On the DS, no-one can hear you scream…
It seems a bit weird for a DS game of an Aliens game to arrive, especially with the 3DS out. But nonetheless, its here and those who took one look at it and thought it would suck…shame on you! Aliens Infestation is a sleeper hit, actually making good use of the license and providing the claustrophobic feeling that the films are known for.
You play as 1 of 4 marines as you search derelict vessels that have reported distress signals and the like. You’ll come across survivors that will join your team and each has their own dialogue when you play as them, but once a character is dead…that’s it, they aren’t coming back! There are a total of 19 characters during the course of the game, so you need to be extra careful how you use them. You can only carry 4 at a time, so once they are all gone its Game Over.
Aliens Infestation handles like a Metroidvania type of game. You explore rooms; gather items that will let you access previous areas and fight big bosses along the way. You won’t just have the standard Aliens to deal with though; you’ll have to fight robots and rebels as well. You get a nice arsenal of weapons to use against them though like an assault rifle, grenades and explosive rounds. You will need to collect items like a flashlight to access dark rooms or a welder to cut through blocked doors, it’s nothing new but it’s still good.
If there’s one complaint, it’s that the game is pretty damn difficult. Just a few soldiers can rip you apart and sometimes it looks like your bullets aren’t even hitting them, but they manage to get a few shots on you and down you go. Aliens can just pop out of nowhere and you wont be expecting it unless you use your motion tracker, but that means not being able to switch between items as it’s on a different screen and you need to actually tap the item to switch them.
I came across a Queen alien pretty early on and it wiped out 3 of my crew with ease and I only managed to beat it with one member left. I came across a few new recruits along the way, but it wasn’t long before they got wasted too and the Game Over screen popped. Just be wary, don’t go running down the corridors because you think it’s safe…it’s never safe! For a DS game, it doesn’t look too bad…although they could have used the hardware a lot more than they did, I do like the style and the animations are nice. Sound effects and music are authentic, but there’s no voice-acting and instead, a lot of text to read through.
The Verdict
Aliens Infestation caught me by surprise; I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It’s a deep side-scroller that requires strategy and patience to overcome the odds. Sega have done themselves proud and I hope they make a sequel somewhere down the line…
