Attack of the Earthlings

Attack of the Earthlings has a cinematic premise, mixing XCOM-style gameplay with Alien-like monsters and Monty Python-esque comedy.

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In "Attack of the Earthlings," players lead a hostile alien race to eliminate human intruders on their planet. By strategically deploying units and managing resources, players must thwart the humans' expansion efforts. With dark humor and turn-based strategy, players must outwit and devour humans to ensure their alien species' survival.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 208 reviews

humor110 positive mentions

replayability10 negative mentions

The game offers a unique perspective by allowing players to control aliens fighting against comically incompetent humans, providing a humorous twist on the typical invasion narrative.
Gameplay is engaging with a solid turn-based tactical system that encourages stealth and strategic planning, making each mission feel fresh and rewarding.
The writing is witty and entertaining, with plenty of humorous moments that enhance the overall experience and keep players chuckling throughout.

The campaign is relatively short, taking around 7-10 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more content and replayability.
There are some issues with the user interface and controls, which can feel clunky and may hinder the overall gameplay experience.
The game lacks a difficulty setting, making it feel too easy for experienced players, and the AI can be predictable, reducing the challenge.

humor
110 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Attack of the Earthlings" is widely praised for its dark, tongue-in-cheek style, with many players finding it genuinely funny and engaging throughout the game. While the writing is often described as simple, it effectively balances silliness with clever quips, making the experience enjoyable despite the game's short length. However, some reviewers noted that the humor can be hit or miss, with certain jokes feeling clichéd or overdone, yet overall, it contributes significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
- “The somewhat ghastly premise is balanced by the rather silly villains and humorous scripted events.”
- “Great fun and loved the tongue-in-cheek humor found throughout the game.”
- “A cute little game with lots of sarcasm and dark humor.”
story
100 mentions
23 % positive mentions
74 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by a humorous and straightforward narrative where players control aliens fighting against human invaders on a mining spaceship. While the comedic elements and mission variety are praised, many reviewers note the campaign's brevity, consisting of only seven missions, and a lack of replayability due to its linear structure. Overall, the writing and humor enhance the experience, but players express a desire for more content and dynamic storytelling.
- “The story is drip-fed to you through intercom banter, where the two human leaders mostly play off each other's incompetence as you thwart their plans.”
- “Each level is different and has various objectives; it all ties to the story that is actually very funny - this game is also a comedy with plentiful hilarious moments!”
- “The humour spread throughout the game, be it with in-game elements or the story, really makes this game stand out as a gem.”
- “The story is relatively by the books alien invasion one, although playing as the aliens (who are being invaded by humans) is a cool twist on the formula, and the humor is pretty good, in my opinion very rarely falling flat.”
- “The one downside is that at around 15 hours it's rather short compared to most other turn-based combat games, and it's a shame there aren't any additional game modes or optional missions to explore as you're very much railroaded in both story and gameplay.”
- “Despite being a tactical turn-based sim, the game has next to zero replayability because you're playing through a scripted narrative short campaign where each mission you start anew, with your single unit.”
gameplay
81 mentions
27 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Attack of the Earthlings" is a turn-based strategy experience that combines stealth mechanics with a humorous narrative, drawing comparisons to titles like XCOM and Invisible Inc. While the core mechanics are solid and allow for tactical setups and character upgrades, many players find the gameplay to be somewhat simplistic and the overall experience short, with only seven levels that lack random generation or additional content. Despite its charm and engaging humor, some reviewers express a desire for deeper mechanics and more substantial replayability.
- “The gameplay is great and it's also very funny.”
- “The core gameplay loop of sneaking up and eating people is generally fun; you can even hide and use vents to further bushwhack enemies.”
- “The gameplay feels very polished and each level plays quite differently, making each new encounter feel very fresh.”
- “The gameplay is very shallow; the characters you play as have no depth, no reason to care, and the gameplay itself is trivial and easily forgettable.”
- “The gameplay while competent seems rather typical of a puzzle game from the Xbox indie market, which is not what someone who wants to play as the big bad monsters really wants out of their game.”
- “I do worry that the gameplay is simplistic enough that the replay value may suffer without additional content.”
replayability
27 mentions
11 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
37 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its low to nonexistent replayability, primarily due to its linear design and scripted narrative structure, which offers little variation in gameplay upon replay. With a total playtime of around 6-9 hours, players find that the lack of randomization and limited mission variety significantly diminishes the incentive to replay, except for achievement hunting. Overall, while enjoyable, the game lacks the depth and dynamism that would encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “While I definitely recommend this game, I would add that it is a little on the short side at around 8 hours, with little replay value.”
