it is pleasant all the same.”
- “There's not a lot of variety in the graphics, with all of the missions donning the same exact tiles and textures, making the visuals very boring by today's standards.”
- “About the graphics, it looks bad in the current time, but in my opinion this also looked bad in 2003.”
- “The graphics are very representative of a free flash game, and yet this is not a free flash game.”
gameplay
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
66%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and nostalgic appeal, offering straightforward mechanics that are enjoyable despite being somewhat repetitive and dated. Players appreciate the satisfying combat and the arcade-style experience, though some note a lack of depth and variety in mechanics. Overall, it provides a fun, albeit basic, shooting experience that can be entertaining for short play sessions.
- “The graphics, though simple, are effective in creating a thrilling atmosphere, and the satisfying combat mechanics make it enjoyable.”
- “Pretty straightforward gameplay but surprisingly big fun and entertaining.”
- “Gameplay-wise is pretty much what you'd expect: tons of shooting, gore, bodily chunks, and a large assortment of weapons to choose from, steadily becoming available as the levels progress.”
- “The gameplay is simple and does not change at all.”
- “The gameplay is some of the most mindless trite I've ever seen.”
- “Alien shooter and alien shooter revisited both are passes in my opinion; they feel extremely dated and the gameplay feels like one of those quarter-sucking arcade games that is just out to kill you fast and take you back to the title screen.”
music
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
56%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the gameplay experience, featuring a mix of creepy ambient themes and adrenaline-pumping tracks that elevate the action during combat. While many reviewers appreciate the nostalgic and energetic soundtrack, some note that it can be repetitive and occasionally lacks polish, with certain guitar elements described as subpar. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
- “By the way, it has an absolute banger of a soundtrack!”
- “It has creepy ambient themes to build the tension, and once the horde is unleashed, the music shifts to blood-pumping action to aid you in your onslaught.”
- “I remember as a kid, upon loading up the game for the first time and hearing the main menu music, it literally sent chills down my spine, and it still does to this day.”
- “The guitar parts in the music are awful... sounds like a beginner level guitarist with terrible sound.”
- “Even the upbeat music gets tired by the end, as the game overstays its short welcome.”
- “The music is simple and it goes off at times.”
grinding
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
12%
85%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, particularly with achievements that require high scores or repetitive tasks like breaking crates and defeating numerous enemies. While some enjoy the initial campaign and the satisfaction of powerful weapons, the overall sentiment is that the grind for 100% completion can be overwhelming and detracts from the fun, with estimates suggesting it could take around 15 hours to achieve.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “However, the recent addition of grindy achievements has been a bit of a letdown, particularly the one requiring a 1 million score.”
- “While I appreciate the effort to add new challenges and replay value, this particular achievement feels excessively tedious and detracts from the overall fun.”
- “The ones for breaking crates and blowing up barrels are extremely tedious though; you will need to make countless runs through the campaign to get the final ranks (3000 of each).”
replayability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
73%
14%
The game's replayability is mixed, with some players finding it high due to various modes and challenges, while others feel it lacks depth beyond survival mode and can become tedious. While certain aspects, like character enhancements, offer some replay value, many agree that the overall experience may not warrant repeated playthroughs for everyone. Ultimately, enjoyment of replayability seems to depend on individual preferences and tolerance for repetitive gameplay.
- “Replayable with or without cheats.”
- “Though there aren't a lot of upgrading options save for the character enhancements, it feels like a completed game and, for the price tag, it offers enough gameplay and replayability to be more than worth it.”
- “Sigma team are some of the best devs I've ever seen when it comes to twinstick shooters and overall replay value in said gametype. This game alone ended up sucking up at least 100 hours of my time off of Steam years ago, maybe even before Steam was a thing.”
- “While I appreciate the effort to add new challenges and replay value, this particular achievement feels excessively tedious and detracts from the overall fun.”
- “I personally finished it in two hours in one sitting, and sadly there is not that much replay value other than survival mode.”
- “- not much replay value”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
14%
57%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while it runs well on modern hardware and is enjoyable for casual play, users report frequent bugs and crashes, particularly when adjusting settings. Glitches can affect gameplay, but the overall experience remains pleasant for short sessions.
- “Runs great on modern hardware, a classic mindless time killer.”
- “A nice little game to waste some time on every now and again, and it runs great on my MacBook in Wine.”
- “The game crashes all the time, even when you try to change settings with troubleshooting.”
- “Constantly buggy.”
- “Bugs and glitches screw with the damage output at times.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it both nostalgic and genuinely funny, despite its age. The comedic value is enhanced by the intentionally poor AI behavior, which leads to amusing situations, making it a recommended experience for those seeking lighthearted fun.
- “Lmao the enemy AI is hilariously bad, can't even detect that they are running straight at a wall and that there is a door right next to them that they can go through.”
- “Even though it's a years-old game, it's so funny to play!”
- “Recommended to play because it's funny and simple (not so easy as press X).”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by effective yet simple graphics that contribute to a thrilling experience, complemented by satisfying combat mechanics. This combination successfully evokes the original feel of an alien shooter, enhancing overall enjoyment.
- “The graphics, though simple, are effective in creating a thrilling atmosphere.”
- “The original atmosphere of the alien shooter.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its great performance, indicating effective optimization that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the smooth gameplay, which contributes positively to the enjoyment of the isometric twin stick shooter.
- “Outside of that, it is a fine isometric twin-stick shooter, with a decent soundtrack and great performance.”