At Team Fremont, our tendency is to root for the underdog. We love it when a little guy comes from out of nowhere to surprise the hell out of everyone with a quality piece of software. And that’s precisely what The Behemoth has done with the conversion of the Flash hit Alien Hominid, a game that is the very definition of the phrase “old school”, and has so much unique character and charm that it will surely be one of this year’s quintessential sleeper hits.



A little history is probably in order for those of you who aren’t familiar with Alien Hominid. The game was originally released in 2002 as a Flash-based game, and was downloadable from Newgrounds.com. The site claims that the game has been downloaded over six million times, which probably explains why the developers decided to bring it to consoles. The game tells the tail of an alien who was shot down by the FBI while passing over earth. You are that alien and you have to get back to your ship. Alien Hominid is developed by a group of people who call themselves The Behemoth, a tiny group who oversees every aspect of their newly formed empire. And they’re doing a great job of pushing the hell out of this game with merchandise that includes skateboards, figurines, t-shirts, and more. You can check out their site here.

The game is deceptively simple and is in fact a straight-up run-and-gunner. However, like all good games in this genre, simply blasting your way from level to level will not work most of the time. The Alien is able to hide underground for a short period of time and grab enemies from below while being invulnerable to attack, and one of his cooler moves is the ability to jump on the backs of enemies and sever their heads. Mom’s don’t worry, there is also the option to turn off the gore. Along with these abilities comes the standard fare: jump, shoot, charge up your shot, crouch, roll, and grenades. The Alien’s gun also has a nice variety of upgrades that are doled out by a character called Fat Kid who stands around with a backpack waiting to help you out.



The levels themselves are very clever and gorgeously designed. At a quick glance, Alien Hominid could appear to be a brilliant cartoon (which I have to believe the marketing gurus at The Behemoth have at least considered). The graphics are all hand-drawn and really look unlike any other game out there. However, the “wow” factor may distract you from the game at times and result in death as there are so many bullets flying around the screen one really doesn’t have time to check out the scenery. This can be a problem considering that Alien Hominid is a “one hit=death” game.

Like all good gunners, Alien Hominid has its fair share of gigantic bosses, all of which are well varied and challenging. In fact, to some the game may be a bit too challenging as you will die…a lot. Some of the deaths come off as cheap, but the majority of the time you’ll find yourself learning from your mistakes, making you more efficient next time around. Furthermore, once you clear a stage, you can select it directly from the menu screen. Alien Hominid has fifteen levels, and I can’t imagine anything more frustrating than never seeing the last half of them because the game is too damn hard, so this feature is greatly appreciated.

From an audio standpoint, Alien Hominid is nothing overly spectacular, but it does the job quite well. The soundtrack is very well done, and the sound effects are reminiscent of old arcade games, which really does a lot in adding to the game’s charm. Adding in some cheesy voices a la Metal Slug may have helped even more, but the game sounds just fine as is.



With the Contra remakes, multiple Metal Slug releases, and the popularity of Viewtiful Joe, there’s no doubt that there’s an audience for games like Alien Hominid. And at $30, it’s practically a steal. If you’ve clicked the link above and played the game, you’re probably wondering how different the $30 console version is from the free game. The answer is that it captures the same spirit of the first version, but is really a new game with many new features. The levels have been completely revamped and improved, there are unlockable mini-games that are mostly very enjoyable, and the game simply plays better with a controller and on your television screen. Furthermore, a two-player option is now available that makes the game even more enjoyable.

There’s the distinct possibility that Alien Hominid will get lost in the holiday shuffle, but I really hope that’s not the case. It’s extremely fun, challenging, and full of charm and personality. If you’ve got $30 lying around, and enjoy shooters, I recommend you head on over to their store and give it a shot.



Article By: John