- “I do worry that the gameplay is simplistic enough that the replay value may suffer without additional content.”
- “This feels like a bit of a missed opportunity by the devs to either change the campaign a bit to be more dynamic and have some level of strategic gameplay, or, failing that, add in a procedural mission creator/campaign generator to significantly bump up playtime and replayability.”
- “It's not a very long game (~9 hours for a careful playthrough that hit all the secondary objectives), and replayability is low unless you go achievement-hunting, but it's worth buying at the right price point.”
- “The game is only eight or so maps with the first handful being painfully linear introductory levels; the enemies and such are all in premeditated locations so there's not much replay value at all besides a mass of achievements designed to trick you into perfecting the levels.”
- “Despite being a tactical turn-based sim, the game has next to zero replayability because you're playing through a scripted narrative short campaign where each mission you start anew, with your single unit.”
graphics
15 mentions
40 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the polished artwork and charming art style, while others criticize it for resembling a low-budget title reminiscent of older consoles. Although the visuals are generally considered decent and convey character, they are often described as simplistic or cartoonish, reflecting the game's indie origins. Overall, while the graphics are not groundbreaking, they contribute positively to the game's overall feel.
- “The artwork, visuals, and map layouts are just so damn polished.”
- “The graphics are passing but also convey a sense of character.”
- “Love this simple art style, and the music and gameplay give this game a very good feel just to play.”
- “The graphics/music production are neither exceptional nor doing anything risque.”
- “The art style is the only props I'll give to this game.”
- “However, off the bat you can tell it’s more of an indie game by a smaller team, but I do like the art style and presentation of it so far.”
music
11 mentions
45 % positive mentions
27 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the sound design and ambient noise for enhancing the experience, while others find the soundtrack repetitive and lacking standout tracks. Although the music complements the gameplay well, many players feel it could be improved to create a more memorable auditory experience. Overall, the soundtrack is described as decent but not exceptional, with limited variety.
- “Animation, sound, music... all perfect and fitting.”
- “I love the music (from Mikolai Stroinski).”
- “Love this simple art style, and the music and gameplay give this game a very good feel just to play.”
- “The soundtrack was okay, but there was not a single head-banger in there unfortunately.”
- “So soundtrack choices could be improved.”
- “- repetitive music”
optimization
4 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The optimization in the game is generally viewed as solid, with performance impacting the upgrade system through a resource called mutagen, which rewards players based on their mission efficiency. However, some users criticize the characterless units and the upgrade mechanic as potentially flawed.
- “I think it's a pretty solid performance.”
- “Mutagen: upgrade resource that's awarded at the end of a mission; you get more the better your mission performance was (fewer turns, no losses, etc.).”
- “Your units are all characterless but can get upgrades based on points you earn from performance (bad mechanic).”
- “- Mutagen: upgrade resource that's awarded at the end of a mission; you get more the better your mission performance was (fewer turns, no losses, etc.).”
stability
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-33 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is considered stable and largely bug-free, with users noting that it is complete and easily approachable. However, some players have experienced occasional glitches, freezes, and crashes, suggesting that it may be wise to wait for further updates before purchasing.
- “The game is complete and bug-free, making it easily approachable.”
- “The audio and voice-overs are acceptable, though they lean too much into the Sims dialog style.”
- “I would recommend this game, but I would rather wait a little while before buying, to stay clear of the constant freezes and crashes.”
- “The game offers some nice graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there; it is pleasant all the same.”
grinding
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the game's plot and missions are enjoyable and challenging, the grinding aspect can feel tedious, particularly for players who dislike turn-based mechanics and stealth gameplay. Those who prefer faster-paced action may find the slow progression frustrating.
- “Unless you're one of those people who find turn-based games and stealth mechanics tedious, in which case you will be better off avoiding it because there's no way around the slow pace resulting from that combination.”
- “Stealthy approaches are tedious.”
character development
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has been criticized for being predictable and lacking depth, with some players feeling that the design choices hint at a story that may not take itself seriously.
- “I'm guessing that I don't need to say this; most people probably saw the black and red player character designs and correctly guessed that the story would embarrass itself a bit.”
- “The character development feels shallow and predictable, making it hard to connect with anyone in the game.”
- “I was really disappointed with how the characters evolved; their arcs were clichéd and lacked any real depth.”