Alien Hominid is an independently developed side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by The Behemoth. The game was developed from a Flash game originally released on Newgrounds in August 2002. O3 Entertainment released the game for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube in North America in 2004, whilst ZOO Digital Publishing released the game in Europe for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2005. A port for the Game Boy Advance, co-developed by Tuna Technologies, was also released in Europe in 2005. A high-definition version titled Alien Hominid HD was released for Xbox Live Arcade on February 28, 2007.
Gameplay
The game is a side-scrolling shooter in a similar vein to games like Metal Slug, where one hit instantly kills,...
Alien Hominid is an independently developed side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by The Behemoth. The game was developed from a Flash game originally released on Newgrounds in August 2002. O3 Entertainment released the game for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube in North America in 2004, whilst ZOO Digital Publishing released the game in Europe for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2005. A port for the Game Boy Advance, co-developed by Tuna Technologies, was also released in Europe in 2005. A high-definition version titled Alien Hominid HD was released for Xbox Live Arcade on February 28, 2007.
Gameplay
The game is a side-scrolling shooter in a similar vein to games like Metal Slug, where one hit instantly kills, and can be played simultaneously with one or two players. Players play as the titular hominid who has to fend off waves of secret agents. His main arsenal is a blaster, while players can also melee close-up enemies and use a limited number of grenades. Advanced moves include rolling under shots, jumping on and biting off enemies' heads, temporarily scaring other enemies, and digging underground and dragging enemies down with them.
Players can collect a variety of power-ups which simultaneously give players extra grenades, a shield and unique ammo. Players can also drive vehicles, ride on top of a monster and pilot a UFO. Completing certain tasks will unlock hats the players can dress their Hominid in. The main game features sixteen stages spread across three areas, Urban, Russia and Area-51.
Outside of the main game, there are three multiplayer modes; Challenge, Neutron Ball and Pinata Boss, a PDA game, featuring around 200 levels and a level editor, and a retro minigame, Super Soviet Missile Mastar. The PAL version contains an extra mode, All You Can Eat, while the PDA level editor is absent from the XBLA version.
Development
Alien Hominid began as a flash game developed by programmer Tom Fulp and animator Dan Paladin, which was released on Newgrounds in August 2002. It is often referred to as the Alien Hominid "prototype" by The Behemoth. Inspired by side-scrolling shooter games such as Metal Slug, the flash game features a little yellow alien who has crash landed on Earth and must fight through hordes of corrupt, conceited FBI agents intending to capture him. The game consisted of one level containing two bosses, who would later reappear in the retail version. It became very popular among the online gaming set and has currently been played over 20 million times. Later in the year, then-co-worker John Baez approached Paladin as a fan of Alien Hominid. He suggested that Paladin and Fulp make a console version of the game, even offering to produce the game. Paladin and Fulp agreed, forming The Behemoth.
In the course of two years, Alien Hominid became a much larger project than its online prototype. While 3D graphics were considered initially, The Behemoth decided nothing compared to the traditional 2D stylings of the prototype. The art of Paladin, who drew all visual aspects of the game by hand, became much more refined (though still cartoon-like and inviting). The project was entirely re-coded for consoles, and many new gameplay features were created. Matt Harwood of Petrified Productions, who had previously worked with Paladin, created all of the music for the game. DJH has been credited with extensive play-testing, citing Alien Hominid as "the pinnacle of arcade entertainment".