Alien Breed

Alien Breed is a video game in the action genre developed by Team17 Software Limited and published by MicroLeague Multimedia, Inc. originally released in 1993. It is currently playable on DOS.

Excellent conversion of Team 17's 1991 Amiga hit. Alien Breed is a top-down sci-fi shooter inspired by the movie Alien in terms of plot and atmosphere. The gameplay, however, is obviously inspired by the Atari arcade classic Gauntlet.

The game tells a typical sci-fi alien invasion story. It's up to you, of course, to save the Earth. Viewed from a top-down perspective, the graphics are crisp and clear, with well-animated sprites and smoothly scrolling background graphics. Lighting effects are used to great effect as you progress through the game, such as the flames of the flamethrower glowing in the dark.

Long before Half-Life, Alien Breed uses atmosphere and 'scripted' events to heighten suspense. The best way to describe how atmospheric the game is is perhaps to describe a level. SPOILER ALERT In the last level, for example, an electrical failure occurs and a strict time limit is set to escape the ship. The tension builds as the self-destruct system periodically announces how little time you have left. The corridors are in pitch darkness and all you see are the glowing eyes of the aliens as they rush to attack you and the explosions as you mow them down with your remaining ammunition. Then you see the red lights on the floor guiding you to escape and you follow them to the elevator, on your way to the exit. This entire level is very well designed, and your heart will pound as you race towards the exit at the end.

Throughout the game, you will come across various bonus items such as health, keys, money and ammo. The money allows you to buy weapon upgrades and extra ammo through the console terminals that you can access when you see one. These terminals also serve as save points, giving you a password to write down if you have the money. This console-style save system may annoy those used to being able to save at any time in most PC games, but fortunately there are enough terminals around. Weapons range from the humble blaster to the most powerful machine guns, and from firearms to wall-bouncing energy weapons.

Overall, Alien Breed is a great gaming experience that all action fans will enjoy. However, it is very difficult...newbies be warned. Too bad the only other Alien Breed game converted to the PC was Tower Assault, although Team 17 created a few more sequels for the Amiga. Highly recommended.

Alien Breed is available at a reduced price on the following websites and is no longer abandonware.