Software:Alien Earth
| Alien Earth | |
|---|---|
 Box art | |
| Developer(s) | Beam Software[1] |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Platform(s) | IBM PC compatible |
| Release | NA July 21, 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Alien Earth is an isometric pseudo-3D action-adventure game with role-playing elements. It was released for Windows.[2] It was developed by Krome Studios Melbourne, (known as Beam Software at the time) and released in 1998.[3]
Plot
What remains of Earth and most of its inhabitants after a nuclear holocaust is dominated and enslaved by the insect-like humanoid Raksha, invaders from another planet.[4] Many years later, only the Resistance remains free, in the sewers of a ruined city. The player takes control of Finn, a villager in a jungle that the Raksha use to hunt their slaves as prey. A Raksha hunting lord marks Finn as a troublemaker,[4] and he must outwit the Raksha, and seek aid wherever he can find it, to survive. His nemesis vanquished, Finn searches for answers about the fate of his civilization in a wartorn city, despite the Scavengers hunting through the ruins for scraps of remaining technology and intruders.
Gameplay
Resource management is a key part of the game; items are collected, as in most games, but also combined; the latter is crucial to completing the game. Combining a wooden pole with a metallic blade forms a Spear, for example, or an empty bottle, petrol and a rag cloth to form a molotov cocktail. Separate NPCs make scavenged Raksha weapons usable and sellable, and level up Finn's psionic abilities. Finn's fighting abilities use a skill levelling system; the more Finn uses a weapon, the better he gets at using it.
Development
The game was showcased at E3 1997.[5]
Reception
Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Well-designed and (mostly) well-implemented, it might not be flashy, but the game possesses a depth and quality that marks it as one of the brighter spots in the lineup this month."[6] PC Action (de) gave the game a rating of 53% and said the game had a good idea but implemented it half-heartedly.[7] PC Zone gave a rating of 60% and said "the storyline is mildly enthralling, but nothing makes you sit up and take notice."[8]
Reviews
- PC Player[9]
- PC Games[10]
- Power Play[11]
- Igromania #5, #8
- Power Unlimited (Jul, 1998)
- PC Player (Aug, 1998)
- PC Games (Aug 05, 1998)
References
- ↑ "GameSpy: Beam Software". http://www.gamespy.com/company/026/026025.html.
- ↑ "Alien Earth (1998) Windows release dates". https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/alien-earth/release-info.
- ↑ "Alien Earth review by Al Giovetti". http://www.thecomputershow.com/computershow/reviews/alienearth.htm.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Alien Earth - PC - GameSpy". http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/alien-earth/.
- ↑ Lee, Helen (June 13, 1997). "Beam Software and Melbourne House Unveil E3 Lineup". Archived from the original on December 6, 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/19981206230300/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_06/13_beam/index.html. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ↑ "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (42): 142, 144. June 1998.
- ↑ Aichinger, Herbert (August 1998). "Test - Alien Earth" (in German). PC Action (Computec Media) (8/98): 112. https://archive.org/details/pcaarchiv-1998_202104.
- ↑ Taylor, Adam (July 1998). "Reviews Extra - Alien Earth". PC Zone (Future plc) (65): 113.
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-1998-09/page/n73/mode/2up
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/PC.Games.N072.1998.09-fl0n/page/n149/mode/2up
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/powerplaymagazine-1998-08/page/n77/mode/2up
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